How Disney And Netflix Helped Hollywood Battle Against Controversial Georgia Law

Over the course of last week a number of top Hollywood powerhouses banded together against a new“religious liberty bill” proposed by the state of Georgia. The bill would have extended protections to any faith-based entity that refused to perform services that "violate such faith-based organization's sincerely held religious beliefs."

In others words critics say it allowed Georgia organizations the ability to withhold their services to members of the gay and lesbian community. Realizing this was essentially legalizing discrimination in the state, many asked Governor Nathan Deal to not sign the deal when it crossed his desk.

On Monday, Governor Deal did indeed veto the bill but many wonder if Hollywood didn’t get involved what would have happened. The fact is though it did happen and Hollywood came in and made it clear it its eyes this was an unacceptable bill.

While many simply asked the Governor to strike down the bill, companies like Disney DIS and NetflixCMCSA took it a step further. The pair threw down a ultimatum that if Deal signed the bill, the company’s would pull projects from the state.

Between Disney’s popular Marvel films filming in the state capital and Netflix’s plans to shoot multiple series in the area over 2016 and beyond, this was not a small threat and one that had to be taken seriously.

These are two powerful companies and neither company could afford to stand by and just be a voice in the crowd. Both company’s boards knew they had to go that extra step as being inclusive is in both brand’s DNA. This was a way to send a message to its investors that had not and will not change.

Ultimately the collective voices were heard and the Governor did make the right call for his state, as to not have would have had a negative impact on the economy of Georgia. Employment numbers, housing numbers and even tourism numbers were likely to drop dramatically if Hollywood boycotted.

During the fiscal year 2015 (July 1, 2014 to June 30, 2015) it’s been reported film and TV productions in Georgia spent over $1.7 billion in the state which lead to $6 billion in economic impact.

Sports giants such as the NFL and the NCAA have also madeit clear that any state legalizing this type of bill would not be considered for high profile events like the Super Bowl and the Final Four.

All together that would have been a big blow to the economy and in turn anybody who lives, works or invests in any company that call that state home. This is also a cautionary tale that will likely lead to other state’s carefully monitoring its legislation and many investors  deciding where they should invest.