Arts, Culture & Humanities
Trilith Institute Inc
ATLANTA, GA
Total revenue
$4.4M
Total expenses
$4.0M
Net assets
$3.8M
Grants received
$8.7M
3 grants
EIN
920820697
Tax year
2024
Mission
The trilith institute is dedicated to the discovery, development, and professional advancement of great storytellers who inspire the world. By providing a wide range of opportunities for all ages and career statuses, trilith institute seeks to cultivate an environment for writers, directors, producers, performers, and arts educators to become a driving force of cultural impact in georgia.
Programs
3 programs
The professional education area saw a period of rapid growth and expansion thanks to previous work done in strategic analysis, design, development, and implementation of long-form, creative, industry-focused professional education courses. The department partnered with industry professionals, including those at the alliance theater, dad's garage, and misfit adventures to develop a specialized curriculum for adult learners. Skills-based courses were offered in foundations of filmmaking, introduction to screenwriting, television writing, introduction to visual effects and computer animation, the business of independent filmmaking, acting for camera, cinematic storyboarding, and narrative directing for the screen. Courses were offered in a variety of formats, including online, and lasted from 6 to 15 weeks. Additionally, students present their work each semester at the student showcase, where they network with industry professionals, pitch projects, and gain real-world experience in applying what they learned.
The emerging creative residency program advanced from concept to tangible impact, delivering both completed works and meaningful workforce development opportunities. The year saw the successful completion of principal photography for a mess of memories, the program's first feature-length production, and the development of a polished pitch package for animation project junior detectives. Both projects served as evidence of the program's mission to generate original intellectual property from georgia-based creatives, further anchoring talent within the trilith community. A central achievement of the year was the creation of paid student crew positions, designed to pair emerging professionals with seasoned industry experts in a truly hands-on learning environment. These opportunities not only strengthened georgia's creative workforce pipeline but also ensured that students gained real-world production experience within a professional studio framework.
Workshops - workshops were developed to support and cultivate creative talent at all ages. K-12 learners had access to workshops covering topics from writing in a weekend writers' workshop to performance in a musical theatre workshop taught by professional actors, to gear demonstrations, camera and grip, and electric equipment demonstrations from leaders in the film industry. Other k-12 workshops included: silent film, traditional storyboarding, babies off book and family storytelling. Adult learners and aspiring filmmakers participated in workshops to sharpen their distribution skills in the prepping for film festival workshop. We hosted a variety of other workshops including a pa series in which attendees learned how to survive the first days as an office, set, or post pa. Other workshops included: sound design, perfect the pitch with wifta, comedy writing, acting for camera, improv, voice acting, and our two part directing workshops.utopian - the organization provided a grant to utopian academy for the arts trilith, which provides an academically rich educational environment with creative digital arts pathways. This grant allowed the utopian academy of the arts to lease facilities near trilith, allowing students toexperience studio tours, expert guest speakers, and film equipment demonstrations from trilith institute industry partners.wrg - after hiring a part-time consultant to serve as program manager for the writers room of georgia (wrg), our members gained new opportunities to showcase their writing and connect in person at a holiday mixer. With the program manager's support, we updated our business plan to better serve wrg members and continued building partnerships within the television and film industry. We also expanded our online presence through enhanced website and social media efforts and launched a discord server to foster virtual collaboration. These initiatives have helped us grow to approximately 316 memberslocal georgia writers whose creativity and talent continue to thrive within our community.student experience & education collaborative - the organization established an integrated education and workforce collaborative at trilith designed to enrich the student experience and strengthen connections across all levels of learning, from k12 through mfa programs. This dedicated team lead strategic analysis, design, development, and implementation of initiatives to facilitate educational programming. This work included working with local schools and universities, forming partnerships, and budgeting for long-term execution.through the collaborative, the organization offers educational entities access to resources, facilities, programming, guest speakers, and tours that connect learning directly to the film and television industry. For example, mfa students received exclusive opportunities to network with working television directors, heads of production, and other industry leaders, gaining mentorship and professional insight while completing their thesis projects. Meanwhile, more than 2,000 students and educators participated in field trips at trilith, where subject-matter experts lead talks and demonstrations providing hands-on exposure to potential career paths in entertainment. Together, these initiatives foster a supportive and purpose-driven environment that prepares students at every level for success in creative industries.
Financials
FY 2024
Revenue
Expenses
People
10 listed
JEFFREY STEPAKOFF
CHAIRMAN & PRESIDENT
$307K
30 hrs/wk
JOSH LEE
VICE CHAIR, VP & TREASURER
$187K
30 hrs/wk
LAUREN SPAULDING
SECRETARY
$6K
1 hrs/wk
AMI MCBAY
SECRETARY
—
1 hrs/wk
ROSS CATHY
DIRECTOR
—
1 hrs/wk
DAN CATHY
DIRECTOR
—
1 hrs/wk
AMANDA MCCOWAN
SR. DIR. OF OPERATIONS
$164K
40 hrs/wk
MITCHELL KUPSTAS
DIR. OF STRATEGY
$142K
40 hrs/wk
DANIEL SEITH
DIR. OF OUTREACH AND ENGAGEMENT
$136K
40 hrs/wk
AMANDA RAY
DIR. OF ACADEMIC PROGRAMMING K-12
$105K
40 hrs/wk
Independent contractors
CANNON DESIGN
DESIGN SERVICES
ALLIANCE THEATRE
CONSULTING ON PROGRAMS AND PROJECTS
ALSTON & BIRD LLP
LEGAL SERVICES
COXE CURRY & ASSOCIATES
CONSULTING ON PROGRAMS AND PROJECTS
Grants received
Showing 3 of 3
Funded by
$8.7M from 2 funders · 3 grants · 2023–2024
$7.2M · 2 grants · 2023–2024
$1.5M · 1 grant · 2023