SCAD dean column: Why film loves Savannah

Savannah is a city built for film. With our sun-dappled squares, uniquely historic buildings, and verdant skyline, I like to say the city itself looks like a film set. It also means the infrastructure that brings film and television production from around the world to film here. And it means the SCAD Savannah Film Festival.

As dean of the School of Entertainment Arts and director of casting at SCAD, I want to thank everyone who attended this year’s film festival, making it such a splendid success. I see the symbiosis between the city, its citizens, and the SCAD students and alumni pursuing creative careers in film and television. Those elements combine every year at the film festival, complete with panels, screenings, talks, and celebrity guests.

SCAD Savannah Film Festival generates millions of dollars in economic impact, bringing more than 63,000 attendees to Savannah for the annual, eight-day festival. The economic benefits don’t stop when the festival ends. Many directors and producers who attend the festival wind up smitten with Savannah. This often leads to future film and TV projects.

Oscar-winning director Barry Jenkins attended the film festival in 2018. This summer he began filming his new series “Underground Railroad” in Savannah, hiring hundreds of local actors and below-the-line workers.

As the former director of casting at CBS in New York, I oversaw the creation of the SCAD Casting Office, which provides film and television productions access to outstanding, experienced SCAD actors, as well as all "roles" on set including costume designers and camera operators. Recent projects that employed both SCAD students and local film professionals include “Lady and the Tramp,” “Gemini Man,” “The Underground Railroad,” “The Glorias” and “Council of Dads.”

SCAD alumna Kiandra Richardson is starring on ”Empire.” Deron Horton is starring on ”Dear White People” and ”American Horror Story:1984!.” Kayli Carter is currently starring opposite Cate Blanchett on ”Mrs. America.” All are performing arts alumni from the past five years. Savannah should be proud of our student and alumni successes; this city is where they got their start.

The city benefits precisely because we’re set up to do so. This is now the 11th year of the Georgia tax incentive. The Georgia Production Partnership are proponents of the fact that with a $500,000-plus spend, filmmakers get a 20% incentive. Our local Savannah incentive is an extra 10% local spend, funded by the Savannah Economic Development Authority (SEDA). It's about creating jobs, creating an industry here, where people can live and work. It's having a huge impact on the community. This is good for small business. There’s also the palpable effect that it has on the inviting mystique of Savannah.

Thank you for making this city a great place for film and television productions, and for making the 2019 SCAD Savannah Film Festival a resounding success. I hope you are already looking forward to next year, and what that means for our wonderful city.