The Savannah Regional Film Commission (SRFC), an AFCI certified Film Commission, announced today they are seeking applications for the position of Executive Director. Current Executive Director Beth Nelson will be stepping down at the end of the year.
The Savannah Regional Film Commission Executive Director is responsible for overseeing the marketing and selling of the Savannah region to the film and television industry. In 2021, the entertainment production industry had a direct spend of $114 million with 88 professional production and 39 student productions including The Girl from Plainville, The Menu and the soon to be released Devotion.
A part of the Savannah Economic Development Authority, the SRFC was the recipient of the 2021 Outstanding Film Commission by the Location Mangers Guild International for their work on The Underground Railroad, an Amazon television series based on the book by Colson Whitehead. Additionally, Savannah was named the number two “Best Small Cities and Towns to Live and Work as a Moviemaker” in MovieMaker magazine’s annual ranking. Savannah has consistently been ranked in the top four since 2015, taking the #1 spot in 2020, 2019, 2017, and 2016.
Nelson, who has served as Executive Director for the past seven years and spearheaded the phenomenal growth of the entertainment production industry in the Savannah region, is ready for the next challenge in her career.
“I am very proud to have served as the founding executive director of the Savannah Regional Film Commission,” said Nelson. “It has been a privilege to do my part to move the Savannah film and television industry to the next level and experience the huge success of the last few years. I am very appreciative of SEDA’s vision and support as I took on the challenge of creating the film commission from the ground up. We have achieved the goals I set out to accomplish and I feel the SRFC can continue with new leadership as I embark on another challenge. Growing the film and television production industry in Savannah has been my passion for many years, and that will continue as I serve the industry in a different capacity. I will continue to work closely with the SRFC office in a supportive way as I move on to other opportunities in the industry.”
Savannah Economic Development Authority President and CEO Trip Tollison praised Beth’s work in growing the industry.
“Beth Nelson is a great advocate for the entertainment production industry in the Savannah region. She has worked tirelessly to sell and market our region to the world, grow our local crew base, establish strong relationships with our local community and most importantly made entertainment production a sustainable industry for our region, said Tollison. “We wish her the best of luck in her future endeavors and thank her for her service.”
Those interested in applying for the Executive Director position should email their resume to jdillon@seda.org.
