Film & Entertainment

Welcome to the City of Stonecrest Film and Entertainment division. Stonecrest is a camera-ready, film-friendly community that welcomes your production. Several projects have filmed here to include The Front Runner, Shaft, Greenleaf, Black Lightning, MacGyver and more. Our popular destinations include Arabia Mountain National Park, Flat Rock Archives and the Davidson-Arabia Mountain Nature Preserve to name a few.

The State of Georgia’s film and entertainment tax credits provide a significant cost savings for companies producing feature films, television series, commercials, etc. and have elevated GA to the 3rd leading production center in the Country. Please click on the link below to complete your film permit application. Thank you for choosing Stonecrest!

Film & Entertainment Committee

VISION:

To have the City of Stonecrest (COS) become a flourishing destination within the southeast region of DeKalb County for film and entertainment. To increase awareness of the COS with Motion Picture Studios, Television Networks, and Digital Entertainment Companies as a film destination.

Verda Watson

Verda Watson is a visionary, creator, and innovator. Born in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, Watson’s interest in television at an early age, lead her to receive a B.A. in Mass Communication (with an emphasis in television) from the University of Central Oklahoma. Watson moved to Atlanta Georgia in 1994 to pursue her desire to work in film and television. Watson's persistence progressed her to work on major productions for Rainforest Films, Screen Gems, MTV Films, Paramount Studios, BET Productions, Davenstar1 Entertainment, Cossette Productions, and The Black Family Channel, to name of few.

Watson now serves as Executive Producer, Writer, and Director for Wats Entertainment; President and Chair for the Georgia Film and TV Production Initiative (GFTPI); and a film and television production Instructor for a college and career academy. Prior to these opportunities, Ms. Watson was a production coordinator, background casting director, and talent agent.

Ms. Watson also has an M.A. in Education from the University of Phoenix. She is a member of the Georgia Production Partnership (GPP), Women in Film and Television (WIFTA), and The Georgia Film and Television Production Initiative (GFTPI).

Patreece DeChabert

Patreece DeChabert is an award-winning production veteran with almost 20 years of production experience in television, advertising and interactive/experiential media. A graduate of Howard University with a BA in television and film production, Patreece later returned to school and earned her MBA in Marketing from Strayer University. She is a creative and resourceful Executive Producer with the Trick 3D team where she is the production leader and client liaison utilizing her great instincts, creative savviness, relationship building skills to steer both the creative and technical teams through concept development, budgeting, production planning, execution and wrapping.

While employed at Turner Broadcasting, she’s produced content for with show launches on TNT like Michael Bay’s The Last Ship and Steven Spielberg’s Falling Skies. She’s also successfully managed the ideation/execution of unique, million-dollar experiential activations for brands like Mercedes-Benz with the boutique agency, Go Experience Design. Most recently, with one of Omnicom’s most awarded agencies, BBDO, Patreece was instrumental in new business pitches and development as well as leading the production of live, video, animated, digital and integrated content for clients such as Bayer, Georgia Lottery, Voya and Novant Health producing TV and radio commercials, documentaries and most amazingly, a giant interactive Etch A Sketch for Toys R us in New York City. Patreece has also freelanced with Lifetime Television, Tyler Perry Studios, Viacom and PBS in the US Virgin Islands, New York and Atlanta. In fact, she began her career in Atlanta as a news Editor/Assoc. Producer for WSB-TV. Patreece has been consistently credited for efficiently managing multiple moving parts with partner agencies, vendors, client and internal teams -- exhibiting skill, professionalism and expertise in navigating it all, while keeping all parties informed and successfully moving forward. Co-workers and clients will tell you that Patreece makes the production process seamless and fun!

For several years, Patreece also volunteered for industry organizations such as WIFTA, Women In Film and Television Atlanta and WICT, Women In Cable Telecommunications. She was Director of Programming for the WICT Southeast Chapter, where she was responsible for creating and planning events geared towards professional development, mentoring and leadership and for several years, led the production elements of the annual Red Letter Awards Show. More recently, she's co-produced the 2019 ADDY Awards Show and currently represents District 1 as a voting committee member for the Stonecrest Film and Entertainment Committee, with the mission of creating local exposure and opportunities within these evolving industries.

Stacey Thibodeaux

Stacey has been a resident of what is now Stonecrest since 2002. She is on the Board of Directors for the Stonecrest Business Alliance, and has been appointed to the Stonecrest Community Improvement District. Stacey is a Realtor who serves on the Board of Directors for the Dekalb Association of Realtors, chairs it's Dekalb County Board of Commissioners Committee and is the current Secretary of the Women's Council of Realtors - DeKalb.