"Made in NY" PA Training Program Celebrates 10 Years of Diversifying NYC's Entertainment Industry - MOME

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"Made in NY" Production Assistant Training Program Celebrates 10 Years of Diversifying NYC's Entertainment Industry

Over 600 underemployed and low-income New Yorkers trained for entry-level jobs in the entertainment industry

February 28, 2016 - Today nearly three hundred graduates of The New York City Mayor's Office of Media and Entertainment (MOME) and Brooklyn Workforce Innovations (BWI) "Made in New York" Production Assistant Training Program attended the “Made in New York” PA Training Program Alumni Summit at NYU's Helen and Martin Kimmel Center for University Life.

The program celebrated its ten-year anniversary this year with an alumni summit that connected graduates with television and film industry professionals, and provided them with advice on advancing their careers in the industry. The summit featured remarks from new MOME Commissioner Julie Menin and “Made in NY” PA Program Director Venus Anderson, a plenary session of speakers from industry professionals and breakout sessions. The event concluded with the “Made in NY” PA Training Program’s 9th Annual Film Festival, and feature films written, directed and produced by graduates of the program.

"We are thrilled to celebrate the 10th anniversary of our PA Training Program which has trained hundreds of New Yorkers with diverse backgrounds for positions in film and television," said MOME Commissioner Julie Menin. "We are extremely grateful for their continued hard work and commitment as MOME ambassadors to the city's thriving entertainment industry."

"This program truly changes the lives of so many people who come in looking for an opportunity to work in the television and film industry," said Program Director Venus Anderson, a graduate herself. "Today allows us to come together, not only to network with leaders in the industry, but to celebrate our accomplishments."

The "Made in NY" PA Training program is a free training program that prepares unemployed and low-income New Yorkers for production assistant positions on television or film sets and/or production offices. The program was developed in 2006 by MOME, in partnership with Brooklyn Workforce Innovations (BWI), a non-profit that administers the program, and provides help to low-income New Yorkers receive living wage job opportunities.

The program is highly competitive and accepts 80 trainees each year from a pool of 700-800 applications annually. To date, 607 trainees have successfully completed the program with a 97% job placement rate after graduation.

Applicants to the program must live in the 5 boroughs and have an interest in the television and film industry. Of the trainees, 95% of graduates are people of color; 52% are female; 61% are young adults (ages 18-25) and 26% were unemployed in the 12 months prior to enrollment (in class).

For more information on the program and to apply visit Brooklyn Workforce Innovations.