The New Mexico Film Office is making it easy for anyone looking to break into the entertainment industry with its new Production Assistant Bootcamps.
According to a press release issued by the film office, the bootcamps seek to train New Mexicans for entry-level positions as production assistants in the state’s film and television industry.
“Working as a production assistant is like a rite of passage and is an excellent way to get to know all the various departments on a film set and figure out what one wants to do and if this is the career for them,” NMFO Director Amber Dodson said in the release. "This is the job that is the entry point for those interested in pursuing a career in the film and television industry.”
Dodson added that productions are increasing in the state, and the bootcamps want to help meet the demand for a trained and skilled crew.
“This new Production Assistant Bootcamp will provide a pipeline of trained New Mexicans for the entry-level PA positions needed by productions,” she said in the release.
Among a PA’s responsibilities are delegation of tasks like office work, errands, set-up and clean-up.
The NMFO said the bootcamp is a free one-day program that’ll run through April 2022 via Zoom, with its first session slated for Nov. 20.
CNM Ingenuity is helping the agency with the bootcamps.
“At CNM, we’re honored to be partnering with the New Mexico Film Office to address the growing workforce need in our state for more production assistants for our prolific television and film industries,” CNM President Tracy Hartzler said in the release. “CNM has been training film production technicians to support New Mexico’s growing film industry for nearly 20 years.”
Hartzler added that CNM is “excited to expand our workforce development support of the film industry by providing this new opportunity for those who are interested in quickly becoming a production assistant as an entry point to this major industry.”