Georgia Entertainment recently released the names of the 200 Most Influential of Georgia’s Creative Industries. The individuals are highlighted in the bi-annual printed publication – Georgia Entertainment: The Creative Economy Journal. See the digital version. Our 200 Spotlight series showcases many of those that were included.
By Carol Badaracco Padgett, Senior Writer
Deborah Riley Draper, Founder, CEO, & Filmmaker at Coffee Bluff Pictures
Deborah Riley Draper thrives within the ecosystem of Georgia filmmaking. One recent example of the award-winning storyteller’s most recent work is James Brown: Say It Loud, a four-part docuseries Riley Draper co-wrote and directed. Academy Award-winner Ahmir Thompson and Mick Jagger produced the docuseries, which premiered on A&E in 2024 to critical acclaim. In 2024, Riley Draper also directed a multi-spot campaign for The Ad Council’s “Love, Your Mind” mental health initiative. Another recent documentary, Onboard, premiered at the 2023 Tribeca Festival and earned two 2024 silver Anthem Awards.
In these latest projects and in every film she has created before, Riley Draper credits Georgia for its role in helping her create content to share with the world.
“I am a fifth-generation Georgian. My roots are here. My company is named Coffee Bluff Pictures in honor of the historic community my family helped establish in the late 1800s outside of Savannah, Georgia,” Riley Draper says. “I love Tybee Island. I love all the parks that surround the Chattahoochee River. I love deviled crab. I love my friends from elementary school and the new ones I have met on set through my work as a writer and director. I have lived in Tallahassee, Chicago, Houston, and D.C., but I can’t imagine calling anywhere else home. For me, Georgia is a source of my strength, my creativity, and my power.”
Riley Draper’s first film, Versailles ’73: American Runway Revolution, premiered on Logo TV and is now a fashion cult classic. Her sophomore follow-up, Olympic Pride, American Prejudice, earned her recognition from President Obama and HRH Prince Albert of Monaco. Her 2019 short film Illegal Rose, which starred Emmy-winner Jasmine Guy, became a festival circuit darling.
In 2021, Riley Draper wrote and directed two projects about seminal moments in American history. Her docuseries, The Legacy of Black Wall Street, on OWN/Discovery+, told the story of the pioneering community of Greenwood, airing 100 years to the day of the brutal massacre. This project earned the Coffee Bluff Pictures CEO an NAACP Image Award nomination for Outstanding Breakthrough Creative -Television, her third nomination. In addition, her documentary Twenty Pearls was the first original documentary to be acquired by Comcast’s Black Experience Channel, features Vice President Kamala Harris and chronicles the history of America’s first Black sorority.
Deborah Riley Draper on set directing
From her perspective as a Georgia-based film business owner and creative, Film Independent Doc Lab fellow, and member of the Television Academy, Riley Draper says the Peach State’s history and its stories of perseverance provide the ideal backdrop to help fuel storytellers’ passions.
“Our industry in Georgia was literally birthed and forged by some visionary Georgians. Former president of the United States, then-governor Jimmy Carter, established our industry. I can’t think of any other state that gets to say that. And for the past 50 years, many talented people have brought energy, love, and passion to continue that legacy. From Savannah to Atlanta and every other community within our state, we are proud to [do]it our way and contribute billions while exhibiting the best Southern hospitality and ingenuity. We know how to keep Georgia on everyone’s mind,” she says.
Always looking for ways to help fuel the state’s Creative Economy, Riley Draper says, “I am very grateful that my company has produced and shot films, docuseries and commercials in Georgia, including Savannah, Columbus, East Point, Augusta, Dalton and Atlanta. I ensure creatives and entrepreneurs from underrepresented communities are included and hired as interns, crew, or vendors. I take great pride in approving those purchase orders and deal memos. My company has hired first-time actors, costume designers, sound mixers, script supervisors, line producers, PAs, and other roles. Seeing and hearing about those folks applying the skills and experience they learned on a Coffee Bluff Pictures set on other productions is excellent.”
Over 75% of Coffee Bluff Pictures’ projects are post-produced in Georgia, as well.
As Riley Draper says of the stat, “[This has] enabled scores of post-production folks to collaborate with me on my work. I have contributed to Georgia-based film festivals as official selections, judging entries, and conducting workshops. My experiences shooting in France and Germany and attending festivals around the world [also]allows me to bring this experience and lessons learned back to my crews and my community.”
When asked who has been her greatest mentor, Riley Draper shares, “My mother was my greatest mentor and inspiration. From my earliest memory, we took road trips and train rides and saw the world as a wonderfully beautiful place to experience. My mother was a public school teacher and filled my room with books. She was brave and curious. Going to libraries with her while she was in grad school contributed to my love of research, incredible familiarity with archives and special collections, and ability to use a microfiche machine. That skill set and fascination are evidenced in my documentary work and inform my narrative characters’ backstories.”
Then Riley Draper adds, “Plus, she had a wicked sense of humor.”
Georgia Entertainment: The Creative Economy Journal
