New Workforce Development Program Creates More Opportunities for OTF Participants
“It got my foot in the door and allowed me to make connections to continue finding work in the industry, so I’m thankful to have taken part!”
It can be incredibly difficult to get into the film industry, especially when someone is coming from a marginalized background. Outside The Frame (OTF) recognizes this and has been opening doors for our participants to, not only tell their stories, but build long lasting careers in film. This spring, OTF hired Maria Moreno as our new Film Career Coordinator, along with cdavid cottrill as a Film Career & Workforce Development Consultant/Mentor, to increase professional support and access to opportunities for participants (See their bios here).
For the past 4 years, Outside The Frame has hosted and led training sessions for the Oregon Media Pathways Program, collaborative effort led by the Oregon Governors Office of Film & Video (Oregon Film) in collaboration with the Oregon Media Producers Association (OMPA), IATSE Local 488, OTF and other stakeholders. The central goal has been to train and place folks from underrepresented communities in paid positions as Production Assistants (PAs) on professional film sets. Since 2019, OTF has trained 60+ people through the Pathways PA Training program, resulting in 46 different people placed as paid PA interns on 32 different episodic streaming shows, motion pictures and commercials produced by Paramount, Hulu, Warner Brothers, and Amazon, just to name a few.
“Absolutely incredible. The information that was given in the class was extremely beneficial. The people who proctor the class (Maria) had great energy and kept everyone involved and engaged. I would suggest this program to anyone who wanted to start in the film production industry and didn’t know where to start. This experience was absolutely invaluable. More people should have these programs in their city.”
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In addition to being an integral part of Oregon Media Pathways, OTF has established a pilot mentorship program to provide participants with 6-month individualized support from industry professionals to further their careers. Thanks to the support of the Oregon Creative Opportunity Fund (permanent funding source through Oregon Film’s state incentive), both the mentors and the mentees will be paid a monthly stipend for their work together.
This mentorship program will include:
Monthly meet-ups with the mentee and their mentor
Assistance from the mentor with developing participant resumes
Mentee visits to the mentor's job site and opportunities for them to shadow professionals in the industry
Intros by the mentors to introduce the mentee to other professionals working in specific Crafts/jobs that interest the participant
Quarterly networking events where mentees may be introduced to potential employers
If you are interested in becoming a mentor, please fill out our mentor application and join us for our mentor information session on July 22nd by RSVPing here.
We are also developing monthly workshops with film professionals to provide participants with an overview of their craft and advice on how to get into the industry as well as quarterly networking events for participants to interact with film professionals and develop lasting relationships with potential employers.
Because of the incredible support from donors including Oregon Film and the Portland Office of Film & Events, we are able to continue offering our participants opportunities to develop their skills, gain employment, and set them on their career Pathways to become the next generation of filmmakers.
If you’d like to get involved or are interested in learning more about our workforce development program, please contact Maria Moreno at maria@otfpdx.org.