Our Story
In 2019, Ellis Maryland moved to Atlanta to serve in church media ministry. When the pandemic hit shortly after, isolation became very real and finding genuine community as a church creative felt almost impossible.
In 2021, after considering moving back to North Carolina, Ellis felt God say:
“No, you’re here for a reason.”
At the time, he didn’t fully understand what that meant.
While searching for community and unable to find anything specifically for church creatives, he began praying and asking God to bring like-minded people his way.
That led to connecting with church creatives across Atlanta including Chris Gray, Seth Butler, Jeff Morris, Joseph McBrayer, Will Smith, and others who were all searching for the same thing:
How It Started
community
Those connections led to the launch of Atlanta Church Creatives in 2021.
From the beginning, meeting in person was important. Not long after ACC launched, creatives began gathering face-to-face to connect, share, learn from one another, and build real relationships.
As the community grew, those early meetups expanded into Monday Breakfast Meetups, workshops, conferences, Xperiences, worship gatherings, and other opportunities for church creatives to connect and grow.
What started as a need for local connection became a community built around one simple reminder:
Don’t Create Alone.
Our MissioN
Connection. Collaboration. Growth.
Atlanta Church Creatives exists to encourage, equip, and connect church creatives so they can thrive both creatively and spiritually while helping churches spread the message of Jesus.
We believe creatives shouldn’t have to serve alone. Through community, training, relationships, and real conversations, we’re building spaces where church creatives can grow, feel supported, and sharpen one another both inside and outside the church.
Meet Ellis Maryland
Founder & Director
Ellis Maryland spent 11 years in the mortgage industry before transitioning into church media ministry in 2015. Combining his creative background with a business degree from Guilford Technical Community College, he stepped into full-time production and media leadership with a passion for helping churches communicate the Gospel through creativity and technology.
Today, Ellis serves as the Media & Technology Director at a church in Decatur, Georgia, while also leading Atlanta Church Creatives.
From weekly Monday Breakfast Meetups to hands-on workshops, conferences, and experiences like the Fujifilm Xperience, Ellis’ heart has always been centered on helping church creatives stop creating alone.
When he’s not behind a camera or planning the next workshop, you’ll usually find him connecting creatives, traveling, creating music, or building spaces where people feel encouraged, equipped, and supported.
Connect: contact@atlchurchcreatives.com
What We Do
Monday Breakfast Meetups
Weekly gatherings across Atlanta where church creatives connect over food, encouragement, and real conversation.
Workshops & Training
Hands-on learning experiences covering production, lighting, cameras, post-production, content creation, and more.
Conferences & Experiences
Large-scale events like the Fujifilm Xperience that bring together brands, education, gear, and community inside real church production environments.
Cameras & Coffee
Meetups designed for photographers and visual storytellers to connect, learn, and share their work.
Film Fest
48-hour filmmaking experiences where teams create short films from scratch while building relationships and sharpening their skills.
Hebrews 10:24
“And let us consider how we may spur one another on toward love and good deeds.”
We believe the local church is the hope of the world, and creativity is one of the most powerful tools we have to tell that story.
When church creatives work in isolation, everyone loses. When we work together, the entire Body of Christ becomes stronger.
Don’t Create Alone.
