Empowering Georgia’s Film Industry: Bridging the Training Gap 

As Atlanta’s film industry flourishes, there’s a pressing need to create accessible paths for people to discover careers in film, television and e-gaming across Georgia. The Georgia Film Academy (GFA), globally recognized as a leader in workforce training, is leading this charge through partnerships with more than 30 institutions, public workshops, and close collaborations with local businesses and production companies. GFA aims to support the growing demand for film careers.

As a unit of the University System of Georgia, GFA is governed by the Board of Regents and partners with the Technical College System of Georgia to reach 22 technical colleges around the state and provide students with opportunities to participate in our training. GFA also works closely with Georgia’s Department of Education to create a state-wide curriculum that feeds programs through audio-video training, dramatic writing and more. 

These partnerships are the basis of GFA’s three-system alliance model that has enabled us to educate more than 12,000 students since our 2016 inception, with over 1,100 participating in our internship program. To date, students have worked on blockbuster movies and television programs, including “Captain America: Brave New World,” “Creed III,” “Stranger Things,” “Wakanda Forever,” among many others.

The effectiveness of our model was evident at the recent 80th Annual Venice Film Festival, where I was asked to showcase Georgia’s rise in the film industry and GFA’s impact. Educators and industry experts globally are trying to replicate GFA’s internationally recognized program.

However, there is still work to be done. Many Georgians remain unaware of film industry job opportunities and GFA’s educational partnerships to fill these roles. While the map of our impact across the state is incomplete, GFA has expanded beyond metropolitan areas such…