New Grad Builds Career Behind, Beyond the Camera

ATLANTA — Isaac Breiding (B.A. '25) has spent his life exploring what a camera can do. Now graduating from Georgia State’s School of Film, Media & Theatre with a degree in film and media, he’s channeling that curiosity into making theater more accessible. He is also juggling teaching, directing, photography and front-of-house work across Atlanta’s vibrant arts community.

Who is Isaac Breiding?

I love new experiences and the spontaneous. I am an advocate for living in the city, but also have a heart for the wilderness and nature. I'm a self-admitted theater kid who always sees plays and musicals locally and wherever my travels take me.

What drew you to major in film and media at the School of Film, Media & Theatre?

I have had a camera in my hand since a very young age, and I have always found its capabilities fascinating. Whether it was making YouTube videos or taking photos, I loved the ability to capture and replay. I chose Georgia State University for its location. Attending school in the heart of the city has inherent value for a young creative, as it is an epicenter of opportunities that colleges outside the city cannot offer.

What’s your favorite project you worked on as a student and why?

My favorite project I’ve worked on was my final for my documentary class. The project was an observational piece that aimed to highlight theater as a human art form in the face of rapidly developing autonomous technology. The project was special to me as theater has always been the fire that keeps me going. Getting the opportunity to share the labor of love, that is theater in a digital landscape, feels like the perfect representation of how I want to use my degree in film and media to inform my work in theater.

What stories or types of media do you hope to make in the future?

I want to use my film degree to deepen my relationship with theater and the theatrical. Most of the work I want to do will serve this idea of documentary and adaptation of performing arts to make them more accessible, getting people curious in the art form and into seats.

What’s next for you?

I will continue to work in the city as an artist, juggling my four jobs. Although I end up working many hours, I find flexibility and liberation in being able to float between all these facets of myself. I am currently teaching with the Alliance Theatre, serving as a front-of-house supervisor at Theatrical Outfit, doing freelance photography and working as a theater director. There is a lot I do not know about my future, but I am excited about the opportunities that lie beyond graduation.