[2] Pat Wilson was appointed Commissioner of the Georgia Department of Economic Development by Governor Nathan Deal[4] in November 2016.

[5] As Commissioner, he leads the state agency responsible for creating jobs and investment in Georgia through business recruitment and expansion, international trade and tourism, as well as the arts, film and music industries.

[7] GDEcD has international representation in 11 markets including Brazil, Canada, Chile, China, Colombia, Germany, Japan, Korea, Mexico, Israel and the United Kingdom.

Through its network of regional and international representatives, it also assists the state's communities and attractions in drawing potential travelers to their areas.

Statewide resources and infrastructure information along with an extensive location library provide every assistance for production companies both inside and outside Georgia.

[13] In FY2012, a $879.8 million total investment was placed into the Georgia entertainment industry creating a $3.1 billion economic impact, a 29% increase over the previous fiscal year.

[12] On May 12, 2008, Governor Sonny Perdue signed into law the Georgia Entertainment Industry Investment Act, increasing the state tax credit for qualified production and post-production expenditures by as much as 30%.

It is available to both traditional motion picture projects such as feature films, television series, commercials, and music videos, as well as new industries such as game development and animation.