Senior Director, Growth & Partnerships
Trilith Institute and A-Story Entertainment

• Based at Trilith in Atlanta
   
• 501(c)(3) nonprofit and mission-driven
   
• Serving college students, early-career professionals, and emerging filmmakers
   
• Focused on Georgia-grown storytelling and workforce development

Trilith Institute is dedicated to the discovery, development, and professional advancement of the next generation of storytellers. Its mission is to build a robust entertainment ecosystem in Georgia by preparing emerging creatives for sustainable careers in film, television, and digital media.

Through innovative initiatives and professional education, the Institute combines hands-on training, industry mentorship, and real-world access—fueling Georgia’s entertainment economy and ensuring homegrown talent has the tools and support needed to thrive.

As an extension of the broader Trilith brand—including Trilith Studios—Trilith Institute cultivates a dynamic environment where artists, writers, and educators engage in transformative learning and meaningful creative experiences.

Jeffrey Stepakoff
President and CEO, Trilith Institute

With a four-decade career spanning Hollywood studios, bestselling novels, cutting-edge digital storytelling, and educational innovation, Jeffrey Stepakoff is a rare creative force who has taken bold creative risks at every stage of his journey, and transformed entire industries in the process.

Raised in Atlanta, Georgia, Stepakoff graduated from Woodward Academy before earning a B.A. from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill’s School of Journalism and Mass Communication and a Master of Fine Arts in Playwriting from Carnegie Mellon University’s School of Drama. After completing his education, he moved to Hollywood and launched a career that would take him to the highest levels of the entertainment industry.

He began writing and producing for iconic television series like The Wonder Years and Dawson’s Creek, where he served as co-executive producer. Over the years, he earned “written by” or “story by” credits on 37 television episodes, wrote for 15 different series, and worked as a writer and producer on eight primetime or first-run cable staffs. He has been credited on more than 200 episodes of popular television. In addition to his work in series television, he wrote pilots for every major broadcast network and co-wrote the animated blockbusters Tarzan and Brother Bear for Disney.

A natural innovator, Stepakoff expanded his storytelling into digital and interactive media well before the streaming era. He held key creative roles at HarperCollins Interactive, Inscape (HBO/Time Warner), and Universal Studios. He also wrote the popular video game Quarterback Attack with Mike Ditka and helped pioneer internet-based storytelling with Perspectives, one of the earliest “webisodic” series developed for Paramount Studios’ digital division. One of his most profound creative risks came not in Hollywood, but in returning home.

Back in Georgia, Stepakoff became a tenured professor at Kennesaw State University, where he built the school’s first film and television writing program. He has also taught at Carnegie Mellon, UNC-Chapel Hill, Clemson, Notre Dame, City College of New York, and Emory University. In 2015, Governor Nathan Deal recruited him to serve as the founding Executive Director of the Georgia Film Academy, a statewide workforce program that trained more than 16,000 students and helped double the state’s production economy to over $4 billion. Today, as President and CEO of the Trilith Institute, Stepakoff is helping to shape the future of storytelling through an innovative educational model that trains, empowers, and retains writers, directors, and story artists within Georgia’s growing entertainment industry.

He is also an internationally bestselling novelist, with more than one million copies of his books in print across 20 languages. His nonfiction title, Billion-Dollar Kiss, is widely regarded as a definitive guide to the business of television writing. A highly sought-after speaker, Stepakoff regularly presents to media organizations, business groups, and academic institutions. He speaks on topics including the state of Georgia’s entertainment industry, education and workforce development, and the emerging creative economy. Honored by the Georgia General Assembly and named one of Atlanta’s Most Admired CEOs by the Atlanta Business Chronicle, Jeffrey Stepakoff’s career is a masterclass in creative risk. From the writers’ room to the classroom to the boardroom, he proves that betting on bold ideas and on yourself doesn’t just move stories forward. It moves culture.

• Design, build, and execute an innovative and dynamic comprehensive multi-million-dollar annual capital-raising strategy, encompassing both philanthropic gifts and investment capital.
   
• Lead advanced research, prospecting, and qualification of new donors, investors, brand partners, corporate sponsors, and strategic relationships.
   
• Develop and manage a robust pipeline of donor and investment prospects in support of student scholarships and program sponsorships.
   
• Develop long-term strategies for scaling scholarship funds, identifying naming opportunities, and attracting anchor sponsors/investors.
   
• Own all grant writing and submission processes for local foundations, national arts organizations, corporate philanthropy programs, and other relevant funding bodies.

• Take ownership of the full engagement cycle with key partners, from initial outreach and scheduling to pitch support, follow-up, and long-term stewardship.
   
• Prepare high-impact briefs, proposals, pitch decks, deal outlines, and creative summaries for internal leadership and external meetings.
   
• Manage and cultivate relationships within local Atlanta corporate ecosystem, ultra- HNW philanthropic community, and foundations/institutional partners.
   
• Help design gift/investment structures, sponsorship packages, and content-aligned partnership models that align with donor/investor interests and TI/A-Story priorities.
   
• Build advanced donor/investor stewardship systems to ensure partners remain deeply engaged and committed beyond initial projects or investments.

• Work closely with senior leadership on strategic planning, positioning, forecasting, and aligning all capital/donation-raising efforts with overarching organizational priorities.
   
• Collaborate with programming, higher education partnerships, and community teams to identify and design fundable initiatives.
   
• Track key performance indicators (KPIs), manage pipeline reports, and oversee timelines and goals for capital and donation fundraising and partnership commitments, ensuring transparency and accountability.
   
• Coordinate strategic overlaps with other organizational initiatives (e.g., education, industry access, workforce development initiatives at the Trilith Institute) to maximize impact and funding opportunities.

• Serve as a primary liaison with family offices, C-suite executives, agency partners, and civic/business leadership, integrating them into the organization's mission.
   
• Build annual giving strategies tied to events, community programs, and original productions.
   
• Create trusting relationships that will support collaboration with the CEO, COO, co-founders, corporate partners, brand teams, entertainment investors, family offices, C-suite executives, agency partners, higher education institutions, arts organizations, community donors, and Atlanta's civic/business leadership.

• Minimum of 7+ years of progressively responsible executive-level experience in a combination of fundraising, business development, entertainment partnerships, investment capital strategy, or institutional partnerships.
   
• Demonstrated proven track record in raising multi-million-dollar capital or leading major corporate partnership portfolios and securing significant philanthropic gifts.
   
• Exceptional judgment, emotional intelligence, and relationship-building instincts.  Comfort in engaging in donor/investor-facing conversations with senior executives and high-net-worth individuals.
   
• Comfortable pitching creative concepts and adept at navigating complex industry conversations.
   
• Highly adaptable and entrepreneurial approach with strategic communication and critical thinking skills.
   
• Ability to move quickly, operate autonomously, build effective structures, and thrive in a fast-moving, entrepreneurial environment.