I’m chronically on the Facebook film groups. Skulking. Making comments. Reminding people to put paid or unpaid on job posts.
But too often, I see our local filmmakers lashing out at starry-eyed hopefuls who want to move to the area to start their film career.
Look, I get it. I can roll my eyes sometimes when I see these little Golden Retriever posts that are gushing about how they want to work in film, how do they get started, etc. It’s so innocent. It can be annoying to established people seeing so many people that are clearly not reading the news or even looking at other, similar posts in these Facebook groups.
Here’s an example that is completely made up just to illustrate the point:
Once someone posts like my fictional character above, the comments typically start piling in. There might be a couple “Welcome!” comments, but it’ll soon devolve into “Welcome to Atlanta, we full” and “Why are you moving at the worst time to move for this career?” or “Hope you like your barista job you’ll get because there’s no film jobs right now.”
Imagine, putting your heart out there, just to have the very people you want to work with suddenly tell you “Sorry, there’s no room for you.”
I have no problem updating these hopefuls on how difficult a job in film really is. I’ve commented on a few of these such posts (but there’s so many, it’s overwhelming) I don’t mind telling people “Hey I get it, but right now is not the best time. Hold tight, work on your skills, and use this time to network.”
We have an amazing community here, something I take pride in. Being rude to people is not called for.
So why all the negativity?
A lot of people in film are terrified of missing out on a job because somebody else got the gig instead. Competition has always been a factor, and it leads to some petty comparisons.
Right now, we in the film industry are still suffering financially from a production slowdown too complicated to even describe in this post. This all leads to a very unsure atmosphere in the film industry at large — nationally, not just in Atlanta, GA.
Many of my friends have what we call “survival” jobs in retail or rideshare or food service just to be able to pay the bills. People are afraid and tightening their purse strings until they snap. The phrase “Survive until 2025” was going around the film industry social media pages in 2024. Now… well it’s 2026 now and… yeah.
Now for the other side of things.
I am not native to Georgia. I moved here 8 years ago from Pennsylvania for the film industry and showed up with a savings I could live off of. It took a while establish myself, but now this is my home.
And Atlanta was “full” when I moved here too.
Right now, we’re all just trying to figure out how to make our dreams continue. Seeing so many people trying to move in here, trying to start their career, and being seemingly unaware at how difficult things are right now can flare some tempers. But stay strong. We don’t know what will happen next, but maybe you’ll be on set with me and my colleagues some day, laughing about the latest dumb meme or griping about Net 30s.
So, what can you do?
Moving right now to Atlanta specifically for a career in film might not be in the cards, but you can certainly use this time to learn as much about the film industry as you can,and stay up to date on news regarding the state of the industry. You can do that by following blogs such as mine (omg shameless self promo) but also by routinely checking in with industry trades like Variety and Deadline.
Use your spare time to do your networking. Meet people for coffee, volunteer on a worthy project, make your own films. Practice your skills.
For more on the topics of applying for jobs, networking, and how to get started in the Atlanta Film Industry check out these older posts.
Feast or Famine: Looking at the Stats – Bridget LaMonica
Make it or Break it in the Atlanta Film Industry – Bridget LaMonica
Keep in mind this one was written a few years ago. This is also general info that you could apply to other markets.
Networking for Film Makers – Bridget LaMonica
Bridget LaMonica 