It’s no secret that Georgia is the number one location for manufacturing blockbuster films, and to gear up the next generation of production, the Georgia Film Academy offers residents a chance to learn from some of the industry’s biggest leaders.
At the core of this achievement lies GFA’s steadfast dedication to nurturing a profoundly talented workforce, a commitment that has earned it acclaim as the “gold standard” according to the Motion Picture Association of America.
GFA offers industry-certified programs in Film & Television Production, Post-Production, Digital Entertainment, Esports & Game Development. This approach propels students into immersive roles within major film productions like “Creed III” and “Avengers: Endgame” via its internship initiative.
Since its establishment in 2015, GFA has been instrumental in propelling Georgia’s film industry to record-breaking heights. In fiscal year 2021, the industry achieved an extraordinary milestone with $4 billion in direct spending on productions, as the Georgia Department of Economic Development reported.
With a curriculum created with the industry in mind, middle school students to MFA candidates get a real-life experience that centers around the fundamental tools for success.
In an interview with Peach Pop Five, Scott Votaw, assistant vice chancellor of the University System of Georgia where he leads the Georgia Film Academy, spoke about how GFA continuously develops the creative workforce.
Votaw has directly seen how this training program gives tools to future film and television workers. He revealed that GFA partners with all the universities, the Technical College System of Georgia and their 22 institutions, and the Department of Education.
Growing up in the Griffin area of south Atlanta, Votaw went to Gordon College but reflected that he had to pack his bag and head to California to get his start in the industry. After 25 years, he returned to Georgia and mirrored his passion for production and education to help the next generation find their footing in Peach State.
“I’m going into my 14th year of education and my passion is industry. I love this industry. It was really good for me. A lot of people don’t understand that there’s some excellent jobs here in Georgia,” Votaw said. “We have partnerships with Disney, NBC Universal, and Netflix. They all help us with our high school programs because they want to let students know this is a job, a pathway where you can have a very successful, rewarding career.”
Seeing students identify what they want to do with their career, then get a training opportunity from industry professionals, and landing a job is also rewarding.
“Just amongst our instructors and people that work for the GFA, we have like 846 years of experience cumulatively amongst our organization. And so you can see we use a lot of industry professionals that have 20, 30, some even have 40 years’ experience. They started in their late teens, and they’ve worked their entire career in film and television production,” Votaw said. “The partnerships are invaluable because when you bring the Disney name or you bring the Netflix name, it’s like the students look up and they really listen to what’s said and they’re more engaged because it’s real,” Votaw said. “And most kids don’t understand it’s a business. It’s not a job, it’s a business.”
In addition to that, the program is available to all residents around the state.
“You can’t say that you’re inclusive and diverse unless you reach everyone with the same opportunity. So that’s our goal is to reach everyone in the state with the same opportunity,” Votaw added.
To learn more about how to get involved with the Georgia Film Academy, click here.
