Summit being held in Atlanta brings together digital, entertainment, fintech groups

ATLANTA, Ga. (Atlanta News First) – A conference bringing innovators in technology, film, and gaming is happening Wednesday in Buckhead.

Hilton Howell, CEO of Atlanta News First’s parent company Gray Television, which also owns the new “Assembly Atlanta” studio complex, spoke on the growth of the film industry in Atlanta.

“The last two recorded years we have $4.4, $4.1 billion worth of productions in this state. That is the single most undeluded triumph,” said Howell.

However, many may not realize what a global impact the city makes in the digital and fintech industries. That’s why the Atlanta Digital World Summit was organized.

“What can Atlanta do to be number one in fintech, gaming, and entertainment, and what’s the next disruptor in each of those industries,” said Sarah Smith, the architect of the summit.

Howell and Smith point to one major disruptor for inspiration.

“I want to call out Billy Payne. What he did getting the Olympics here back in ‘96, for the reputation of the city, for the international prominence of the city, that has just changed the whole world,” said Howell.

Not only did the Olympics put Atlanta on the map, but it also brought huge industries into the area because of the infrastructure put in for the games.

“The reason Delta is here, the reason the New York Stock Exchange runs through Georgia, the reason all of governmental communications run through Georgia, and the reason we have 70% of all credit cards and debit card transactions that go through the city is because of these Olympic geniuses that initially put this $78 million of fiber optics in the ground,” said Smith.

So, the innovative minds at the summit, students and CEOs, are having candid discussions about what the next big thing could be for the city.

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