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THURSDAY. MAY 27. 2021 PICKENS COUNTY PROGRESS PAGE 5A
Shooting the Breeze with Sally Stenger
Photo/Teena Coogle Photography
Attorney Sally Stenger of Jasper is secretary of the Pro
fessional Women of Pickens County.
By Jennifer Paire
Contributing Writer
Sally Stenger is a member
of the 2021 Leadership Team
for the Professional Women
of Pickens County (PWPC),
a Pickens County Chamber
of Commerce program, con
tributing her time and wis
dom to support working
women, encouraging them in
their busy lives and helping
them to connect and grow.
Stenger spent 30 years as
a legal secretary then chose
to pursue a law degree in
2010.
You moved to Pickens
County in 2014 and joined
the Chamber and the
PWPC the same year.
Where do you consider
home?
I grew up in Woodstock
and really consider that to be
my hometown. I attended
Woodstock Elementary and
Cherokee High School.
However, as an adult I lived
in Atlanta for many years.
My mother, Betty Forest
Stenger, was bom in Pickens
County, but moved to Wood-
stock after getting married,
and my parents moved back
to Pickens after we were
grown.
By Dave Williams
Bureau Chief
Capitol Beat News Service
v ATLANTA - Georgia’s
film industry is setting
records even as the coron-
avirus pandemic continues
dampening activity in other
economic sectors.
Movies and TV produc
tions filmed in Georgia gen
erated $101 million in wages
for members of the Interna
tional Alliance of Theatrical
Stage Employees during the
first quarter of this year, Lee
Thomas, the state Depart
ment of Economic Develop
ment’s deputy commissioner
for film, music and digital
entertainment, told members
of the agency’s board
Wednesday.
That’s up significantly
from the $74.8 million in
wages posted during the first
quarter of 2020 and a record
first quarter for the industry
How did you find your way
to Pickens County and
what is your impression of
the community?
I came to Pickens to look
after my parents as they got
older. I do like Pickens
County, it is very different
from Atlanta and is some
what different even from
Woodstock. It is more of a
rural environment as opposed
to the city where I had been.
I really enjoy the wildlife and
I’ve seen my first live bear.
What is your professional
background and what led
you to become an attorney
later in life?
As an adult I lived in At
lanta and worked as a legal
secretary. I worked for a
number of law firms, most
recently for Kilpatrick Stock-
ton (now Kilpatrick
Townsend), where I focused
on civil litigation, corporate
law, and intellectual property.
Previously I had experience
with workers’ compensation.
I was laid off in the financial
downturn of 2009 and I de
cided it was time to take my
career to the next level and
go back and get my law de
gree. I was admitted to At
lanta’s John Marshall Law
School in 2010 and gradu
ated with a J.D. in 2013. I
passed the Georgia bar exam
later that year.
in Georgia.
“Film has come roaring
back,” Thomas said. “I don’t
know of another industry that
has rebounded so quickly.”
When COVID-19 struck
Georgia hard in March of last
year, it shut down film pro
duction for two months As a
result, the film industry’s
economic impact in the state
declined during the last fiscal
year for the first time since
the General Assembly en
acted a generous film tax
credit in 2008, from $2.9 bil
lion in fiscal 2019 to $2.2 bil
lion in fiscal 2020.
But the industry began to
bounce back last May when
Gov. Brian Kemp released a
set of voluntary best practices
to protect film crews from the
virus.
In July, the filming of
commercials resumed, fol
lowed by independent films
in August and major studio
productions in September.
What was it like return
ing to school after being in
the workplace for many
years?
I did not find it as difficult
as you might think. After
spending most of my adult
life in the legal field, I was
very comfortable in a legal
environment. I was surprised
to find how much reading
was involved, but I enjoy
reading so it wasn’t really a
problem.
Most of the students were
younger than I, but I enjoy
being around young people.
Also, John Marshall has a
large number of non-tradi-
tional and older students so
there were other people in a
similar situation to myself. I
was able to commute, which
I think made it easier because
I did not have to adjust to a
new place.
What are the advantages
and challenges of working
in the legal world? What is
your favorite part?
My favorite part is the in
tellectual challenge. There
are an endless number of as
pects to law so you will never
run out of things to think
about. Also, part of law
school training involves
learning to think through a
problem logically and I think
Thomas said Georgia only
lost two film projects to
COVID-19. The rest of the
productions interrupted by
the virus last year have re
turned, she said.
Thomas said projects are
currently shooting across the
state. The list of communities
hosting film projects includes
Savannah, Thomasville,
Tifton, Sandersville, Toccoa
and Lumpkin County, she
said.
The film industry also has
helped prop up the bottom
lines of live entertainment
venues during the pandemic,
Thomas said. The Georgia
World Congress Center, At
lanta’s Fox Theater and the
Strand in Marietta all hosted
film productions while their
event schedules were empty
because of the vims, she said.
Thomas credited the film
tax credit for the industry’s
ability to weather COVID-19
in Georgia.
“We have a great [tax] in
centive,” she said. “It’s
straightforward. Producers
can easily budget it with no
surprises.”
But no amount of tax in
centive would work as well
as Georgia’s tax credit with
out the diverse locales the
state boasts, from beaches to
mountains to big cities and
small towns.
“Pretty much any script
you have we can probably
find somewhere that matches
it in the state,” Thomas said.
A related industry that
also hasn’t missed a beat dur
ing the pandemic is Georgia’s
video gaming industry, which
also benefits from a tax credit
adopted by the General As
sembly.
Limited to just five gam
ing studios and fewer than 45
jobs in 2005, the industry had
exploded to more than 160
studios and 4,000 jobs by
2019, said Andrew Green
berg, executive director of
the Georgia Game Develop
ers Association.
Greenberg said the num
bers for 2020 aren’t out yet,
but he’s expecting the indus
try put up a strong showing.
That wouldn’t be surprising
considering the role gaming
played during the pandemic
in connecting players isolated
in their homes by shelter-in-
place orders.
“All indications are 2020
blew the roof off the [earlier]
numbers,” Greenberg said.
“This is a huge industry.”
Greenberg said 21 Geor
gia colleges and universities
offer game design programs,
providing a strong training
ground for students interested
in staying in the state after
graduation and working in
the industry.
that is good training to have.
I like the fact that lawyers are
trained to look at both sides
of an issue and think through
arguments pro and con.
How did you become in
volved in the PWPC?
My father, Howell
Stenger, encouraged me to
join. He was a small business
owner and had a hardware
store in Woodstock many
years ago and it is something
he was very interested in.
Also, my father’s mother,
Madge Stenger, was a busi
nesswoman and she worked
in the insurance industry.
What do you like best
about the organization?
I enjoy the opportunity to
meet a number of different
people and learn about the
different businesses in the
community. It is a very lively
group and I enjoy the en
ergy.
What wisdom can you
share with working women
in the wake of this pan
demic?
My wisdom is to seek
God’s guidance with what
you do. God doesn’t promise
that you won’t have prob
lems, but He promises to be
with you in the midst of
them.
What do you enjoy doing
when you are not working?
Any special interests?
Genealogy - my mother’s
family was from Pickens
County and I’ve done some
work tracing my mother’s
family, which goes back
close to when people began
moving into the area around
1830. Of course, at that time
the area was still part of
Cherokee County, and Pick
ens County did not become a
separate county until 1853. I
have also worked on the ge
nealogy of my father’s fam
ily, which is mostly in south
Georgia. I enjoy gardening.
My parents have a place with
a lot of flowers and I’ve been
trying to keep that up but
with the rain it’s hard to do
much outside work. I enjoy
pets, reading and singing. I
have three cats and one dog.
What do you see in your fu
ture?
I have been working on
getting my parents’ estate
wrapped up and I hope to be
through with that before very
much longer. I am not sure
what the future holds in store
but I believe God will be with
me through everything.
Marines raffle Sunday
On Saturday and Sunday,
May 28 and May 29, the Ma
rine Corps League will sell
raffle tickets in front of Ingles
in Jasper. First prize is $1,000
in gift cards; second prize is
a grill and two coolers; and
third prize is a cedar porch
swing and a drill. Tickets are
$3 each or 3 for $6.
Counseling
Individual, Couples and Family Therapy
with Adults, Teens and Children
Robin W. Dunn M.S.
Licensed Professional Counselor
Over 30 years experience helping people live better
770-548-1966 • 505 Cove Rd. • Suite 3 • Jasper
www.robinwdunnlpc.com
Specializing In:
Mold Remediation
Crawlspace Encapsulation
Indoor Air Quality Testing
Free Inspections
706-525-4834
MEMORIAL DAY
SERVICE
I: O
In honor of our deceased veterans, a Memorial Day Service
will take place Monday, May 31,2021 at the Sunrise Memorial
Gardens Cemetery, located at 364 East Church Street in Jasper.
This year's tribute is hosted by the Marine Corps League,
North Georgia Mountains Detachment 1280.
Please arrive no later than 9:30 a.m.
In recognizing honored guests, please call 770-316-9616 and
let me know if you are attending.
Semper Fi,
PDD Bill Craig, Commandant, Marine Corps League Detach
ment 1280
Speed Burger
Monday, Tuesday, Thursday, Friday
10 a.m. until 7:30 p.m.
Drive Thru, curbside and online
at MobileBytes Loyalty
Call-in Welcome 706-692-5136
Burgers
Hotdogs
Sandwiches
Corndogs
Salads
Chicken tenders
Sides
Fries
Onion Rings
Slaw
Mac-n-Cheese
Green Beans
Mashed Potatoes
Plates
Flamburger Steak
Shrimp/Fish
Bar-BQ
Country-fried steak
Grilled/Fried
Chicken
(1/4 fry & 1/2 fry)
Chicken Tenders
Homemade Vegetable Beef Soup
Cornbread and PB&J Sandwiches
Georgia film industry on a roll
coming out of pandemic