By, Jessica E. Lindberg
Ph.D. Dean, School of Humanities, Georgia Highlands College
At a panel on film festivals during the State of the Industry event at Trilith Studios in October, Rome International Film Festival Creative Director Seth Ingram made an offhand comment that stirred the audience. In reference to Atlanta’s elimination from the Sundance bid process, Ingram encouraged the conversation in a different direction. “Let’s make our own Sundance,” he said.
That comment resonates especially with rural Georgians in the industry. For those of us outside the Atlanta metro area, building our own creative pathways and supporting our artistic engineers can feel like mission work: underpaid, often unseen, and yet deeply rewarding.
To keep Georgia’s creative industry stable and self-sufficient, we must grow our educated workforce. Access to affordable education through our rural schools and colleges is a vital component of this plan. The Georgia Chamber of Commerce Foundation’s Q3 report focuses on Georgia’s rural areas and makes note of the education gap between urban and rural areas of the state, noting that in urban communities, 34% have attained a bachelor’s degree or higher. That percentage drops to 17% for rural communities. The report emphasizes that “increasing the skills of its citizens must be an integral part of rural Georgia’s workplace strategy.” The Arts and Cultural Production Satellite Account (ACPSA), which is produced jointly by the NEA’s Office of Research & Analysis and the Bureau of Economic Analysis, U.S. Commerce Department, notes the growth in Georgia’s creative industry. Georgia’s nearly 140,000 workers in this sector make up 3.1% of the state workforce. The demand for educated workers continues in Georgia, as the same report notes that since 2020, ACPSA value-added has grown 18.28 percent in Georgia, compared with an increase of 14.43 percent for the nation.
Rural colleges and technical schools can help build a diverse, skilled workforce that is ready to meet the challenges of the digital entertainment industry. While research universities offer comprehensive programs, smaller rural colleges can fill a critical gap by providing accessible, affordable education to students where economic opportunities are often limited. Smaller class sizes means students receive more personalized attention from faculty and staff and faster entrance into hands-on, experiential learning. This type of environment can be particularly beneficial for digital entertainment programs, where mentorship and individualized feedback are critical.
Anyone who has lived in a small town knows the adage, “everyone knows everyone.” This phrase often applies in the film and entertainment world, too. It is a business that depends on networking skills, and rural populations are uniquely suited to this skill set. We’re used to calling up a friend who owns a bakery and asking if they’d help cater a shoot, or borrowing a minivan from a friend for a scene. The resourcefulness of rural Georgia, the need to figure out a way forward based on limited available resources, is integral to the state’s continued growth in these industries.
I will share one example of what investment in rural Georgia looks like at the student level. Georgia Highlands College started a two-year program in Film in 2020 with a handful of students, and the program has now grown to over 100. Thanks to support from the University System of Georgia, the industry, and our community, we will begin a Bachelor of Science in Digital Media and Communication in Fall 2025. The original graduates of the A.A. program have a 100% employment rate in the film and entertainment sector, yet they all intend to return to complete the new four-year degree. They understand the value of furthering their education to be best positioned for whatever comes next in Georgia’s creative industries.
This state has a long history of creative voices speaking from rural areas: Flannery O’Connor, Erskine Caldwell, Alice Walker, Janisse Ray. Georgians are proud of these voices and the stories they represent. By investing in a new generation of talented voices from rural areas, we help solidify our independence and self-sufficiency and we tell our stories. To return to Ingram’s quote, this is how we build our own Sundance.
This article appeared in the 2025 edition of the Creative Economy Journal. See more from the Journal here.
