Harrison Thacker was born in Decatur, GA, with his family eventually moving to a suburb outside of the city. It was during these formative years that he began to develop a strong passion for music and film. This calling would prove to follow him well into his professional career, amassing a lengthy resume as both a recording artist and actor (feature film credits, voice over roles, and more). This aspect of his journey saw him develop a range of content production skills that would prove to come in handy later.

After graduating high school, Harrison would go on to obtain a Bachelor of Arts Degree in Rhetoric from Georgia College in Milledgeville, GA. He’d immediately enroll in graduate school at Gonzaga University in Washington State, while working full time as a Health, Mental Health, and Disabilities Services Coordinator for a large non-profit’s corporate headquarters in Atlanta. 

Shortly before receiving his Masters degree in Communication & Leadership, Harrison would leave the corporate world in favor of working as an independent contractor. The space wasn’t too far behind, though, as his first contract was as a freelance grant writer for the same institution. His first effort was two grants aimed at funding from the 21st Century Learning Center to put STEM/STEAM (Science, Tech, Engineering, Arts, & Math) programs in at-promise communities throughout Fulton County & Atlanta Public Schools. In an uncustomary turn of events, both grants would end up being funded in the amount of over $1million dollars. He’s still an active grant writer, and has since amassed a portfolio of over $6million federal dollars raised for his clients. 

From there, Harrison received the necessary certifications to deliver STEM/STEAM Activities, and would end up serving as a STEAM Activities Coordinator for a number of non profit and educational organizations. His curriculum took an arts based approach, encouraging students to discover and explore their creative passions. Projects included music production, audio engineering, creative writing, and more! He’d leverage the many relationships he’d built in the music industry to enhance the lessons’ credibility. This is also where Harrison developed his passion for providing youths with opportunities for artistic expression. “There’s nothing quite like that moment when you see that spark in their eyes. You see when it clicks, and you can almost hear them thinking, ‘Oh, I get it, this is what I was put here to do.’” 

Harrison then began working as a content producer for several of the organizations within good friend and collaborator Jason Sirotin’s network. The pair’s working relationship began in 2014, having since collaborated on a number of initiatives, including content for Super Bowl LIII, as well as several music based projects.

Harrison seeks to use his vast professional experience, expansive network, and creative talents to assist in content production at Arbor Vita8. And with strains like these, the sky is truly the limit!