Jon Gosier has announced that his Atlanta-based production studio, Southbox Entertainment, will head a new effort in providing Georgia-based funding for film and television productions worldwide. As part of a new deal, Southbox Entertainment will receive $25 million from a partnership with its sister company, FilmHedge, in addition to $55 million secured from private investors. With a combined $80 million in capital, Southbox is excited to lift many new TV and film projects off the ground.

“Everyone talks about the films that shoot in Georgia. But where does that money come from? Almost always from LA and New York, London — somewhere else. We are one of the few groups capable, with our own money, of green-lighting films from Georgia,” explained Gosier.

A Georgia-native, Gosier began his career working as a music supervisor on Tyler Perry movies like The Diary Of A Mad Black Woman before founding the advertising platform Audigent. The platform, for which he received a sizable buyout, is now referred to as one of the fastest-growing tech companies in the nation.  In 2013, Gosier was named one of the 25 Most Influential African-Americans in Technology by Business Insider among other significant recognitions. He then founded Southbox Capital in 2017 to finance and invest in new companies like Southbox Entertainment and FilmHedge, which has raised north of $100 million in funding for projects further along in their timeline; “either already in production or headed into production, that already have their cast, already have deals with streamers and distributors.” said Gosier. 

In contrast to FilmHedge, Southbox Entertainment aims to support movies and TV shows that have yet to take off, providing them with the capital needed for developing their production. 

Gosier explained further, stating: “Of the deals that we were turning away at FilmHedge, some had most, but not all, of the criteria that we were looking for. We decided to create an $80 million fund, which we’re in the process of raising now, that comes in a little bit earlier.”

These funds will be available to projects worldwide, primarily independent productions, with a maximum award amount sitting at $20 million.