Beth Talbert agrees with the old adage that when opportunity knocks, you better open the door.

By chance she landed a job 24 years ago in the film and television production industry and during her career she’s turned that opportunity into becoming the head of a studio — one of only a few women to do so.

When Beth moved to Atlanta to head Eagle Rock Studios in 2016, she jumped into the Georgia market with both feet. She is the newly appointed chair of the Georgia Studio & Infrastructure Alliance and is a board member of Women in Film & Television Atlanta, the Producer’s Guild of America Atlanta Chapter, and the Dekalb County Entertainment Commission.

“I’m thrilled to be the chair of the Georgia Studio & Infrastructure Alliance,” says Beth. “We are a group of Georgia companies supporting the film industry. We live here; we work here; our families are growing up here. We are fully committed to supporting Georgia film and television production because it’s our local businesses and communities that are the beneficiaries of this thriving industry.”

A native of North Carolina, Beth moved to California 20 years ago for her husband’s job and was intrigued by the excitement of the entertainment industry. Because movie-making seemed fun, Beth pursued a job at 20^th Century Fox as an assistant to a production executive. She worked on-set for five years and then moved to Tribune Entertainment distributing syndicated programming to local stations across the country. Beth says it was challenging and rewarding work but eventually advanced to managing sound stages which she has continued to do for the past decade.

In 2016, opportunity came calling again, this time from Eagle Rock Studios in Atlanta. Beth was happy to come back to the Southeast and says Atlanta offers an easier lifestyle where the cost of living and the traffic is better — something only someone from L.A., where the traffic is even worse, could attest to.

Eagle Rock Studios is currently home to “Dynasty,” “Ozark,” and “Greenleaf” television productions. The studios are owned by Eagle Rock Distributing Co., a beer distributing company that found itself with an abundance of warehouse space in Norcross and Stone Mountain at an opportune time when productions were looking for studio space. The third-generation family-owned business transformed warehouses into state-of-the-art studio space specially designed to fit the needs of film and television productions.

It was a difficult path to reach this point in her career. Beth says she had no mentors in an industry that was male-dominated and she had to forge her own path. But now that Beth is in a position to do so, she is determined to help other women find opportunity in the business. Beth has helped women find internships and strives to continue her relationship with them.

Beth says she hopes to use her position both at Eagle Rock and as chair of The Georgia Studio & Infrastructure Alliance to promote opportunity for all Georgians in the film and television production industry.

“It’s exciting to be a part of the growing Georgia film industry,” says Beth. “The influx of shows is bringing business to our industry and to local businesses who provide a wide-range of services. It’s a win-win for our community.”