Emerson College Trustee Seth Grahame-Smith ’98 and Erin (Stickle) Grahame-Smith ’96 have endowed a transformative $1 million scholarship to support student storytellers.
The scholarship will be awarded to School of Film, Television, and Media Arts and School of Communication students with demonstrated financial need.
“Emerson students are the brave communicators, visionary artists, and bold storytellers who go on to shape our culture and transform their industries. We are deeply grateful to Erin and Seth Grahame-Smith for their extraordinary generosity, leadership, and investment in the potential of the next generation of Emersonians,” said Emerson College President Jay M. Bernhardt. “This groundbreaking gift directly advances our commitment to making a world-class Emerson education more accessible to all talented students, regardless of their financial circumstances.”
The gift—the first million-dollar contribution since the launch of the Extraordinary Emerson 2030 strategic plan—is an effort on the part of the Grahame-Smiths to pay forward the generosity and support they received as Emerson students.
“Neither of us could have afforded Emerson without financial aid, and we feel an obligation to help students with the same needs,” said novelist, screenwriter, and producer Seth Grahame-Smith. “Students are what make Emerson exceptional, and they’re why Emerson’s future is so bright.”
The couple met as students at Emerson. Erin earned a degree in Marketing, and Seth graduated with a Film degree.
Seth Grahame-Smith is the author of worldwide bestselling novels Pride & Prejudice & Zombies and Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter; writer/executive producer of The Lego Batman Movie and Beetlejuice, Beetlejuice; and producer of Stephen King’s It. To date, his films have grossed more than $2.5 billion at the box office. He joined Emerson’s Board of Trustees in 2025.
The Grahame-Smiths have two sons and live in Los Angeles.
