2023 SCAD Alumni Voices at Film Fest

Photo by Dia Dipasupil/Getty Images for SCAD

SCAD Savannah Film Festival is always full of great panelists and professionals willing to share their experiences and advice with upcoming artists. SCAD Alumni Voices is a very special event in which professionals (who not so long ago were in the same position as us students) come to Savannah to connect with aspiring artists. This year’s panel consisted of Amanda Beggs (B.F.A., film and television, 2008), sound mixer, “The Bikeriders”; Rachel Gelfeld (B.F.A., performing arts, 2014), stunt actor, “The Gray Man”, Madison Hamburg (B.F.A., film and television, 2014), director, “Murder on Middle Beach”, Alexander Hammer (M.A., film and television, 2006), editor, “Homecoming: A Film by Beyoncé”, Allie Schultz (B.F.A., film and television, 2015), cinematographer, “Kickstart My Heart”, Kevin Sears (B.F.A., visual effects, 2007), visual effects artist, “Guardians of the Galaxy” trilogy, Cody Ziglar (M.F.A., film, and television), writer, “She-Hulk: Attorney at Law”, “Futurama”. 

Starting off the conversation, the host asked all the guests what had been their journey beginning at SCAD. Each panelist shared really inspiring stories enhancing how an education at SCAD can take you really far within any creative career. However, even though all of the guests’ journeys were impactful, one that was the most striking was Madison Hamburg’s story. His painful past pushed both his personal life and professional life further. “My first second quarter at SCAD my mom got murdered and I took a year off in school, came back and I kind of tried to figure out what it meant to grieve that through film in my documentary class, and made a documentary about it.” He then talked about meeting his friends and extended family that would help him complete the documentary titled “Murder on Middle Beach”. Hamburg’s story was really inspiring to hear. It motivated artists in the audience to learn from this self-discovery journey that went hand in hand with loss and grief. One of the biggest takeaways from each of the guests’ stories is that they all were able to build a network or a family within SCAD which helped them launch themselves as professionals leading to the amazing artists they are today. 

Further into the conversation, the guests elaborated on their favorite projects they have worked on thus far. Rachel Gelfeld took the reins of this question, and even though she could not talk about any specifics due to the screen actors guild strike, she further described her first experience behind the scenes on a TV show. “I was doing the pilot because there was a huge, Western live sword fight that we had to do kind of as a live show but also as you know, for a TV show. It was really cool standing out and that was actually one of my first experiences being on a rigging team… It is a part of stunts that they’re kind of bringing a lot more women into now. Traditionally more of a male-dominated niche in the same industry because it involves a lot of upper body strength.” It was really inspiring to see women like Rachel Gelfeld getting involved in a male-dominant field, giving hope to younger artists who want to aspire to break the gender traditions within the industry. 

The host later asked a key question to enhance the guest’s experience and valuable lessons at SCAD: “What are some things you look back on now and you think ‘Oh wow, that was a lesson that I learned that I didn’t realize until later?” One of the biggest takeaways from the advice they gave is that it is okay, to pivot specialties within your career. As long as you give your all in everything, and put in the effort of really trying to figure out your path. At SCAD, sampling everything and working with everybody in different departments can help you grow and learn. 

Overall, the SCAD Alumni event was full of very insightful advice. The biggest remark that all guests enhanced is the fact that, as students, we should surround ourselves with a network of people who can help us grow. Networking and connecting with others can help push forward our creative career, so starting early at SCAD is the best thing we all can do to launch our professional journey.