Louisiana ranks first in the nation on digital media thanks to the state's flourishing film industry. The state's flourishing film industry has brought Louisiana to the top of yet another list from Business Facilities: The magazine announces Louisiana is ranked No. 1 in the nation for digital media.
According to a news release from Business Facilities, the magazine's top 10 Digital Media Leaders list is based on an evaluation of available incentives, recent project activity, cluster growth potential and initiatives/job creation in digital animation, video games, graphics and film sectors:
The digital media surge in Louisiana has drawn major players who already boast a bounty of impressive awards, including two Academy Awards at this year's Oscars. The gold statuettes went to Moonbot Studios in Shreveport for its animated short subject, The Fantastic Flying Books of Mr. Morris Lessmore, and Pixomondo, whose work on the film Hugo won the Oscar for Best Visual Effects. Piximondo announced earlier this year it is investing $1.2 million to open shop in Baton Rouge's Celtic Media Centre.
Louisiana edged out another emerging digital media powerhouse, Utah, and outpaced perennial media centers New York and California to take the top ranking in BF's Digital Media Leaders category.
Louisiana's digital media industry is one of the fastest growing in the nation, growing at a rate of more than 100 percent. The state has almost 19,000 skilled software developers and more than 100,000 professionals with a skill set conducive to digital media or software development. In addition, its information sector, including software publishing and telecommunications, has experienced the second fastest growth rate in the country since June 2009.
Baton Rouge Business Report notes that the new praise for Louisiana adds to the list of honors the state is already receiving from Business Facilities, as the magazine has Louisiana ranked No. 5 on its "Best Business Climate" list, first on the "Economic Growth Potential" list and No. 1 on the list of best workforce training programs.
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