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Cynthia Erivo, Jurnee Smollett, Kenan Thompson will be honored at 2021 SCAD aTVfest

Each year, the festival honors the top-tier talent in the entertainment industry!

ATLANTA — One of the region’s biggest television industry experiences is going virtual this year and with A-List stars.  

The Savannah College of Art and Design (SCAD) announced the initial lineup for the 2021 SCAD aTVfest.

Each year, the festival honors the top-tier talent in the entertainment industry.

For this year’s event, Bryan Cranston (Your Honor) will receive the Icon Award, Cynthia Erivo (Genius: Aretha) will receive the Spotlight Award, Javicia Leslie (Batwoman) will receive the Rising Star Award, Chrissy Metz (This Is Us) will receive the Vanguard Award, Jurnee Smollett (Lovecraft Country) will receive the Distinguished Performance Award, Kenan Thompson (Kenan) will receive the Virtuoso Award, and the cast of Good Girls (Christina Hendricks, Retta, and Mae Whitman) will receive the Maverick Cast Award.

Honorees are scheduled to attend virtual screenings and participate in conversations regarding their performances and careers.

Now in its ninth year, the university's annual signature event celebrating all things television and streaming will be a virtual experience taking place Feb. 4-6, 2021.

"SCAD aTVfest 2021 — our inaugural virtual edition, streaming worldwide—marks another SCAD first,” SCAD President and Founder Paula Wallace said. “This dramatic digital debut extends the festival's preeminent reputation, built over the past eight years, to a global audience. SCAD aTVfest showcases the finest content, freshest experiences, and most fabulous stars in dozens of screenings, masterclasses, and panels with industry insiders — Cynthia Erivo, Chrissy Metz, Bryan Cranston, and more. Exclusive. Live. Commercial-free. Enjoy!"

“I think we can all agree that this past year has presented us with many challenges, but television has continued to provide us steady comfort to get us through each day,” said SCAD aTVfest Executive Director Christina Routhier. “I have seen so many outstanding programs and performances over the last year, and we are beyond excited to feature some of the best at this year’s SCAD aTVfest. This is the perfect opportunity to celebrate these amazing shows and talented industry professionals. We sincerely thank our network and streaming partners for their continued support in helping us to showcase the best in the industry for our SCAD students and audience.”

The SCAD aTVfest panel series also welcomes industry experts from a myriad of professions to engage in meaningful conversations about their work. Entertainment Weekly (EW) returns for the fourth year as media partner to create exclusive interview content and curate the Women Who Kick Ass Panel.

This year's panels with industry experts include:

  • "-Ish" Happens: A Conversation with the Stars of the "-ish" Universe, a behind-the-scenes look at Black-ish, Grown-ish, and Mixed-ish
  • The Making of Murder on Middle Beach, featuring SCAD alumni and filmmakers Madison Hamburg and Solomon Petchenik
  • Screen Style: Netflix's Ratched and The Queen's Gambit, a stylish look at the garments of each critically acclaimed series
  • Moving Pictures: Adapting Invincible for Animation, an exclusive look at Amazon's upcoming animated series with creator Robert Kirkman
  • Creating Outer Space: Building Worlds with VFX Studio Crafty Apes
  • Raise the Roof with HGTV House Party
  • Producing ABC Unscripted Series During a Pandemic
  • In Conversation series includes insightful talks with actor Cynthia Erivo and singer and composer Linda Perry
  • The annual Wonder Women series, featuring actors, directors, showrunners, and "below-the-line" production staff
  • Inside the Writers' Room
  • Meet the Executives
  • SCAD Alumni Voices, an exclusive panel featuring university graduates working in television and digital media

Explore the current festival lineup at atvfest.com.

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