Article originally published in the Georgia Tech Alumni Magazine, Vol. 101, No. 1, Spring 2025

When film director Tamer Shaaban, CS 11, set out to create a commercial announcing Audi’s 2026 debut in Formula 1, he turned to Unreal Engine, a computer program normally used for developing video games. It was a creative decision that’s becoming more common. According to Jason Freeman, Tech’s interim associate vice provost for the arts, new technology is causing different forms of media and entertainment to converge. The ways in which video games and films are created are more similar than a decade ago, and 10 years from now, those methods will merge even more. Whether students plan to pursue a career in animation or one in film, they will need a common set of skills and the ability to respond to fast-changing technology. And Georgia Tech wants its students to be prepared for that.

“There’s an opportunity for us to better develop the workforce as this industry is evolving, and to become thought and research leaders in this space,” says Freeman. “To do this, we need a flagship academic program, something that becomes a hub for all that activity.”

For many years now, the arts have become increasingly visible at Georgia Tech. Rafael L. Bras, Tech’s former provost and Regents’ Professor, was an early champion of integrating the arts into the fabric of campus through works of public art and through collaborations between Georgia Tech students and artists-in-residence.

“Dr. Bras helped us to understand that all GT students, regardless of their discipline of study, needed to embrace creativity to be successful in their careers, and that the arts are essential in teaching our students to flex their creative muscle,” Freeman says.

In the fall of 2026, the Institute plans to launch a bachelor’s of science degree in Arts, Entertainment, and Creative Technologies. The new curriculum, which includes collaboration with departments across campus, focuses on artistic practice, technical innovation, and entrepreneurship. Tech also plans to develop the former Randall Brothers property on Marietta Street as an innovation hub called the Creative Quarter focused on the arts, creativity, design, and technology.

“We have had this reputation for so long as being just an engineering school,” Freeman says. “But bit by bit we’re making clear to the world that the arts are a very important part of our DNA here at Tech as well.”

Here, we feature nine alumni who prove just that (link to full Alumni Magazine article) >>