It’s no secret that the film and TV business has blossomed in Georgia since more generous state tax credits were introduced in 2008. New studios are opening, camera crews dot the Atlanta landscape every day and now, SCAD Atlanta is debuting its first annual television festival highlighting the business’s burgeoning presence in the state.

Dubbed aTVfest, the three-day event is open to the public and features screenings of shows such as Fox’s “Bones,” FX’s “The Americans” and Cinemax’s “Banshee,” followed by cast and crew discussions. There will also be a screening and panel talk Saturday at Midtown’s Opera nightclub featuring actors from cable’s most popular drama, AMC’s “The Walking Dead,” which is shot in Senoia.

Actress Phylicia Rashad, best known as Clair Huxtable on “The Cosby Show” from the 1980s, is being honored with an Outstanding Achievement in Television Award. On Saturday afternoon, she will hold a Q&A after a screening of Lifetime’s 2012 remake of “Steel Magnolias” at SCAD Atlanta.

There also will be panels with TV professionals, including Bravo senior producer John Hill, “Bones” executive producer Stephen Nathan and FremantleMedia North America CEO Thom Beers, best known for producing Discovery’s “Deadliest Catch.”

For students or anyone interested in the TV business, panel topics include casting, producing, writing and branding.

The Savannah College of Art and Design’s Atlanta campus, which opened in Midtown in 2005, has grown rapidly and now hosts 1,900 students. Danny Filson, executive director for aTVfest, said about 60 percent of its Atlanta students are in majors that could lead them into the entertainment industry.

The television business has become a growth industry, thanks to expanding original programming options on ever more cable networks, as well as online options such as Hulu, Amazon and Netflix, he said. The festival will allow attendees to hobnob with TV professionals locally and nationwide.

“The opportunities out there have never been larger or as diversified as they are right now,” said Filson, who also runs the 15-year-old Savannah Film Festival.

There are an estimated 30,000 Georgia residents in the entertainment industry, according to the Georgia Film, Music & Digital Entertainment Guide Office. There are 17 shows in active production this week in Georgia, including four BET shows, the CW’s “The Vampire Diaries,” Lifetime’s upcoming drama “Devious Maids” and reality shows such as HGTV’s “Mega Dens” and AMC’s “Small Town Security.”

The state is currently seeking homes for TV pilots for the broadcast 2013-14 season. Last year, NBC’s “Revolution” and Fox’s “The Following” shot their pilots in town.