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
Dedren Snead, Founder and CEO, SUBSUME Media
Dedren Snead is gifted at putting all eyes in the entertainment and technology worlds on Georgia. The Atlanta-based storyteller, computer scientist, and Afrofuturist is, simply put, a visionary.
The founder and CEO describes his company, SUBSUME Media, as a creative technology studio that utilizes gaming and artificial intelligence to share new stories, solve social inequalities, and expand access to education for underrepresented communities.
“What makes Georgia’s creative and entertainment industries [special]are the excellent synergies and spaces of collaboration among our state’s Creative Class,” Snead says of his home base. “We genuinely appreciate the craft of storytelling within our productions, which is attractive to the global marketplace. It is the secret sauce of authenticity that keeps us so influential.”
Then he adds this about the Peach State, “I love [it]that world-class innovation and down-home Southern hospitality can be found in the city limits of just about any city you’re in.”
In his work at the helm of SUBSUME Media, Snead says he is committed to engaging communities across global diasporas and illuminating the rich tapestry of diverse voices and cultures – and giving them a forum through SUBSUME’s digital storytelling and other offerings.
More than anything, Snead offers an equal opportunity voice to others.
“By crafting inclusive shared media works that promote technology equity, SUBSUME plays a pivotal role in creating a transmedia experience that is accessible to everyone – regardless of background or experience,” he notes.
One example of SUBSUME’s work in action is this: the company showcased what it calls the world’s first Afrofutures Technology Salon located in the heart of downtown Atlanta, offering community tech and creative training to all Greater Atlanta residents in what Snead describes as “a convergence of art, innovation, and imagination.”
Of this event and others like it, the founder and CEO says, “Our studio SUBSUME endeavors to be the go-to brand for Georgia’s Creative Class and showcase the storytellers of tomorrow.”
Through these summits, culture festivals, and other offerings, Snead is able to positively affect and continually help rejuvenate Georgia’s Creative Economy by encouraging creative entrepreneurship and sustainable careers in what he affectionately calls “our creative industries.”
When Snead is asked who has influenced him most, his answer is simple and from the heart.
“The most influential person in my life has been my Mom. She allowed her son to be the weird kid growing up that she never truly understood but always cheered on as he chased his creative dreams around the world,” he shares. “Without her love and support, I would not have inherited her servant’s heart to empower storytellers to do the same.”
Georgia Entertainment: The Creative Economy Journal
