Scott Votaw, executive director for the Georgia Film Academy, has been on the road with the Georgia Unscripted Roadshow discussing workforce development and education within the state’s entertainment industry.
Votaw, who also serves as the assistant vice chancellor for the University System of Georgia, will be at the Roadshow’s Atlanta event on Dec. 14, and spoke with Rough Draft Atlanta prior to the stop about the Georgia Film Academy’s role in preparing students from a young age for different jobs in the film and entertainment industry.
“Filming is taking place all over the state, so we do training all over the state,” said Votaw, who is a Georgia native. “The purpose of me being in the Roadshows is really to give people the opportunity to see what we’ve done … We are a workforce initiative, so jobs for Georgia is our number one piece. What we do leads toward employment, and it gives the students the tools necessary to be successful.”
The Georgia Film Academy began operations in 2015, and is a statewide education initiative operated in partnership with institutions in the University System of Georgia, the Technical College System of Georgia, and independent universities in the state. According to Votaw, right now 20 universities, nine technical colleges, and two independent institutions are involved with the Georgia Film Academy. This is Votaw’s eighth year working with the academy, but his first year in leadership. He was named executive director in March of this year.
The Georgia Film Academy offers hands-on training and industry certifications in numerous areas within the entertainment industry and develops curriculum and training aligned with those areas. This includes developing curriculum for high school and middle school students, not just those at the collegiate level.
According to Votaw, the Georgia Film Academy creates the curriculum for high schools in accordance with Audio & Video Technology & Film (AVTF), which falls under the Georgia Department of Education’s College, Technical and Agricultural Education (CTAE) pathway. The academy also hosts a two-week high school teacher training program where teachers learn from industry experts about every department on a major film or television set, so that they are able to take that knowledge back to their classrooms.
“All of this leads directly into either a technical college, or a college degree program, or an independent certification within those institutions,” Votaw said. “Same thing with the middle school – that curriculum is more related to that age group, but it funnels toward the pathways that are in the high school.”
Votaw said one of the more important things the Georgia Film Academy does is help students understand how their specific skill sets might fit into the entertainment industry. There’s not a singular focus on more well-known jobs such as directing or writing, but a broader focus on training for jobs that include electrician, costume designer, set decorator, and other creative positions that bring a film to life.
“We’re identifying and showing the students that whatever their interests are, there’s some relational field within film and entertainment that they can go to work,” Votaw said. “It’s showing them where the jobs are … and then it’s giving them applicable skills to go along with all their other skills they’re gaining, whether it’s at high school or college.”
The Georgia Film Academy has had students go on to be set decorators, writers, sound engineers, and visual effects artists. Recently, Rough Draft Atlanta spoke to Justin Holt, a Georgia Film Academy student who landed an internship on the set of “Creed III,” and went on to a paid role on Alex Garland’s upcoming film “Civil War.”
Votaw said as important as it is to teach the skills students will need on a set, it’s just as important for the Georgia Film Academy to help facilitate the transition from school to work.
“We also work with [students] on building a resume. going out and doing interviews for their internship,” he said. “This is all a practice, so they’re not just left on their own.”
Votaw said the level of interest that students have for the film industry has been promising.
“Kids are excited and they think about content creation all the time,” Votaw said. “That’s part of their culture now.”
Votaw said he wants the Georgia Film Academy’s reach to continue to spread across the state.
“We’re not just a metro Atlanta organization. That’s why we’re putting so much effort behind high school, middle school, because I can get a broad reach into rural Georgia,” Votaw said. “If we truly want to be diverse and inclusive, I have to include all of Georgia.”
