Yes you read the title correctly! If you have ANY sort of product that you’re trying to give exposure to, you may want to take a quick trip to the City of Atlanta! I’ve been saying it for a few years now. I started taking notice a few years ago when the traffic started to get really, really bad. You know why? thats because hundreds of thousands of people are moving here monthly for more opportunities.
I myself am a transplant to this great city but my grandmother Nellie was born here. When I first stepped foot on the red dirt in 2005, I felt like I was at home. Atlanta has quickly become the fastest growing city in the country and if you’re in the entertainment business, this is the place to be!
To give you a few examples, Film Producer Will Packer was here a few weeks ago to help promote the movie, Straight Outta Compton. According to L.A. Times, on opening night the movie made $30 million but over the entire weekend, it took in well over $60 million! The number one place where tickets exploded was, you guessed it, Atlanta! I remember at the press conference Will Packer stated that he always brings his films to Atlanta as a test market first. If we do not like it, blog or post about it, he knows he has to go back to the drawing board. Atlanta has a very high media influence on what’s hot or not. He really values are opinion. He loves the bloggers too, Ha!
We all know this is turning into the reality show capital lol. Take for instance the show Love & Hip Hop Atlanta. Its Vh1’s number 1 rated reality show on air as we speak. It puts NYC and Los Angeles shows to shame! The smash hit’s season(aired Monday, Aug 17) finale delivered a 2.3 rating among adults 18-49 and over 3.3 million total viewers. With those type of numbers, the casts can definitely ask for more money, that leads to more spending power, more businesses & jobs and you get the rest. I’m not saying that the show is the most positive thing on television but you understand what I am trying to say lol. Cast member Rasheeda Frost recently opened up her very own fashion boutique Pressed inside the posh Phipps Plaza in Buckhead. Its doing quite well.
So what I am trying to say is that Atlanta sometimes gets a bad wrap! I read other blogs and look at all the negative comments about our city. People are still under the assumption that its really racist here, that people are country as hell, folks move slow, and so on. What people do not realize is that there are millions of transplants here too! From New York, Jersey, Florida, Los Angeles and more. The reason why so many people move here is because of the opportunities and the cost of living is cheaper and ofcourse the weather. If you are from a big city like NYC, when you move here, housing is fabulous and you get more for your money. I’m not saying move down here tomorrow but it all depends on what you are trying to do. If you are in the entertainment field and feel like you have what it takes, you have great networking skills, you should really give it a shot.
I must say though, I do not live in the City of Atlanta. I’m about a 50 minute commute but I still love it out here. Lots to do, the city looks fresh, clean, hip and new! They are forever building here too. To give you another example…where I live, its brand new and my place was built around 4 yrs ago. My rent is not that bad and we still have enough money left over to do whatever my family wants to do. I live in the number one county for education, our schools/teachers are good and its one notch down from paying for private school and thats why I live all the way out here lol. We sacrificed living closer to the city for our kids’ education.
So if I were you, I would do some research to find out all about the City of Atlanta but they have lots to offer, dining, shopping, night life, business tax incentives and so much more. I can’t tell you too much about living in the inner city, I live out in the burbs but there is always google. Till next time! xoxo
Tami….this post is on point.I been in Atlanta since 2004 and I remember in my high school year book I said Iwould move to Atlanta. Atlanta definately the place for social influence. I don’t live in the city, but I work in the city and it is forever growing.