Reid Griffin - Founder & Creative Director

Reid Griffin is a full-time Marching Arts Visual Educator, Clinician, Designer, and Adjudicator living in Macon, Georgia. Before competing and teaching at the highest level of the Marching Arts activity, Reid grew up in the small South Georgia town of Ocilla, where he was endlessly inspired and encouraged by his former teachers and community. He founded SURGE Athletic Arts to bring his experience and passion for World Class-quality performance to ensembles that Dare to Dream.

Along with his close team of dedicated educators, designers, and clinicians, Reid is insistent on challenging the boundaries that have held scholastic and independent programs back from realizing their true potential.

On SURGE, Reid says, "I founded this company to connect passionate directors and staffs with the resources they need to provide an unparalleled experience and product to their students. Every performer deserves the opportunity to look, feel, and perform their best, and that's exactly why we're here. SURGE powers performance.

Learn More About Reid

Reid spent seven years as a performer in Drum Corps International’s elite World Class division, performing with the Spirit of Atlanta, The Cavaliers, and the Carolina Crown Drum & Bugle Corps. Formerly, he has worked as a hornline choreographer and movement specialist with the DCI World Finalist Troopers Drum & Bugle Corps (Casper, WY) and with 7-time DCI World Champion The Cavaliers Drum & Bugle Corps (Rosemont, IL). Reid currently serves as the Visual Caption Head for The Crossmen Drum & Bugle Corps (San Antonio, TX), Visual Supervisor and Ensemble Consultant for Atlanta CV Drum & Bugle Corps (Atlanta, GA), Visual Supervisor for 2026 WGI Winds A-Class Champion HYDRA Independent Winds (Atlanta, GA), Visual Coordinator and Designer for the Mercer University Marching Band (Macon, GA), and Program Director for recent WGI World Championships Top-12 scholastic finalist East Coweta Indoor Percussion and East Coweta Combined Middle Schools Indoor Percussion (Sharpsburg, GA).

As a clinician, designer, and adjudicator, Reid has served scholastic and independent performing arts programs from East to West Coast and internationally.

Reid holds an undergraduate degree in English/Professional Writing from Columbus State University. Prior to working in the Marching Arts full time, he lectured as an Ancient & American Literature teacher at The Academy for Classical Education, a National Blue Ribbon Award recipient and nationally-ranked public high school. Much of Reid’s educational philosophy is born of the Classical model, which encourages students to seek Truth, Goodness, and Beauty in all things and to foster the pursuit of lifelong learning.