The two-day free sessions of the “Production Assistant (P.A.) Bootcamp” held in Serafeio complex from Thursday 5 to Sunday 8 May was successfully completed. The program was implemented by the ADDAM through the Athens Film Office in collbarotion with NBCUniversal and the support of the U.S. Embassy in Greece.
The aim of the seminars, which bear the stamp of NBCUniversal, is to train the participants in the practical understanding of the role of the production assistant, a job with a particularly good salary, so that they can then be employed either in outdoor shooting or internally, in offices, both in film and television productions. To become a production assistant, one needs to have a mood and a working ethos.
The first day of the Bootcamp began with the presence of the Mayor of Athens, Mr. Kostas Bakoyannis, and the Cultural Attaché of the U.S. Embassy in Athens, Mr. Shanna Dietz Surendra.
“It is a great pleasure to see young women and men, who love the field of cinema, responding to an initiative for which the Municipality of Athens laid the foundations some time ago. With the creation of the Athens Film Office in March 2020, we had planned exactly this development: an Office that would facilitate international and domestic productions to choose Athens for their shooting, giving work to hundreds of people and enhancing the city’s economy with significant resources. These two years have been steadily rising and the inauguration of our partnership with the American giant NBCUniversal, seals this success. With the pioneering seminars, participants are given the opportunity to join the international film industry and acquire a well-paid job”, stressed the Mayor of Athens, Kostas Bakogiannis, in a statement.
In fact, as noted by the Head of the Athens Film Office, Stathis Kalogeropoulos, “This is the first of a series of initiatives we plan in order to help the domestic audiovisual industry to grow through finding new executives, while at the same time giving an outlet to young people who are looking for work.”
The participants were selected after an open call from the Municipality of Athens, which through these seminars highlights its social role, as it helps people in need of work. The training was done in English and state-of-the-art equipment was used. At the end of the program, certifications were given by P.A. Bootcamp, so that participants can work right away by submitting their CVs in production companies.
