Karen Ceesay | Stranger Things, Family, & “The Hollywood of the South”

About this episode

Karen Ceesay discusses her journey in union leadership and the filmmaking landscape in Atlanta.

In this episode, we sit down with Karen Ceesay, President of SAG-AFTRA Atlanta, to talk about her journey into union leadership and the passion driving her work with Film Impact Georgia. She shares what brings major productions to Atlanta—from competitive tax incentives to its deep, diverse talent pool and versatile locations—and what truly sets the city apart as one of America’s leading filmmaking hubs. Karen reflects on the “Atlanta mentality” and how it fuels collaboration, hustle, and originality among creatives, while offering heartfelt insight into the next generation of filmmakers—including her own son’s decision to pursue film (after briefly considering culinary arts). We also revisit her work on The Walking Dead (Seasons 6–10) and Stranger Things (Seasons 2, 4 & 5), where she discusses balancing intimate character moments with massive action-driven sets, the evolution of production during the rise of streaming, and what separates a good set from a truly great one. Learn more! https://www.instagram.com/karenceesay/?hl=en Follow us at Discover Dekalb! DeKalb Talks Tourism YouTube: ⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.youtube.com/@DeKalbTalksTourism⁠⁠⁠⁠ DeKalb Talks Tourism IG…

People in this episode

Guest: Karen Ceesay

Topics covered

• film industry
• Atlanta filmmaking
• union leadership
• production insights
• next generation filmmakers
• collaboration in creativity

Keywords

• SAG-AFTRA
• Film Impact Georgia
• Atlanta
• Stranger Things
• The Walking Dead
• filmmaking
• production
• tax incentives
• creativity

Mentioned in this episode

Organizations: SAG-AFTRA Atlanta, Film Impact Georgia

Books & works: The Walking Dead, Stranger Things

Places: Atlanta, Hollywood of the South

More episodes of DeKalb Talks Tourism

• Skye Smith - Chamblee Summer Concert Series · June 12, 2026 · 31 min
• Georgia Soccer | Atlanta, The World Cup, and The Community · May 14, 2026 · 23 min
• The Brio | Building an On-Stage Community in Tucker, GA · April 29, 2026 · 25 min
• NFC "Dirty Fighting" Comes to DeKalb County · April 15, 2026 · 24 min
• Drone Soccer: From the Classroom to the Air · April 1, 2026 · 38 min
• Terry Cummings - Leadership, Mentorship, and the 100 Black Men of DeKalb County · March 11, 2026 · 13 min