Those interested in helping create a bit of television or movie magic may want to venture to the Edward A. Dufresne Community Center, where they may just find a new career calling.
The Luling center is where St. Charles Parish is offering an overview of its upcoming industry training course, which is part of the parish’s Workforce Investment Act (WIA). The WIA was implemented to create more opportunity for employment for parish residents, and after a successful first phase of that program—a medical assistance training program that saw 15 of 18 participants secure employment with Ochsner — hopes are high.
The Jan. 31 class will be 10 a.m. to noon, and offers an opportunity for participants to officially register for the course.
“We’re providing education about the film industry in terms of career and workforce development,” said Darcy McKinnon, who will be one of the administrators for the first course. “We’ll be talking initially about (film and TV) production as a whole, how it works and the different stages of it.”
Part of that is detailing how the tax incentive program brings stages of movie and TV production to the state and what it means for the creation of job opportunities for its residents. The types of work available and the skillsets needed to do them will be among other topics of discussion, as well as what one has to do to secure one of those positions.
“We’ll talk about how you craft a resume, what kind of internships you can find on set … how this is an itinerary and project-based profession and not a 9-to-5 job,” McKinnon said. “Your task on any given day can change.”
McKinnon said that a creative, flexible person with the willingness to work hard can find themselves entering a well-paying career with plenty of avenues for entry.
“It can be a high-wage profession with a low barrier of entry,” she said. “One of the reasons we do what we do is that when you’re creating something in the film industry, you’re making a little world look like reality. But within that, you have almost every kind of job you’d find out in the world … you have construction, hair, makeup, wardrobe, camera, I.T., technology, producers … it’s the full gamut of skillsets you’d find in the real world.”
She added that for those people who already have an established profession or skillset, those skills may be transferrable.
“If you’re a certified electrician, there are jobs for you in the film industry where you can enhance your earning potential,” she said.
For someone with no prior experience, a producer’s assistant would likely enter with a salary of $15 an hour. As one moves up the ranks, though, McKinnon said more technical and skilled positions can offer between $50,000 to $70,000 a year.
She said today’s intro session will help shape what the course will ultimately be. As those attending are educated on what kind of jobs are available and offer feedback, that feedback will be used to determine what specific kinds of trainings will be offered.
With the state’s tax incentive program solidified, McKinnon believes opportunity in the industry will only continue to grow. Currently, she said there are four television shows and six feature films either in production or preparation in the state.
“When you’re talking about a TV show, that’s 60 million dollars worth of content over a few months, everyone (on the job) is a piece of that puzzle,” she said. “If someone’s reliable, punctual but also a flexible team player who will work toward a common goal, this is absolutely an avenue they may want to pursue.”
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