2025 SCAD TVfest to honor Hiroyuki Sanada, Laverne Cox, Noah Centineo, and more

Sophie Skelton, Uzo Aduba, and Walker Scobell are also among the honorees at February's celebration.

Hiroyuki Sanada, Laverne Cox, Noah Centineo
Hiroyuki Sanada on 'Shogun', Laverne Cox on 'Clean Slate', and Noah Centineo on 'The Recruit'. Photo:

Katie Yu/FX; Prime; Netflix

The Savannah College of Art and Design (SCAD) is gearing up for its annual celebration of all things television, streaming, and digital media - SCAD TVfest. The 13th edition of the small-screen soirée returns to Atlanta at the SCADshow Theater between Feb. 5 and 7.

As has become the custom, SCAD TVfest is set to welcome a panoply of buzzy stars and creative dynamos behind the year's best television series. Among this year's distinguished honorees are Hiroyuki Sanada (Shōgun), who will be receive the Lifetime Achievement Award, Orange Is the New Black and Clean Slate star Laverne Cox, who will receive the Impact Award, and Noah Centineo, whose performance on Netflix's The Recruit has earned him the Distinguished Performance Award.

Additional honorees include Sophie Skelton (Outlander), recipient of the Lumiere Award, Uzo Aduba (The Residence), who will receive The Hollywood Reporter's Trailblazer Award, Walker Scobell, whose Percy Jackson and the Olympians has netted him the Rising Star Award, and the cast of St. Denis Medical, who'll take home the Breakthrough Cast Award. Cast members Allison Tolman and Kahyun Kim will attend to accept alongside creators and executive producers Eric Ledgin and Justin Spitzer.

SCAD also previously announced two more honorees, Stranger Things creators Matt and Ross Duffer, a.k.a. the Duffer Brothers, who will receive the Variety Showrunner Award, which will be presented by series star Caleb McLaughlin.

The festival is known for its plethora of panels featuring luminaries from the world of TV. This year, Entertainment Weekly returns to present two panels:

  • EW Presents Breaking Big: For the first time at TVfest, EW will host its legendary Breaking Big panel. This panel features the hottest up-and-coming actors as they discuss their current projects, their starts in Hollywood, and what’s next in their careers.
  • EW Presents Bold School: In EW's Bold School series, power players in the entertainment industry share anecdotes about life lessons, how they found their voice, and how to pay it forward. Join a lively discussion among fierce, fearless female and/or nonbinary forces in entertainment, opening up about the power and privilege of taking on roles that redefine the rules and refuse to yield.
Sophie Skelton (Outlander), Uzo Aduba (The Residence), and Walker Scobell (Percy Jackson and the Olympians)
Sophie Skelton on 'Outlander,' Uzo Aduba on 'The Residence,' and Walker Scobell on 'Percy Jackson and the Olympians'.

Starz; Jessica Brooks/Netflix; Disney

"SCADshow lights up Midtown Atlanta this winter with SCAD TVfest: the best of everything new-and-now on television," SCAD President and Founder Paula Wallace said in a statement about this year's celebration. "Whether you want to see the latest new series before all your friends or you're an industry insider scouting for new talent, SCAD TVfest, the largest TV festival at any university on the planet, delivers. Pros will want to be first in line to see the new SCAD Film Studios in Midtown debuting at this year's festival. No need to change the channel: SCAD TVfest has you queued up with current hits, sneak peeks, and dazzling stars. I'll save you a seat!"

Sign up for Entertainment Weekly's free daily newsletter to get breaking TV news, exclusive first looks, recaps, reviews, interviews with your favorite stars, and more.

"It's always thrilling to be back in Atlanta for our annual SCAD TVfest, putting the spotlight on television's top shows and creators! Our students are so passionate about all aspects of television — from production, casting, animation, and more. This is an incredibly special moment for them to hear from the best and brightest in the industry," added Christina Routhier, senior executive director of SCAD theaters and festivals. "We are thrilled to celebrate our extraordinary honorees this year, from the legendary Hiroyuki Sanada and the groundbreaking Laverne Cox to some of TV's hottest stars like Noah Centineo, Sophie Skelton, Walker Scobell, and the cast of the buzzworthy new series St. Denis Medical. We look forward to an unforgettable, action-packed three days in Atlanta!"

Anna Sawai as Toda Mariko in SHOGUN
Anna Sawai in Shōgun.

Katie Yu/FX

The aforementioned honorees only scratch the surface of the depths of talent who will be hitting the streets of Atlanta in February. The full roster of guests (subject to change) includes:

  • The Amazing Race (CBS) with host and executive producer Phil Keoghan
  • Beyond the Gates (CBS) with actors Clifton Davis, Daphnee Duplaix, and Karla Mosley, and executive producer and president of the CBS Studios NAACP venture Sheila Ducksworth
  • Clean Slate (Sony Pictures Television, Prime Video) with cast members Laverne Cox, George Wallace, Telma Hopkins, D.K. Uzoukwu, Jay Wilkison, and Norah Murphy, and writer and SCAD alum Shomari Kirkwood
  • Cobra Kai (Sony Pictures Television, Netflix) with creators and executive producers Josh Heald, Jon Hurwitz, and Hayden Schlossberg, and actors William Zabka, Tanner Buchanan, Mary Mouser, and Gianni DeCenzo
  • Doc (Sony Pictures Television, FOX) with cast members Molly Parker, Omar Metwally, Amirah Vann, Jon Ecker, Anya Banerjee, Scott Wolf, and Patrick Walker, executive producer Hank Steinberg, and showrunner and executive producer Barbie Kligman
  • Found (Warner Bros. Television, NBC, Universal Television) with cast members Shanola Hampton, Mark-Paul Gosselaar, Gabrielle Walsh, and Arlen Escarpeta, and executive producer, showrunner, and creator Nkechi Okoro Carroll
  • Grosse Pointe Garden Society (NBC) Panelists to be announced
  • Home Is Where the Heart Is (Hallmark) with host and executive producer Luke Macfarlane, co-host and designer Olivia Westbrook, executive producer Jessica Sebastian-Dayeh, and head of Hallmark Unscripted Programming David Stefanou
  • Marvel Animation’s Your Friendly Neighborhood Spider-Man (Disney+) with showrunner, head writer, and executive producer Jeff Trammell 
  • Marvel Television’s Agatha All Along (Disney+) with creator, showrunner, director and executive producer Jac Schaeffer
  • No Taste Like Home With Antoni Porowski (National Geographic) with host and executive producer Antoni Porowski
  • Oh My God, Yes! A Series of Extremely Relatable Circumstances (Adult Swim) with executive producer and creator Adele “Supreme” Williams, executive producer Dominique Braud, and Adult Swim Director of Development Missy Laney
  • Outlander (Sony Pictures Television, Starz) with actor Sophie Skelton
  • Percy Jackson and the Olympians (Disney+) with actor Walker Scobell
  • The Recruit (Netflix) with actor Noah Centineo
  • The Residence (Netflix) with actors Uzo Aduba, Susan Kelechi Watson, Jason Lee, and Bronson Pinchot, and executive producer Betsy Beers
  • SCAD Presents: chefATL (SCAD)
  • SCAD Presents: Lodged (SCAD)
  • Shōgun (FX) with actor and producer Hiroyuki Sanada
  • Tyler Perry’s Sistas (BET) with cast members Novi Brown, Mignon Baker, Crystal Hayslett, Devale Ellis, and Chido Nwokocha
  • St. Denis Medical (NBC) with cast members Allison Tolman and Kahyun Kim, and creators and executive producers Eric Ledgin and Justin Spitzer
  • Stranger Things (Netflix) with creators, executive producers, and showrunners Matt and Ross Duffer, and actor Caleb McLaughlin
  • Surface (Apple TV+) with writer, executive producer, showrunner Veronica West and Lauren Neustadter, executive producer on behalf of Hello Sunshine.
  • Watson (CBS) with actor/executive producer Morris Chestnut and creator, showrunner, and executive producer Craig Sweeny

Additional panels include:

  • SCAD Alumni Voices
  • Behind Her Lens: Showrunners
  • Artisans: Designing the Details that Define TV
  • Casting & Representation 101
  • Inside the Writers Room
  • Meet the Executives
  • Disney Branded Television: Storytelling from Preschool to Families
  • Women of Warner: Leading the Charge in Television and Animation

More information about confirmed panels, panelists, and passes, which are on sale now, can be found at scadtvfest.com. Individual SCAD TVfest screenings and panel tickets go on sale at 12pm E.T. on Thursday, Jan. 23, and can be purchased online or in person at SCADshow in Atlanta (1470 Spring St. NW) and the SCAD Box Office (216 E. Broughton St.) in Savannah.

Comments
Conversations are opinions of our readers and are subject to our Community Guidelines.

Related Articles