Fast-Tracking Fulton County Students Into Film Industry Training Program

Atlanta Metro Studios, the Fulton County School System and Union City announced a pilot-program collaboration that will start by funding tuition for as many as six 2015 Fulton County high school graduates and enroll them in Clayton State University’s Digital Film Crew Training Program. Ed Richardson and Brian Livesay, founders and co-CEOs of Atlanta-based 404 Studio Partners, along with their development partner Rooker, created, designed and are currently in construction of Atlanta Metro Studios. 

The partnership is determined to give students the real, boots-on-the-ground experience they'll need to break into the thriving film industry in Georgia. For them, nothing is more important than hands-on experience. “At Clayton State University, we are in the forefront of film training in Georgia higher education,” according to President Dr. Thomas Hynes. “This project will be our first to fast-track high school students into one of the state’s fastest growing industries. And we couldn’t have more supportive and enthusiastic partners.” According to Fulton County Schools Superintendent Robert Avossa, this partnership is directly aligned to the school system’s strategic plan of preparing 100-percent of students to be career ready.

Barton Bond, director of the Film and Digital Media Center at Clayton State, sees this project as not only unique in Georgia, but in the nation. “The program trains students on professional equipment, orients them to all the jobs and procedures on film sets and then, most critical to the students’ potential success, places them on the crews of independent productions in the Atlanta area during the two-semester course schedule,” says Bond. “In just our first year of offering the program, we have placed 10 students in the local film union, which is also one of our training partners. Another two-dozen students are currently working in film-related jobs.”

 The Fulton County area schools and Clayton State University are currently disseminating film career training information and application procedures to area high schools in time for 2015 graduates to apply for the scholarships that will apply to the next training session that starts in June. For more information about the program, contact Samantha Evans or Susan Hale at the Fulton County Schools, (470) 254-6830, or communications@fultonschools.org. Clayton State will be conducting information sessions about its training program starting May 6. For information call (678) 466-5112 or visit www.clayton.edu/film-and-digital-media.

Labels: atlanta film film industry, atlanta metro studios, clayton state, fast track student employment, ga film