Universal Below-the-Line Traineeship Expands Career Pathways

From 13 – 19 August, Edinburgh will welcome films and industry members from across the world to the Scottish capital as the city plays host to the 79th Edinburgh International Film Festival. Alongside the screenings, the event holds an industry programme of panels and events where members of the ScreenSkills team will be in attendance, hosting a networking brunch on Monday 17 August. Those visiting the festival are invited to come and say hello and discover the range of opportunities developed by ScreenSkills Skills Funds to help support those working in Scotland across every sector of the industry. In addition to meeting new contacts and cementing existing industry ties, members of the Film Skills Fund will be supporting the seven productions that paid in to the Fund and will receive their premiere during the festival. They include #TheIncomer, #OutThere, #ExtraGeography, #BorgesAndMe, #Mission, #QueenAtSea and #Skintown. Each contributing production also welcomed trainees onto set from the ScreenSkills Trainee Finder programme, a flagship new entrant initiative that offers new entrants paid production placement alongside a course of guided training. Through these seven productions alone, 20 candidates received placements across a range of departments. We thank each of them for their contribution and look forward to seeing you all at Edinburgh! View the programme: https://lnkd.in/eMm9w7Uf Image - Jade Walton, ScreenSkills Film Trainee Finder trainee (camera) on placement on Borges and Me

Arrowhead Studios was launched as a $15 million state-backed effort to build a film and television production hub at NMSU’s Arrowhead Park. The project now has $18.9 million in funding, with NMSU and Doña Ana County each committing another $1.3 million toward completion. The City of Las Cruces is considering whether to match those contributions. The finished facility is expected to operate as a commercial production complex and provide paid internship opportunities for NMSU and Doña Ana Community College students. ➡️ https://lnkd.in/gjnaA8qR

Having been in the first iteration of this program, I highly recommend ANYONE trying to gain true experience to apply. If you're trying to get in the door, this is one of those keys.

Left film school thinking I knew everything there was to know about making movies. What I actually had was just enough to get hired. First job out of school: PA on a holiday movie called Love at the Christmas Table. The real education started there, standing next to people who had spent their whole careers making things. I remember watching the way the 2AD talked to each cast member differently when it was there time for set. She never told me this, but she showed me that it was her job to start the actor off in the right emotional state. Not with intention of making an impact, but rather leaving space when needed. Sometimes lending an ear when a complaint or concern arose, others filling in for an assistant to make sure enough Diet Coke was in one actors trailer. She did what it took to ensure her 1AD was on time, and her Director's vision was supported. A new filmmaker can look up almost anything now. Lens tests on YouTube. A coverage plan from an AI at midnight. I use these tools myself and they help. But a video is a recording. A set is live. Anyone who came up through theatre knows what that difference is worth. The timing, the judgment, the way a veteran reads a room before touching a single piece of gear. None of it survives the upload. That kind of transfer has an old name. Apprenticeship. On a film set, the apprentice is the PA. I know because I was one. So if you run a set, remember who is watching. The PA wrangling cables behind you is the next generation of this business, standing close enough to learn. Answer the question. Explain the choice you just made. Ten minutes between setups will outlast any tutorial. The craft gets passed on the way it always has. In person. #Filmmaking #IndependentFilm #Directing

A significant weather event can be a pivotal moment in one's career. For a young intern, stepping up during a severe weather outbreak on Mother's Day meant taking on air duties when full-time staff weren't immediately available. This unexpected responsibility, supported by a supervisor who recognized the dedication, led to an extended on-air experience. This moment of stepping into the unknown and performing under pressure solidified a passion for broadcast journalism and opened the door to future opportunities, like becoming an afternoon producer and sports caster. It highlights how seizing unexpected opportunities can profoundly shape professional paths. #CareerDevelopment #BroadcastJournalism #Leadership #Opportunity #Resilience

We're excited to announce that Showroom Cinema is delivering the brand-new BFI Film Academy Hub in Yorkshire and The Humber. Supported by the UK Government and National Lottery funding, we're working with partners across Yorkshire and The Humber to help 16-25 year olds explore opportunities and take their first steps into film and TV. You don't need any experience or a clear career plan to get involved. Our Hub is a free place to try things out, learn new skills, meet other young creatives in your area and discover where your interests could take you. There are three ways to get involved: 📽️ Free Year-Round Membership (16-25) Access workshops, masterclasses, networking opportunities and more. 📽️ Introductory Courses (16-19) Work as part of a team to make your own short film and learn about different roles in the industry. 📽️ BFI Film Academy Alumni Programme Access mentoring and career development support. We believe film and TV should be open to everyone. That's why we offer support for access needs and travel bursaries to help make taking part possible. Ready to get started? Explore opportunities, sign up and discover your future in film and TV: https://lnkd.in/e8N5kXKC

Meet Nayla Hamdan, a rising senior management and UT Austin Department of Radio-Television-Film major spending her summer interning at both MGMT. Entertainment and Campfire. At MGMT Entertainment, Nayla works in talent management, where she creates actor reels, submits clients for roles and conducts script coverage. At Campfire, she explores documentary development through case research, project materials, IP reviews and pitch decks. These experiences have helped Nayla narrow down her professional interests and discover the intersection she hopes to pursue after graduation: talent management and production. She is especially drawn to the relationship-driven nature of the work and the opportunity to move from project to project. Nayla has also found inspiration in the people she meets throughout Los Angeles, both within and outside the entertainment industry. “I love being surrounded by this energy everywhere I go. It is so inspiring,” Nayla said. Her advice for future UTLA students? Focus on what makes you happy, push yourself outside your comfort zone and give yourself time to make Los Angeles your own.

What if major tours didn’t just entertain but intentionally built the next generation of the entertainment trades workforce? This summer, Usher's New Look and Boys & Girls Clubs of Greater Detroit created a new pathway into the entertainment trades, hiring young professionals as interns for the R&B Tour. Behind every show is an entire economy and workforce: production, wardrobe, lighting, sound, multimedia, logistics, touring operations and hundreds of careers many young people never get the opportunity to see—much less enter. Congratulations to our inaugural cohort. They started the summer as interns and finishing as permanent members of the tour crew. More importantly, they helped prove a model for building the next generation of the entertainment trades workforce. #EntertainmentTrades #WorkforceDevelopment #LiveEntertainment

Our Birmingham trainees are getting hands-on with vision mixing, learning how to manage multiple camera feeds and make the split-second decisions that bring a live studio production together. As part of our studio production training delivered in partnership with Prime Video Pathway, our trainees are gaining practical, industry-focused experience across all areas of production. Prime Video & Amazon MGM Studios Donna Taberer Babita Bahal And they're doing it right here in Birmingham City University, where the cohort gets access to fantastic studio facilities and a real production environment to develop their skills. 🎥 Birmingham City University A huge thank you to Maria Needle for guiding our trainees through vision mixing and sharing her industry expertise. Maria Needle From the gallery to the studio floor, they're getting a taste of what it really takes to bring a TV production to life. 🔥

The future of live performance depends on the people behind the scenes —and young people need equitable access to the training, mentorship, and paid experience that make those careers possible. Mosaic Youth Theatre of Detroit’s BackStage Tech Ensemble & Apprenticeship prepares youth for production careers through hands-on learning in lighting, sound, costumes, stagecraft, and more, with pathways to paid production roles and regional-theater opportunities. We’ve partnered with Mosaic Youth Theatre of Detroit for our upcoming Virtual Town Hall. Creative Youth Development Building Backstage, Media, and Production Pathways   August 19, 2026 | 1:00pm ET / 10am PT To register, visit: https://lnkd.in/eRYEXQ8a #CreativeYouthDevelopment #TechnicalTheatre #WorkforceDevelopment #CreativeEconomy