The Fort Worth Film Collaborative hosted a premiere screening of the Paramount show “Landman.” The event gave students and the community the opportunity to learn more about the Fort Worth Film Collaborative Certificate Program.
The event started with a red carpet that brought the feel of Hollywood to the campus.
After watching the first episode of “Landman,” there was a Q&A, panel discussion with students from the program, and 101 Studios Production executive John Hermansen. It was led by Instructor Sean Fousheé, who is the coordinator of the program.
“We’re involved,” Hermansen said. “We started the program here. We want Texans to become our filmmakers. “Our intention isn’t to make this Hollywood south. Our intention is to enjoy all the beautiful fruits of Texas and make it a filming community.”
NE interim President Jan Clayton highlighted that the state allocated 200 million dollars to attract more shows and films to bring their production to Fort Worth. The collaboration expressed the need for more students to become certified in critical areas in the film industry.
“Those programs included print and electrical hair and makeup and light commercial construction,” Clayton said. “We are proud to have a 100% job placement rate with a continued demand for more of our graduates.”
New Fort Worth Film Commissioner Taylor Hardy said the demand for more people to work in the industry is growing and its partnership and legislative funding are essential.
“Education helps to create jobs and opportunities for locals, and we have such a demand right now for that trained local crew,” Hardy said. “So, I’m excited to watch as the program has grown and continue to provide opportunities for students.”
Clayton said they are adding more certificates in camera, sound, art, and costume. Future certificates are being planned for hospitality, logistics locations, and podcasting to meet the growing needs of the industry.
Students Beth Hudson and Daniel Vazquez, who graduated from the program, spoke about the impact of the certifications and connections they’ve made in the program.
“The pipeline that TCC has created is really like a shortcut to these job opportunities that are out there in Fort Worth right now,” Vazquez said. “I couldn’t have asked for anything better than to really get my resume and get my experience out to people that are hiring.”
Hudson, who always saw herself working on sets, got a job working in the art department of Nickelodeon, building SpongeBob and Ninja Turtles sets for the Kids Choice Awards.
“It’s accessible,” she said. “Not everybody can go to [a 4-year university]. Here you can get the whole certificate for under $1,000, so the fact that it’s so accessible is just really important.”
When it comes to bringing Hollywood to Texas, legislatures are concerned about the cultural influence and there is a stipulation that at least 50% of the members working on productions must be Texan.
The Film Collaborative brought Sara Joyner, executive producer for Trilogy Studios, to speak about the program’s importance to the community.
“I know TCC has a really good reputation in DFW as being forward thinking, so that’s why we focused on coming here and being involved with TCC,” Joyner said. “We know this is the future. This is where business is going to grow. And selfishly, we want to bring students from the local area and keep them local, keep them in Texas to grow the Texas film industry. We really just want Texas film to stay in Texas.”
