city of Stonecrest, GEORGIA, USA
Client City of stonecrest
Project STONECREST FILM, MUSIC & DIGITAL ENTERTAINMENT Strategy
Year 2022-2023
CHALLENGE
Sound Diplomacy was entrusted to develop a formal Film, Music and Digital Entertainment Strategy for the City of Stonecrest. This strategy aimed to support Stonecrest cement itself as a vibrant destination for these industries through economic growth and strategic planning, and position itself against nearby established centers of creativity. The challenge lay in building an identity and reputation for a very young city, incorporating its existing film, music and digital entertainment industries, while fostering and cultivating these industries' growth. There was also an opportunity for the City and its Film & Entertainment Commission to align with plans for DeKalb County, GA in which Stonecrest sits, and where the creative industries are at the forefront of economic, social and cultural development, whilst also having the freedom to create its own set of practices, policies and initiatives towards these goals.
This would allow Stonecrest to maximize DeKalb County’s endeavors locally, while standing out for its own efforts. If you’d like to read about our work in DeKalb County, see our case study.
strategy
Sound Diplomacy worked closely with the City of Stonecrest, its Film and Entertainment Commission, and stakeholders to understand the opportunities through a series of assessments and analyses:
Regulatory Checklist & Comparative Analysis
A full analysis of Stonecrest’s and, where relevant, DeKalb County’s regulatory, programmatic and strategic context. This included a literature review, and a comparative analysis that analyzed how cities close to Stonecrest (Conyers, Covington, Jackson, Senoia and Stone Mountain) support their film, music and digital entertainment industries.
Ecosystem Mapping
A mapping and analysis of all film, music and digital entertainment assets with physical infrastructure/registered addresses in Stonecrest and within a 5km radius of the city. 462 assets were mapped in total.
Music Ecosystem Economic Impact Assessment
A full economic impact analysis looking at the direct, indirect and induced impacts of the film, music and digital entertainment sectors in Stonecrest in 2019, with additional insights into 2020.
Stakeholder Engagement
A survey aimed at the film, music and digital entertainment industries and their audiences formed the first stage of stakeholder engagement, and roundtable discussions provided key insights from stakeholders.
SWOT Analysis
Analysis of all findings from the research stages detailed above collated into a SWOT analysis. This informed the areas of focus in the Strategic Plan and the recommendations.
Strategic Plan
A set of 15 actionable recommendations for the City of Stonecrest and identified partners to take forward. These were categorized into areas of focus, and arranged by a proposed timeline for establishing the recommendation, how to implement it, any further considerations to take into account, and, where relevant, a best case example of another location, organization or partnership that is leading on a similar initiative.
Findings & outcomes
The City of Stonecrest and the Stonecrest Film and Entertainment Commission have adopted the strategic plan and recommendations, and continue to work towards supporting the local film, music and digital entertainment industries with this strategy in mind.
