Newly Opened Georgia Film Academy Training Ground at Assembly Atlanta

By Carol Badaracco Padgett

On the first official day of class at the 32,000-square-foot training ground of the Georgia Film Academy next to Gray Media’s Assembly Atlanta in Doraville, Georgia, Peach State lawmakers, film business leaders and entrepreneurs, educators, media and others came together for a packed and buzzing ribbon cutting ceremony.

“We had just one class today,” smiled Wendy Quinn Guttin, GFA director of academic affairs as she helped set the stage for the grand opening, standing in a sunny space where students walked through just an hour before.

More than a ribbon cutting, symbolic of long-time vision and the immense educational opportunity that lies ahead, the ceremony was a convening of storytellers—leaders and advocates staunchly devoted to helping Georgians create a livelihood in the dynamic and diverse film industry.

The creative calling, for nearly all in attendance, is personal.

For Long X. Tran, Georgia State Representative House District 80, the opening of the training base for the Georgia Film Academy (GFA) spoke to his heart. He reports being a true fan of film, which has enabled him to strongly align with the state’s creative economy and industries.

Then, his sons’ inherited passion for filmmaking factors in heavily. “Both of my sons have spent time working on set, and they are very interested in creative careers,” Tran says.

For former governor of Georgia from 2003 to 2011, Sonny Perdue, it was an opportunity to showcase Georgia’s rich locations and infrastructure on a world-class educational stage. He spoke of the exciting progression since the earlier days of the state’s film industry and theatergoers’ delight in finding the Peach logo in the credits of their favorite films.

For a one-time retiree and current GFA gaffer, Mitchell Dedona, working to showcase the facility’s capabilities on grand opening day, the event was a full-circle experience. “When I retired from AT&T, someone suggested I take some courses at the Georgia Film Academy,” he says. “So I completed my certification and today I work at GFA doing lighting and anything electrical. I should’ve been actually doing this all my life. I love it.”

For Trent Lumpkin, writer, producer, and Atlanta Technical College film instructor, the GFA’s real-world studio classroom adjacent to Assembly Atlanta is a wonderland. “Being at this GFA opening ceremony with so many advocates of creative careers in Georgia, I feel this energy and optimism. There’s a creative community represented here, and everyone wants to help each other succeed and tell their stories.”

Gaming development and careers leader Todd Harris--CEO of Atlanta-based Resurgens Gaming and founder and CEO of Skillshot Media, co-owner of Ghost Gaming, and chair of the board of Atlanta Esports Alliance--called the GFA grand opening “another exceptional example of what’s going on here in Georgia.”

Brandon Reese, the Motion Picture Association’s vice president of state government affairs for the southeast region, demonstrated his enthusiasm with a full-faced smile and a gripping handshake. From his vantage, the grand opening is indicative of all the film industry progress at work in Georgia.

For C. Scott Votaw, GFA assistant vice chancellor, film producer and entertainment arts and academic industries global expert, it’s as personal as it gets. Personal in ways that are apparent in his face.

“This facility is designed for diverse learning—media, streaming, production and more—what students need to learn to get jobs in Georgia,” Votaw says. “Students will get to work on the shows here on the lot, and what we’re doing here will transcend me. It will be here long after I’m gone.”

Find the Georgia Film Academy’s 2025 course schedule here, and a press release on the GFA grand opening and ribbon cutting ceremony here.