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Two filmmakers living on Saint Simons Island, GA (SSI) produced a 15-minute documentary in 2019 that they hope will motivate island residents to play a more active role in preserving SSI’s character and charm. The video “St. Simons: Surviving Success” is the creation of George Crain (Producer) and Lance Lipman (Director), both longtime creative production professionals. They produced the project solely on their own, with no sponsors or grants.

The documentary was inspired by Crain, who moved to St. Simons in 2005 after a career as a top producer of national commercials. After attending numerous island meetings, he became frustrated with the lack of progress in solving many of the island’s challenges. “We’re attempting to promote island pride and make the issue of preserving its charm and natural beauty at the top of everyone’s mind. The documentary is intended to be a call to action”, says Crain.

Lipman moved to St. Simons after many years as a corporate and documentary producer-director in Atlanta and agrees with Crain that the island is at a critical point. “We wanted to create this documentary to inform and move people emotionally. We don’t have all the answers, but we hope islanders will think about the questions surrounding St. Simons’ future”, says Lipman.

Among those appearing in the documentary are Susan Shipman, former Director of Georgia DNR’s Coastal Resources Division; Urban Planner Denise Grabowski, Principal of Symbioscity; Bill Walker, Chairman and CEO of Golden Isles Aviation; Roland Daniel, Owner of Roland Daniel Properties; and Cap Fendig, Owner of Lighthouse Trolleys and Cap Fendig Boat Tours.

“We are sharing this documentary with everyone who loves St. Simons to spur community involvement and discussion, even online, about how to preserve and enhance what’s special about this island community. Coming together to assess the health and future sustainability of our communities is more important than ever. We think that time has come for St. Simons,” say the documentary producers.

“St. Simons: Surviving Success” was a 2020 Official Selection and Best Documentary Short nominee of the Beaufort International Film Festival and a 2019 Official Selection and Best Documentary Short nominee of Amelia Island’s Rendezvous Film Festival. The documentary was also screened at St. Simons’ Island Cinema, where a crowd of over 500 was shown the documentary and presented with information about the island’s future growth and development.