How the Savannah College of Art and Design created a Hollywood dynasty from Georgia

Atlanta is buzzing.

The ATL is home to a massive (and growing) film and television industry, in part fueled by a group of Bees — not the honey-makers, but a massive (and growing) group of students and alumni from the Savannah College of Art and Design.

Founded 45 years ago, SCAD has spent decades guiding aspiring creatives and sending them off to Hollywood. According to the school’s reporting, 43 SCAD grads from seven disciplines contributed to 11 Emmy-nominated shows, including Only Murders in the Building, Succession, Ted Lasso, The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel, The Last of Us, and The Bear. A total of 143 SCAD alumni across 17 majors worked on 21 Oscar-nominated and Oscar-winning films, including Black Panther: Wakanda Forever, with 29 SCAD alumni contributors; and Avatar: The Way of Water, with 22. “You literally can't spell ‘Oscar awards’ without ‘SCAD,’” the school’s president and founder, Paula Wallace, tells EW.

But once a year, Hollywood comes to SCAD in the form of the SCAD TVFest in Atlanta. (EW is an official media partner for the annual event, as well as for the film festival at its Savannah campus each fall.) This past weekend, dozens of creators, casts, and stars — including Matt Bomer, Kelsey Grammer, George Lopez, and acclaimed author and producer John Green — arrived for the 12th annual TVFest, appearing on panels, speaking with students, and touring the school’s new facilities, known as FORTY FIVE. The new addition to the Atlanta skyline includes a residence hall with state-of-the-art “maker spaces” and classrooms, a fitness center, and a café, as well as a new events space known as SCADShow.

“I’m in awe of this place,” Supergirl and Grey’s Anatomy alum Chyler Leigh said backstage before sitting on EW’s annual Bold School panel. On stage, the current The Way Home star shared her praise with the audience, stating that her two kids just might be future Bees.

“Clearly, the learning at SCAD is not esoteric or theoretical,” says Wallace, who also hosts the podcast On Creativity. “No dusty film textbooks here. Our Bees work on A-list commercial films and television series every day. Students at other universities just don't graduate with reels like this.”

If Leigh’s children end up SCAD alums, Wallace says chances are they might even return for the 30th TVFest as a panelist or award recipient. “Each year, an increasing percentage of TVfest content comes from SCAD students,” says the founder and president, citing this year’s inclusion of sitcom Tours & Attractions and docuseries chefATL.

Also this year, SCAD45 awards were bestowed upon Deanna Greif (M.F.A., acting, 2015) and Filipe Messeder (B.F.A., sound design, 2016). Grief “has made a name for herself as a casting guru, known for Black Panther, Avengers: Infinity War, and much more—and lives forever in my heart for helping cast fellow SCAD alums,” says Wallace. And inspires our Bees with his deep knowledge of his profession and with his industry awards, including a Primetime Emmy. All this unmatched SCAD star power has been the icing on SCAD's 45th anniversary cake.”

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