SCAD aTVfest: 7th Annual TV Festival Kicks Off Today

SCAD aTVfest, Atlanta’s only TV festival, kicks off today with a screening of their sitcom G.R.I.T.S. (Girls Raised in the South) starring American Idol season 12 winner Candice Glover and George Lovett from ‘Showtime at the Apollo.’ G.R.I.T.S. is an all-original student-produced sitcom written, directed, produced and performed by African-American SCAD students. The show was creatd by SCAD alum Chad Morton. The series centers around a family-owned restaurant in Atlanta, in the midst of gentrification, and the many challenges around race that arise.

2019’s aTVfest programming includes 21 exclusive screenings, 19 panels and over 6 master classes and workshops with visiting content production professionals. The TV festival is showcasing two season premieres from critically acclaimed shows, “Bosch” (Amazon Video Pime, Season 5) and “American Gods” (STARZ, Season 2).  aTVfest will also have five series premieres: “Miracle Workers” (TBS), “PEN 15” (Hulu), “The Village” (NBC), “The Enemy Within” (NBC), “Proven Innocent” (FOX), and “Dark/Web” (Showtime).

“Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt”‘s Ellie Kemper will be honored this year as well as NBC/Universal‘s “New Amsterdam” which will receive the Outstanding Cast Award. The SCAD40 prize will be presented to SCAD alumnus, Mir Zafar Ali (B.F.A. visual effects, 2015).

SCAD is also celebrating its 40th Anniversary as an academic and media training institution. Notable alumni include DeRon Horton (Dirt, Burning Sands, Dear White People), Chloe Lipp (Hidden Figures, Allegiant), Clayton Haskell (independent filmmaker), Kayli Carter (Rings, Godless, The Beginning of Everything,” and Jett Steiger (producer, Sundance Creative Producing Fellow).

Entertainment Weekly is aTVfest’s media partner.

Check out the aTVfest schedule. Stay updated on all aTVfest events on Twitter @scaddotedu.

For the festival schedule or ticket information, click here.

This post was written by Nsenga K. Burton, Ph.D., founder & editor-in-chief of the award-winning news blog The Burton Wire. She also serves as entertainment and culture editor for the National Newspaper Publisher’s Association. 

Follow her on Twitter @Ntellectual or @TheBurtonWire.