Alumni awards

Emily Smith

B.F.A., FASHION, 2001

Emboldened by fashion from a very young age, Atlanta native Emily Smith followed her passion to the Savannah College of Art and Design, where she earned a B.F.A. in fashion in 2001. After graduating and holding internships at eskandar and Bill Blass, she joined Lafayette 148 New York in 2002 as a design assistant. Since then, her warm, collaborative design approach, technical mastery, and penchant for perfecting garments from the inside out propelled her to creative director of the brand and a member of the Council of Fashion Designers of America (CFDA). From trend forecasting to collection development, Smith guides Lafayette 148 New York to a new level of luxury, supported by a gifted team she built to chart the brand's next chapter.

Kan Ando

B.F.A., FASHION, 2010

Born in Brooklyn to a Japanese father and Panamanian mother, Kan Ando was deeply influenced by his artist parents' creative practices and diverse cultural histories. After graduating from SCAD, Ando pursued his interests in fashion, specifically apparel and product experience, working with industry-leading brands like Ralph Lauren, Theory, and Nike, where he is currently a senior designer for the company's global men's lifestyle line.

An Le

B.F.A., PHOTOGRAPHY, 2012

Co-founder of international creative lab Now Open, An Le transcends categorization. From traditional visuals to experimental aesthetics, his studio specializes in global campaigns across luxury, lifestyle, and media industries. Originally from Saigon, Vietnam, Le earned a B.F.A. in photography from the Savannah College of Art and Design in 2012. He launched his career in New York as a photographer for Vogue, W Magazine, Paper Magazine, i-D Magazine, and GQ. Le has since collaborated with high-end brands such as Balmain, Yves Saint Laurent, Chanel, Loewe, and L’Oréal. His celebrity clients include Cher, Naomi Campbell, Camila Cabello, John Legend, Lupita Nyong’o, SZA, and others.

Deanna Greif

M.F.A., PERFORMING ARTS, 2015

Deanna Greif (M.F.A., performing arts, 2015) is a SCAD alum and casting professional in the film and television industry who has worked in the offices of award-winning casting directors like Kathleen Chopin, Rachel Tenner, and Cindy Tolan. Her scope of past projects ranges from intimate indie films and fantastical blockbusters to popular network TV and critically acclaimed streaming media darlings. Her experience includes work on TV projects like Apple TV+'s Severance, Prime Video's The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel and Upload, FX's Peepshow, Disney+'s Ms. Marvel and Hawkeye, Netflix's Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt, CBS's Bull, and ABC's Emergence. Her film credits include The Invite, Wonka, The Creator, Black Panther, Avengers: Infinity War, Ant-Man and the Wasp, Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings, Mamma Mia: Here We Go Again, Plan B, and Pacific Rim: Uprising, among others. She is passionate about storytelling as a means to connect us, and about supporting and advocating for performers and watching them flourish. Greif is a proud graduate of SCAD and the University of Colorado.

Filipe Messeder

B.F.A., SOUND DESIGN, 2016

Filipe Messeder (B.F.A., sound design, 2016) is an Emmy Award-winning supervising sound editor and re-recording mixer working across both scripted and nonfiction TV and film. Messeder won an Emmy for his work on Elizabeth Chai Vasarhelyi and Jimmy Chin's critically acclaimed Free Soloand is known for his work on Robert Eggers' film The Lighthouse and Soo Hugh's Apple TV+ series Pachinko. His other credits include Master of None, Ramy, A Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood, and Dickinson. Based in New York City, Messeder's upcoming projects include James DeMonaco's film The Home starring Pete Davidson.

Brent Kiser

B.F.A., SOUND DESIGN, 2006

Brent Kiser (B.F.A., sound design, 2006) is an Emmy Award-winning sound designer and founder of Unbridled Sound, a Los Angeles-based post-sound company. A SCAD graduate and Kentucky native, Kiser's 15-year career in sound spans feature films, TV series, and documentaries. Kiser most recently served as the sound supervisor and re-recording mixer on the Academy Award-winning Everything Everywhere All at Once, directed by Daniel Kwan and Daniel Scheinert, known as Daniels. Kiser received an Emmy Award for Outstanding Sound Editing for Nonfiction Programming in 2011 for the History Channel's Gettysburg and a second Emmy nomination in 2018 for his work on the award-winning Netflix documentary series Wild Wild Country.

Alexander Hammer

M.A., FILM AND TELEVISION, 2006

Alexander Hammer (M.A., film and television, 2006) is a director and editor who explores many dimensions of storytelling in his work, which spans scripted films and TV series, documentary features, music videos, interactive content, experiential storytelling, and live performances. Sparked by his last documentary film experience with Amy Schumer, the HBO Max series Expecting Amy, Hammer's passion for character and storytelling has grown exponentially, with the two of them reteaming to tell a new story in the documentary film Jenn Solo. In bridging the film, music, fashion, and performance industries, Hammer's work has taken him all over the world. Through those experiences and collaborations, he has developed a unique point of view with how to bring unscripted stories to life. Hammer's selected credits include the Grammy Award-winning Homecoming: A Film by Beyoncé, Beyoncé's feature-length visual album Lemonade, and the concert films The 1989 World Tour (Taylor Swift), On the Run Tour (Beyoncé and Jay-Z), Rebel Heart Tour (Madonna). While continuing to work with these artists, Hammer has also partnered with musical stars like Lizzo, Selena Gomez, Katy Perry, Sia, and Nicki Minaj on a variety of projects.