Sixty Michigan residents, many from the Capital region, are now better prepared to jump into the state’s growing film industry.
They attended a sort of graduation June 8 where they got not only a certificate for the three-week cram course in how to make a film, but also a DVD capturing their work on the film aptly named “Fired.”
Many of them are starting new careers having been recently laid off.
The course was funded with a $195,000 grant from the state of Michigan and implemented by Capital Area Michigan Works! (CAMW), Lansing Community College (LCC) and Michigan State University (MSU).
Capital Area Michigan Works! received more than 800 inquiries and 200 applications, but only 60 applicants started the program May 18.
Doug Stites, CEO of Capital Area Michigan Works!, says this program and the partnership with LCC and MSU are key to Michigan’s future.
“The film training program shows how our state is responding to the changing workforce demands in Michigan and is committed to creating new job opportunities,” Stites says.
Michigan enacted an aggressive film incentive structure in April 2008. Since then, the state has seen more than 70 film and TV projects slated for production in Michigan, estimated to bring in about $430 million in economic activity.
Source: MSU
Gretchen Cochran, Innovation & Jobs editor, may be reached here.
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