Industry news in the Southeast

Ken Burns, Documentary Filmmaker, Stops in Bristol
Newest Film Spotlights Country Music

Ken Burns (fourth from the left) poses for a photo
with The Birthplace of Country Music staff on Sunday, March 24
Photo Courtesy of: Kim Davis/BCM
Documentary filmmaker, Ken Burns, is launching his next film, an eight-episode, 16-hour series, on September 15. Its focus - country music. Naturally, one of his stops was in the Twin City of Bristol (TN/VA), and The Birthplace of Country Music museum, where travel and tourism officials are excited about the potential draw the film will bring to the surrounding communities.

South Carolina Lures Panthers
Okay, so it's not the four-legged version, with a tail, that you may have been picturing. These Panthers arrive in football helmets and could bring an economic boom to South Carolina. But before the state could be seriously considered, SC lawmakers are working diligently to update their legislation in hopes of making South Carolina all the more appealing.

"Create Virginia"
Originally known as "Create Lynchburg" in 2017, this two-day conference has seen great success in providing workshops and educational sessions for local artists to learn more when it comes to the business portion of their work. As it enters its third year, it is now "Create Virginia" but the goal remains the same - to help the state's art community hone their skills when it comes to selling and marketing their creative works.

Arkansas Governor Notes Tourism's Positive Economic Impact and Announces True Grit Trail and Scenic Highway Designation
Arkansas tourism is celebrating two recent designations for its highways. The Camden Expedition Highway "guides Civil War tourists through Southern and Central Arkansas connecting five battlefields and other Civil War historic sites" and the True Grit Trail, which pays tribute to the novel's author, and Arkansas native, Charles Portis.

When announcing these recent designations, Arkansas's Governor, Asa Hutchinson, noted "Tourism is Arkansas’s No. 2 industry. Every region of the state benefits from tourism — from the Delta Byways to the River Valley to the Great Southwest. Tourism provides more than 67,000 jobs in Arkansas."

Asa Hutchinson
Governor of Arkansas
Legends and Lore in West Virginia
The William G. Pomeroy Foundation has deemed West Virginia as the next state to benefit from its grant program which provides colorful roadside markers noting the area's folklore. According to an article in the Charleston Gazette-Mail, "Other states taking part in the program so far are New York, Vermont, North Carolina, Oregon, Alabama and Connecticut. Folklore topics eligible for the signage may be based in truth, fiction, or some point between the two, including folktales, legends, myths and superstitions."

Southeast Tourism Society
Corporate Partners