Lee Thomas is the Deputy Commissioner of the Georgia Film Office at the Georgia Department of Economic Development. The Film Office markets the state to more than 4,850 motion picture industry businesses and production-related companies through location scouting and by coordinating the filming needs of companies with other state agencies, local governments, and residents. The Office actively works to develop the industry’s infrastructure and workforce, certifies projects under the Georgia Entertainment Industry Investment Act, and oversees the Camera Ready community program to engage municipalities throughout Georgia.
Former Georgia Governor Nathan Deal described Thomas as “one of the real-life heroes working behind the scenes to see that the world’s leading filmmakers choose Georgia.” In 2019, Lee earned the designation of “Georgian of the Year” from Georgia Trend for her role in guiding, strengthening, and enhancing Georgia's film industry. During her tenure in the position, Georgia has become the top filming location in the world, with a direct spend of $4.4 billion by the industry during fiscal year 2022 – a new record for the state. Georgia grew from having 45,000 square feet of stage space in 2010 to having more than 3 million square feet of purpose built and retrofitted stage space in 2022. An additional 4+ million square feet of space is expected to come online in the next two years.
A native Atlantan, Lee attended the Tisch School of the Arts Doctoral Program in Cinema Studies at New York University and worked at the Brooklyn Arts Council before returning to Georgia as a in 1996 to work for the Georgia Film and Videotape Office as a project manager. She advanced to the position of Location Specialist in 1998 and became Director in 2010.
Thomas has worked with hundreds of Georgia-lensed films and TV, including “Black Panther: Wakanda Forever,” “Ozark,” “The Staircase,” “Hidden Figures,” “The Hunger Games: Catching Fire,” “The Blind Side,” “Spider-Man: No Way Home,” and “Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil,” among others.
Lee graduated from Marist School in Atlanta before earning her undergraduate degree in radio, TV, and film at the University of Georgia’s Grady College and master’s degree in film studies from Georgia State University. Lee splits time between Atlanta, and Lake Seed in Rabun County, and enjoys tennis when she’s not watching Georgia-lensed productions.