ROUGH DRAFT ATLANTA — In June of 2024, Rough Draft Atlanta spoke with a group of local Doraville women looking to make a documentary about their hometown. Almost exactly a year later, “Made in Doraville” played at the Tara Theatre on June 21 to a bustling crowd. 

“We’ve said from the very beginning, if our family and friends find joy in this, then we’re successful,” said Karen Ketchum, one of the producers of the film. “Of course, if somebody picks it up and turns it into something bigger, that would be amazing. But we really did this for our people and the people of Doraville.” 

The film, which runs at about 40 minutes long, covers a number of Doraville’s historical events, from a refinery fire in the 1970s to the closure of the town’s General Motors plant in 2008. But what the film really investigates is just what Ketchum said: the people of Doraville and their strength. [MORE]

ATLANTA BUSINESS CHRONICLE - Sip, sip, hooray!

While breweries have been closing their doors left and right, Monday Night Brewing is doubling down on its original location in West Midtown, with more details of the expansion plans coming into focus.

As previously reported by Atlanta Business Chronicle in August 2024, one of the pioneers of Atlanta’s craft brewing scene is expanding its footprint with a project that has been dubbed The Grove.

The indoor-outdoor experience will be adjacent to the Monday Night Brewing location at Trabert Avenue and directly on a new section of the Atlanta Beltline Northwest Trail. [MORE]

ATLANTA JOURNAL-CONSTITUTION — Monday Night Brewing is adding a new taproom and expansive outdoor space to its original West Midtown location.

The new space, called the Grove, is located along a forthcoming section of the Atlanta Beltline’s Northwest Trail. Both are scheduled to open in August.

The Grove will expand the brewery’s footprint with an indoor/outdoor space that will largely replace the current taproom at the end of Trabert Avenue. The original taproom will be used for private events and production of the brewery’s craft beers and seltzers.

“The Grove brings new life and a fresh start to the Monday Night Brewing space that started it all,” co-founder Joel Iverson said in prepared statement. “Thirteen years ago, we moved into an abandoned warehouse on a dead-end street and created an inviting taproom amidst a beer production space. West Midtown has been our home ever since, so we want this to be an everyday experience — a space to connect with friends, meet new people and enjoy fresh beer, great food and good vibes.” [MORE]

ATLANTA JOURNAL-CONSTITUTION — Georgia Entertainment Scene

By Rodney Ho

Doraville was a modest agricultural town off a major rail line that hit the big time in 1947 when General Motors opened an assembly plant there that defined its existence for decades.

A trio of Sequoyah High School graduates from the 1980s decided to give the city they grew up in a love letter of sorts called “Made in Doraville,” a bootstrapped 40-minute documentary chronicling the town’s history.

A free screening of the film is scheduled for Saturday at 12:30 p.m. at Tara Theatre, which will also include a Q&A and a sing-along of a song created specifically for the film called “Dear Doraville” and the Atlanta Rhythm Section’s 1972 hit tune “Doraville.”

Caroline Camick, Lisa Edmondson and Karen Ketchum raised $54,000 to make the documentary a reality, providing a history lesson that includes growing up in a protective suburban alcove that diversified after the 1996 Olympics. There is a segment about a massive refinery fire in 1972 that killed several people. It also chronicles the city grappling with the loss of the GM plant in 2008 and the rise of the Assembly movie and TV studios in 2023. [MORE]

90.1FM WABE (NPR), “City Lights” — A moving tribute to Alice Lovelace, a pillar of the local arts community, has joined the select films to be screened as part of the annual Filmer showcase from South Fulton Arts.

“Say Yes to Destiny” honors the career and legacy of poet, teacher, author, artist and organizer Alice Lovelace as she helped to found and facilitate arts and culture organizations, including the ArtsXChange, the Southern Collective of African American Writers, Alternate ROOTS, the Atlanta Partnership for Arts in Learning, and the historic inaugural 2005 U.S. Social Forum. The film is showing on March 6 at the Academy Theatre in Hapeville.

Filmmaker Jonathan Banks and South Fulton Arts executive director Jennifer Bauer Lyons joined “City Lights” host Lois Reitzes to discuss “Say Yes to Destiny.”

SIMPLY BUCKHEAD — They say necessity is the mother of invention, which certainly holds true for Genevieve LeDoux. The chief imagination officer, as she jokingly refers to herself, of Silver Comet Productions, LeDoux is an award-winning producer whose current pet project centers around an animated rock band called Star Forest.

The aha moment for her newest venture took place during the pandemic, when, to get out of the house, she and her two sons would get in the car and drive around with the windows rolled down and the music cranked up. Her oldest son, Hudson, who was 5 at the time, wasn’t a fan of his 3-year-old brother Dempsey’s music because it was too babyish. So LeDoux went looking for music for kids Hudson’s age and found it didn’t exist.

“Everything that was made for the 5 to 9 age group was still very immature and not well produced, so they weren’t into it,” LeDoux says. “I joke it goes from CoComelon to Cardi B, because there’s nothing in the middle.”

It was then she saw a niche that needed to be filled. For inspiration, LeDoux drew upon her years in Los Angeles working on children’s TV shows like “Yo Gabba Gabba!,” “My Little Pony” and a stop-motion series called “Tumble Leaf” that won her an Emmy for Outstanding Preschool Children’s Animated Program. She and her husband, Chris LeDoux, who founded the visual effects company Crafty Apes, had since relocated to Atlanta when he decided to open an office here in 2014. “He was working a lot for Tyler Perry and was going back and forth to Atlanta, and he came home one day and said, ‘You know what, there’s something really happening there,’” she explains. [MORE]

ESPORT INSIDER — According to a release, the 2025 edition of the*gamehers Awards will highlight 100 women across a total of 10 categories.

To acknowledge their achievements, the platform will offer award winners exclusive digital features alongside streams highlighting each winner taking place throughout March 2025. In addition, the winners will also receive cash prizes. The exact amount for each award was not disclosed.

The revamp follows the*gamehers’ September announcement that its ceremony is returning in 2025 following a successful 2024. The platform noted that its 2024 ceremony generated over 10m impressions in addition to over 155,000 viewers across various streaming platforms.

Outside of the awards ceremony, the platform has continued to grow and attract investment. In August, it received an undisclosed investment from Dunhill Ventures to accelerate growth by improving its in-app offerings.

Rebecca Dixon, CEO of the*gamehers, spoke on the news: “the*gamehers Awards have always been about more than just recognition—they’re about inspiring change and creating opportunities.

“In 2025, we’re amplifying that mission by celebrating winners not just for one night, but all year long, showcasing their stories and achievements on a global stage. We’re excited to partner with brands, organizations, and our incredible community to make this a truly transformative moment for women and femme-identifying individuals in gaming.” [MORE]

ATLANTA JOURNAL-CONSTITUTION, ‘Opinion’

By Jennifer Bauer-Lyons

Every year, the Tuesday after Thanksgiving brings a powerful reminder of what matters most: giving. Following the frenzied shopping of Black Friday and Cyber Monday, GivingTuesday invites us to pause and redirect our attention to the causes that build stronger, more connected communities. It is a global movement of generosity. Here in Georgia, it’s also an opportunity to reflect on the values that unite us: collaboration, creativity and compassion.

As the executive director of South Fulton Arts (SFA), I see daily how the arts embody those values. Yet, the arts are often overlooked when it comes to charitable giving. This GivingTuesday, I urge Georgians to recognize the arts not just as a source of inspiration and joy, but also as a vital force that shapes our identity, strengthens our economy and brings us closer as a community.

The arts sector in Georgia is a powerhouse. It generates more than $49 million in local, county and state tax revenue for Georgia, and supports more than 10,000 jobs, according to the Arts & Economic Prosperity 6 national study conducted by Americans for the Arts and facilitated by Georgia Council for the Arts. But these numbers only scratch the surface of what the arts mean to our communities.

The arts foster empathy, bridge divides and inspire innovation … [MORE]

Jennifer Bauer-Lyons is executive director of South Fulton Arts.

POCKETGAMER — With the 30th anniversary of its kingmaking franchise Warcraft, Blizzard has been rightfully saturating its fans with all manner of in-game events and rewards. But for the rest of us, it's going to be hard to ignore the legacy of this monolithic franchise. And that's because, of all things, Warcraft is set to team up with hit match-3 puzzler Candy Crush Saga!

Yes, you read that right, the poster child of hardcore RTS and MMORPGs is taking a walk on the sweet side as it collabs with King's own regal candy-based puzzler. Running from November 22nd (that's today) through to December 6th, you'll be able to leap into iconic team-vs-team challenges between the Orc and Human factions to win exclusive rewards.

As part of the event, you'll pick a side between Team Tiffi (representing Humans) and Team Yeti (representing Orcs). The Warcraft Games is a competitive event, complete with qualifiers, knockouts and finals, as you'll duke it out for the chance at amazing rewards including 200 (in-game) gold bars for winning participants! [MORE]

BLEEDING COOL — Mobile developer and publisher King Games have launched a brand new event for Candy Crush Soda Saga, as they are celebrating the game's 10th Anniversary. Starting today and running over the next few weeks, the game will be running a special celebration involving special bears and cakes, as well as an 11 Days of Gifting event that will have players popping in daily for challenges and rewards. Plus some extra goodies happening throughout the month of November you have to play to see. We have more details about what you can play below, along with a trailer above, as the content is now live.

The 11 Days of Gifting event is designed to thank players around the world for playing the game during the 10th anniversary. From November 19th – 29th, players will receive daily rewards, such as boosters, gold bars or lives, with a special gift on the 11th day for those who log in each day, as a gesture of appreciation for their loyalty. Players will also have the chance to compete in the most generous Soda Cup to date. The Soda Cup is a month-long, in-game tournament where players compete for exclusive rewards and a spot on the leaderboard by collecting reskinned yellow whistle candies. This year's Soda Cup offers the biggest rewards ever, with around 50,000 winners receiving 500 in-game gold bars each.

To mark the anniversary, King revamped the Candy Crush Soda Saga soundscape, introducing a captivating new audio experience into the game. This unique funk-inspired audio identity draws on influences from different cultures and geographies around the world including Latin America, Africa and Europe. Recorded with more than 30 musicians in a live studio, the new audio includes a mix of traditional and water-inspired custom-made instruments to create a distinct and immersive Soda-inspired sound.

ATLANTA JOURNAL-CONSTITUTION — This weekend, tens of thousands of gamers will crowd the Georgia World Congress Center, many clad in esports jerseys and costumes, for DreamHack Atlanta.

Some of them are fighting for $1.1 million in prize money in esports competitions. Others are looking to network with gaming companies to land jobs or internships, introduce games they have developed or purely connect with enthusiasts of their favorite franchises.

DreamHack, which spans three days starting Friday, is one of the largest gaming and esports events held in Georgia every year, attracting both professional and amateur players of console, PC, virtual reality and tabletop games, along with developers, artists and other media personalities.

There are areas for attendees to connect their devices to a local-area network to play games together, manufacturers to showcase new hardware and independent game studios to showcase their titles. Many of the spoils associated with these types of conventions are also found at DreamHack, such as cosplay competitions, meet and greets with creators in the gaming world and performances. Shaboozey, whose song “A Bar Song (Tipsy)” entered its 12th week at No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100 this week, is the headliner.

In essence, it’s the gaming version of a music festival, said Todd Harris, the president of Atlanta esports live event and production company Skillshot Media.

“Picture multiple stages. Some have major competitions going on, some are small with just a 6-foot table and everything in between. There’s definitely some sensory overload,” Harris said.

DreamHack is the final event in Games Week Georgia, a weeklong affair of business, networking and professional development events for the gaming industry. [MORE]

METRO ATLANTA CEO — Executive Director of Georgia's Path2College 529 Plan Mitch Seabaugh talks about the top five things to know about Georgia's Path2College 529 Plan and the importance of investing in your child's future education.