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

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/@DeKalbTalksTourism⁠⁠⁠⁠DeKalb Talks Tourism IG: ⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.instagram.com/dekalbtalks…⁠⁠⁠⁠Discover DeKalb IG: ⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.instagram.com/discoverdek…⁠⁠⁠⁠Discover DeKalb FB: ⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.facebook.com/DiscoverDekalb/⁠⁠⁠⁠Discover DeKalb TikTok: ⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.tiktok.com/@discoverdekalb⁠⁠⁠⁠If you have a question or suggestion for a future topic, please reach out to our Podcast Producer, Martin - [email protected]'ll be back next week with more engaging discussions and fascinating guests. Until then, keep listening and keep exploring!Produced by: Martin Macalino Edited by: K.Visualz ⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.kvisualz.com/⁠