2025 Georgia Job & Wage Survey Results
Introduction
The past couple of years have been challenging for Georgia’s creative industries. Strikes, the rise of AI, and the movement of work internationally have added to an already uncertain landscape. Amid these pressures, this survey was conducted to capture a snapshot of professional work and compensation in Georgia’s VFX, animation, and gaming sectors. It focuses on primary roles and positions within the industry; while many artists may have additional part-time or unrelated work, those roles are not included, so the results reflect the core creative work shaping careers and compensation in the state.
A total of 112 industry professionals contributed responses, representing a range of departments, roles, and career stages. The survey was open to VES members from August 18th for two weeks before being made available to the general public, and it closed on September 14th. Participants included members of the Visual Effects Society, though results are not broken out by membership due to limited participation. The survey covers pay rates, benefits, demographics, and studio employment, offering a rare look at the realities of Georgia’s workforce in this sector. Not a definitive census, but a useful resource for understanding current trends.
The purpose of collecting this information is to provide practical insight for artists: how wages vary across roles and levels, how benefits are distributed, and how career progressions unfold. The studio list offers context on active employers in Georgia and highlights connections to remote and global opportunities. These results also highlight areas for improvement, giving artists a foundation for smarter long-term career decisions and a clearer understanding of how the industry is evolving.
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Diversity
This section outlines the demographic makeup of Georgia’s VFX, animation, and gaming workforce. It offers a snapshot of who is represented across gender and race/ethnicity, providing context for ongoing discussions about inclusivity within the industry.
Studio List
These results highlight where respondents are currently or most recently employed. The list highlights studios with Georgia locations as well as those without a local base, showing how Georgia artists are contributing to productions both in-state and beyond.
Studios listed with a 
next to it have a location/presence in Georiga
Studios Included in chart:
(all have location/presence in Georiga)
- Awesome Inc
- CoSA
- Crafty Apes
- Encore
- Floyd County Productions
- Folks
- Freelance
- SPIN VFX
- Stargate Studios
- The Third Floor
- Warner Bros Discovery
- Whiskytree
- E.W. Scripps
- Other (Studios with only 1 response listed below)
“Other” Studios:
- Affinitiv Advertising
- Alana Adams
- Alectreon
- Amazon
- AMC
- Astrarium Games
- Bento Box
- CBSVFX
- CNN
- Deep Voodoo
- Disney
- Dreamworks
- Framestore
- Halon Entertainment
- Hero Post
- Innovation Workshop
- JangaFX
- Karptoons
- Lakshya Digital
- Logan TV
- Mass Virtual
- MPC
- Napster
- NBC Universal
- Playfight
- Refuge VFX
- Requiem VFX
- Silver Comet
- Skydance
- Sony
- Sozo Bear Films
- Splice
- Taylor Hasting LLC.
- Imaginarium Studios
- The Mill
- Timber + Frame
- Undertone FX
- Weta FX
- Zenimax Online
- ZeroVFX
- Zoetrope
Benefits
Access to benefits varies widely across employment types and roles. These charts show how many respondents receive health insurance, retirement plans, and paid time off, key indicators of workplace stability and quality of life.
Employment Type
Artists in Georgia work under a range of arrangements, from full-time staff positions to short-term contracts and freelance work. This distribution helps illustrate how employment structures shape the overall experience of working in the state’s digital arts industries.
Departments
3D Generalist
| Avg Age | 41 |
| Avg Employment Type | Full-Time Staff |
| Avg Years of Experience | 14 |
| Total Responses | 12 |
Additional Compensation
Less than 5 respondents answered with bonuses(ranging from $8,000 to $20,000), as well as stock options
Half of the respondents reported their wage as salary, which has been converted to an hourly rate for easier comparison, while the other half provided their wage in hourly terms.
| overall | min | max | avg |
|---|---|---|---|
| Hourly | $25.00 | $96.15 | $60.99 |
| Salary | $52,000 | $200,000 | $124,224 |
| mid | min | max | avg |
|---|---|---|---|
| Hourly | $25.00 | $65.00 | $49.23 |
| Salary | $52,000 | $135,200 | $78,800 |
Avg Years in Current Role: 3
| senior | min | max | avg |
|---|---|---|---|
| Hourly | $48.08 | $65.00 | $57.22 |
| Salary | $100,000 | $135,200 | $119,008 |
Avg Years in Current Role: 3
| lead | min | max | avg |
|---|---|---|---|
| Hourly | $67.31 | $96.15 | $74.52 |
| Salary | $140,000 | $200,000 | $155,000 |
Avg Years in Current Role: 8
Animation
| Avg Age | 41 |
| Avg Employment Type | Full-Time Staff |
| Avg Years of Experience | 18 |
| Total Responses | 11 |
Additional Compensation
Less than 2 respondents answered with bonuses, as well as stock options
Only a small percentage reported their wage as salary, which has been converted to an hourly rate for easier comparison.
| overall | min | max | avg |
|---|---|---|---|
| Hourly | $26.00 | $66.00 | $50.05 |
| mid | min | max | avg |
|---|---|---|---|
| Hourly | $26.00 | $48.00 | $37.00 |
Avg Years in Current Role: 3
| senior | min | max | avg |
|---|---|---|---|
| Hourly | $32.25 | $66.00 | $53.43 |
Avg Years in Current Role: 5
| lead | min | max | avg |
|---|---|---|---|
| Hourly | $37.50 | $65.00 | $52.35 |
Avg Years in Current Role: 4
Compositing
| Avg Age | 38 |
| Avg Employment Type | See Chart Below |
| Avg Years of Experience | 13 |
| Total Responses | 44 |
Additional Compensation
Less than 3 respondents answered with bonuses
The majority of respondents provided their wage in hourly terms, while the remaining responses have been converted to hourly rates for easier comparison.
| overall | min | max | avg |
|---|---|---|---|
| Hourly | $22.60 | $130.00 | $57.29 |
| junior | min | max | avg |
|---|---|---|---|
| Hourly | $24.04 | $100.00 | $47.61 |
Avg Years in Current Role: 2
| mid | min | max | avg |
|---|---|---|---|
| Hourly | $25.00 | $87.50 | $52.32 |
Avg Years in Current Role: 8
| senior | min | max | avg |
|---|---|---|---|
| Hourly | $40.00 | $75.00 | $57.85 |
Avg Years in Current Role: 10
| lead | min | max | avg |
|---|---|---|---|
| Hourly | $22.60 | $130.00 | $63.79 |
Avg Years in Current Role: 7
Layout/Previs
| Avg Age | 21 |
| Avg Employment Type | Seeking Employment |
| Avg Years of Experience | 6 |
| Total Responses | 5 |
Additional Compensation
Less than 2 respondents answered with stock options
Due to a low number of responses, the minimum, maximum, and average(s) for rank could not be calculated.
| overall | min | max | avg |
|---|---|---|---|
| Hourly | $25.00 | $50.00 | $39.20 |
Avg Years in Current Role: 5
On-Set VFX
| Avg Age | 42 |
| Avg Employment Type | Freelance/Contract (1099) |
| Avg Years of Experience | 13 |
| Total Responses | 13 |
Additional Compensation
Less than 2 respondents answered with kit rental
Most respondents reported their wages on a daily or weekly basis, so these have been converted to daily rates for easier comparison. Some ranks could not be calculated due to lack of data.
| overall | min | max | avg |
|---|---|---|---|
| Daily | $260 | $1,200 | $827 |
| Weekly | $1,300 | $6,000 | $4,134 |
| senior | min | max | avg |
|---|---|---|---|
| Daily | $560 | $1,200 | $913 |
| Weekly | $2,800 | $6,000 | $4,567 |
Avg Years in Current Role: 7
| lead | min | max | avg |
|---|---|---|---|
| Daily | $276 | $1,200 | $833 |
| Weekly | $1,385 | $6,000 | $4,165 |
Avg Years in Current Role: 5
Producer/Production Manager
| Avg Age | 44 |
| Avg Employment Type | Full-Time Staff |
| Avg Years of Experience | 16 |
| Total Responses | 5 |
Additional Compensation
None
A small number of respondents reported weekly wages, while most provided a salary. All wages were converted to salaries for consistency. Due to limited responses, min, max, and averages by rank could not be calculated.
| overall | min | max | avg |
|---|---|---|---|
| Salary | $75,000 | $208,000 | $129,600 |
Senior Management — Executive Leadership
| Avg Age | 52 |
| Avg Employment Type | Full-Time Staff |
| Avg Years of Experience | 26 |
| Total Responses | 8 |
Additional Compensation
Majority of respondents reported 20% bonus as well as stock options
The majority of respondents reported their wages as a salary, so other responses have been converted for consistency. Additionally, due to the low number of responses, the minimum, maximum, and averages for rank were not calculated.
| overall | min | max | avg |
|---|---|---|---|
| Salary | $100,000 | $340,000 | $185,438 |
Additional Departments Not Covered
- Concept Art/Art Department
- Editorial / I/O / Data Wrangling
- Environment/Matte Painting
- FX/Houdini Artist
- Lighting/Lookdev
- Pipeline TD/Developer
- Production Coordinator
Additional Charts and Statistics
Beyond departmental data, these charts explore how experience and career rank relate to pay and representation. Together, they help visualize long-term growth patterns and the pathways artists take as they progress through the industry.
Conclusion
A sincere thank you to every person who took the time to participate in this survey. The past year has tested Georgia’s creative entertainment communities, with lingering effects from strikes, the threat of AI, and the movement of work internationally adding to an already uncertain landscape. These results aim to provide clarity amid that uncertainty, helping artists understand where they stand within the state’s creative workforce and empowering them to make informed choices about their careers.
Looking ahead, there’s room to better capture the full scope of Georgia’s industry. Greater focus on 2D animation roles would recognize the artists whose pipelines and pay structures differ from those in 3D or VFX, while refining how on-set VFX positions (such as supervisors, data wranglers, and production assistants) are accurately represented alongside vendor-based teams. With Georgia’s strengthened tax incentives, there is hope that continued collaboration and shared insight will lead to a stronger, more sustainable creative community for years to come.