Georgia stunt performers navigate film industry slowdown, but see turnaround coming

ATLANTA, Ga. (Atlanta News First) — There’s an art to taking a punch, and for the men and women of Georgia’s film industry, the hits are more than just physical.

“It can be extremely frustrating based on where it was,” said stunt performer Dean Grimes.

Stunt work requires a special type of personality that can deal with severe mental and physical stress.

“I’d rather you hit me in the face with the bumper of a car than give me a line of dialogue,” said stunt performer Dom Kegel.

With backgrounds in martial arts and sports, Kegel and other stunt performers have been at this for years, sometimes decades. They have chosen to set their roots at Trilith.

“It’s hard to come home and not see four or five people that you know,” Kegel said of the family environment.

“It comes to a point in your life where it’s like, ‘Ok, so, when I’m not working, where do I want to be?” added Federico Berte.

But the Georgia film industry has seen a scaling back in recent years.

“If I were to compare it to a six-cylinder engine, I’d say it’s on, probably, three cylinders,” Kegel said.

Kegel recently worked outside the state in Los Angeles.

“This isn’t for the faint of heart,” said stunt performer Ivan John.

Georgia film experts expect about $3 billion to be spent within the state on film and TV productions in 2026, well below its peak years but far above its worst.

“$3 billion worth of business is not nothing,” said C. Scott Votaw of the Georgia Film Academy. “But the business is changing. Hollywood is changing. Distribution is changing.”

All four stunt performers interviewed for this story agreed, adding that the work has been trending upward.

“It seems like slowly, but surely, it’s getting there,” Grimes said.