SAVANNAH, Ga. (WSAV) — Charles Bowen, entertainment lawyer and founder of the Savannah Film Alliance says in 2019, Savannah brought in $266 million in film revenue, and in 2022, that number had grown to  $440 million. 

On Wednesday, Bowen along with several small business leaders attended an event called “The State of Small Business in Chatham County.” Industry experts had the opportunity to highlight their business success over the course of 2022. Bowen says the entertainment industry in Savannah is growing at a rapid pace with many productions set to film in the coming months. He says although the writer’s strike has put a pause on many tv shows and movies, he doesn’t expect it to significantly affect revenue in the hostess city. 

“Well, by next year I think we’ll know exactly what the impact of the writer’s strike is. You know, luckily no strike lasts forever and they will get it resolved and I think the impact on Savannah will be much more minimal than statewide and certainly countrywide, but it will have an impact”. 

Bowen also says with added growth comes expansion and he hopes in the years to come Savannah will add more infrastructure to increase the amount of productions. 

“So, Atlanta for example has over 100 soundstages. Savannah has zero. So, as we build infrastructure here, the sky is truly the limit. Once we have dedicated soundstages in Savannah will be able to pick and choose really the productions that we want to film here. Bowen said. 

In October, a private company broke ground on a 130,000-square-foot movie studio set to open in west chatham late next year.