DeKalb Entertainment Commission

What DeKalb Entertainment Commission does

DeKalb Entertainment Commission (DEC) is a government division of the Decide DeKalb Development Authority that operates as a centralized concierge for film, television, music, and digital entertainment production in DeKalb County, Georgia. Headquartered at One West Court Square in Decatur with a seven-person staff, DEC provides services free of charge to production companies, including location scouting, permit coordination across multiple county and municipal jurisdictions, and liaison with police, fire, and county departments. Its user-facing technology is a custom-built Location Search Database allowing production scouts to filter filming locations by city and property type across 13 municipalities, supplemented by a Location Submission Platform that lets property owners add inventory into the database.

DEC's core customers are major film and television studios (e.g., Netflix productions such as Stranger Things and Ozark, Warner Brothers' The Color Purple, 20th Century Fox's Love, Simon, and FX Networks' Atlanta) as well as location scouts, local DeKalb businesses, music industry professionals, and aspiring entertainment students. Supporting services include the annual DeKalb Student Film Festival, the BTS Bash awards ceremony, the M.A.D.E. Academy of the Arts for youth ages 10–18, and the ONE Musicfest internship program co-developed with WorkSource DeKalb in September 2024.

Because DEC is a public-sector economic development agency, it does not generate commercial revenue from production clients; instead, the economic case is measured in production activity catalyzed in the county. The input cites roughly $2 billion in film and production-related revenues in DeKalb County over three years, approximately $3 billion in economic impact from major studio companies, roughly 3 million square feet of studio infrastructure (Assembly, Shadowbox, Electric Owl, Eagle Rock, Third Rail), and a claim that 80% of films shot in Georgia are filmed in DeKalb County. DEC's 2024 5-Year Strategic Plan formalizes expansion into Music and Interactive Entertainment verticals beyond its film/TV origin.

Name

DeKalb Entertainment Commission

Legal name

DeKalb Entertainment Commission

Website

https://dekalbentertainment.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2014

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

DeKalb Entertainment Commission is a government division within the Decide DeKalb Development Authority that provides free location scouting, permit coordination, and workforce-development services to film, television, music, and digital entertainment production companies operating in DeKalb County, Georgia.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Film Production Support Services

NAICS

Arts, Entertainment, and Recreation (71), Performing Arts Companies (7111), Convention and Trade Show Organizers (561920)

SIC

Services-Allied To Motion Picture Distribution (7829)

akta.pro primary industry

Entertainment Programming & Curation (Lineups, Run-of-Show, Scheduling) (HSACAHAO)

akta.pro secondary industries

Talent Agency & Representation Services (HSACAHAK), Competition/Antitrust & Market Conduct Regulators (BPAIAOAD)

Keywords

• Film production support
• Entertainment industry coordination
• Location scouting services
• Film permit acquisition
• Workforce development programs

Headquarters

HQ city

Decatur

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Free Services to Production Industry: DEC provides all services free of charge to the entertainment industry. Research indicates that return on investment comes from economic activity generated by productions staying in hotels, dining at restaurants, and creating jobs in the community, rather than from fees charged to production companies.

Go-to-market motion3 records

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

DeKalb Entertainment Commission (DEC) is a government entertainment commission that serves as a centralized one-stop resource for the film, television, music, and digital entertainment industries operating in DeKalb County, Georgia. It provides free services to production companies including location scouting through a custom-built searchable database of filming locations, permit acquisition coordination across multiple municipal jurisdictions, and direct liaison support with police, fire, and county departments. The commission also runs workforce development programs, student film festivals, internship partnerships, and awards events to grow the local entertainment talent pipeline.

Product overview

DeKalb Entertainment Commission (DEC) is a government entertainment commission serving as a centralized hub for film, music, and digital entertainment industry support in DeKalb County, Georgia. The organization operates primarily as a matchmaking and coordination service rather than a traditional software product. Its core offerings include a Location Search Database for scouting filming sites, a Film Permit Acquisition Service to streamline production approvals, and a Location Submission Platform for property owners. Supporting services include Business Resources for local enterprises, the DeKalb Student Film Festival educational program, M.A.D.E. Academy of the Arts for youth, Behind The Scenes (BTS) Bash awards event, and the ONE Musicfest Internship Program. DEC also maintains a Studio Partner Network connecting productions with major facilities like Electric Owl Studios, Assembly Studios, and Shadowbox Studios, and supports Video Game Industry Development initiatives.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Location Search Database Custom-built searchable database of filming locations throughout DeKalb County, including parks, estates, residential properties, commercial buildings, and unique venues. Allows production companies to filter by city and property type.
• Film Permit Acquisition Service Coordinated process for obtaining film permits in DeKalb County, connecting production companies with permit managers across multiple jurisdictions including DeKalb County, City of Chamblee, and City of Atlanta.
• Location Submission Platform
• Business Resources Program
• DeKalb Student Film Festival
• M.A.D.E. Academy of the Arts
• Behind The Scenes (BTS) Bash Awards Ceremony
• ONE Musicfest Internship and Job Shadowing Program 3-month internship and job shadowing program offering seven positions across festival management, partnerships, promotions, marketing, and social media for aspiring music industry professionals. Operated by Sol Fusion, LLC with intern salaries covered by WorkSource DeKalb.
• Studio Partner Network

Quantifiable outcome

• 80% of Georgia films filmed in DeKalb County
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers6 records

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature1 record

Partnerships

Eight partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• ONE Musicfest (OMF)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 25 September 2024Partnership to launch an Internship and Job Shadowing Program offering aspiring music industry professionals hands-on experience working on the Southeast's largest two-day urban music festival. The 3-month program offers seven internship positions across various departments including Festival Management, Partnerships, Promotions, Marketing, and Social Media. Sol Fusion, LLC hosts the program with intern salaries covered by WorkSource DeKalb.
• WorkSource DeKalbcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 25 September 2024Provides vetted candidates and covers intern salaries for the ONE Musicfest internship program, ensuring qualified candidates are selected for the program.
• Savannah College of Art & Design (SCAD)minorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 11 October 2022Partnership to provide 22 DeKalb County high school students with trips to the 25th Annual SCAD Savannah Film Festival. SCAD collaborated with DEC and DeKalb County School District to recognize aspiring film students.
• DeKalb County School DistrictcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 11 October 2022Ongoing partnership to provide educational opportunities for DeKalb County students in the entertainment field. Includes collaboration on student film festivals and educational trips to film festivals.
• Re:ImagineminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollaboration partner for the DeKalb County Student Film Festival, working with DEC and DeKalb County School District to organize the annual event for students from 11 high schools.
• Georgia Department of Economic DevelopmentcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership on panel discussions such as 'The Business of Entertainment' to educate DeKalb businesses on opportunities in the film industry.
• Butter.ATLminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerWorkshop facilitator for 'The Art of the Business Plan for Creatives' program, helping creative professionals develop viable business plans.
• INMO CreativeminorImplementation/ SI/ Consulting PartnerDesigned and built the new DeKalb Entertainment Commission website, including visual identity and branding as part of the 2024 refresh.

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• California Film Commission: State-level film commission that provides production support, location assistance, and permitting coordination across California. Operates with a similar one-stop mandate to DEC but at the state level and in a much larger production market.
• Atlanta Film Office: City-level film commission serving the City of Atlanta, immediately adjacent to DeKalb County. Operates the same permitting, location scouting, and production support model for the neighboring jurisdiction, frequently sharing production clients with DEC.
• Georgia Film Office: State-level film commission under the Georgia Department of Economic Development. Operates with the same core mandate as DEC — attracting and supporting productions in Georgia — but at the state level rather than the county level. The most direct functional peer in the same geography.
• Film Los Angeles (FilmLA): Municipal film office serving the City and County of Los Angeles. Provides permitting, location scouting, and coordination services to productions using the same one-stop-resource model as DEC, but at a much larger scale in a different geography.
• NYC Mayor's Office of Media and Entertainment: City-level government office coordinating film and entertainment activity in New York City. Functions as a public-sector film commission analogous to DEC, supporting productions with permits, location resources, and industry development.

Broad incumbents

• New Mexico Film Office: State-level film commission that has successfully built a major production cluster (e.g., Breaking Bad, Ted Lasso). Operates with the same film commission model as DEC and competes for the same productions its tax incentives attract.
• Vancouver Film Commission (Creative BC): Provincial film commission supporting production in British Columbia. Long-standing competitor to US jurisdictions for North American productions, providing the same coordinated permitting and location support as DEC.
• Louisiana Entertainment / Louisiana Film Office: State film commission that built Louisiana's production industry through aggressive tax incentives. Provides similar production support services to DEC and is a direct competitor for productions choosing between jurisdictions.
• British Film Commission: National film commission supporting inbound production to the UK. Provides permit coordination, location services, and crew support comparable to DEC's mission, at a national level for a major competing production hub.

Regional players

• North Carolina Film Office: State-level film commission in a neighboring Southeast state that competes directly with Georgia for productions. Operates the same film commission model as DEC with comparable incentive programs and production-support services.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/dekalb-entertainment-commission

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles15 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about DeKalb Entertainment Commission