Union City, Atlanta Metro Studios and the Fulton County School System will help send up to six south Fulton high school graduates to Clayton State University’s digital film crew training program.

“Production companies are picking Georgia because we have the entire package – a business-friendly environment, statewide accessibility, diverse locations and a skilled crew base,” Gov. Nathan Deal said recently. “Georgia is one of the fastest growing entertainment production centers in the nation and facilities such as this one [Atlanta Metro Studios] will play a vital role in long-term infrastructure growth.”

Ed Richardson and Brian Livesay, founders and co-CEOs of Atlanta-based 404 Studio Partners, along with their development partner Rooker created, designed and are in construction of Atlanta Metro Studios at the old Shannon Mall in Union City.

“By creating and continuing to support the film production incentives in Georgia, our state leadership has empowered Atlantans like us to develop and build studio infrastructure critical to the industry’s continued growth in our state,” Richardson said in a statement. “Because of the exponential growth the industry is now experiencing in Georgia, there is a very real need for local workers. With this new workforce development program, we are very excited to unlock the door to the great potential that the film business holds for the next generation of Georgians.”

Livesay said the university offers hands-on training needed for entry-level film crew members.

“[The] program is a significant step forward for Georgia and the state’s ability to develop a local, highly skilled, and well-trained workforce to support the ever-growing film and television business,” he said in a statement. “The Clayton State program is a game-changing training curriculum that honestly puts the rubber on the road for students looking to have a real career in the film business. Our entire studio team has spent our careers in the trenches of the film and television business and we see this as a tremendous opportunity for all Georgians.”

Union City Mayor Vince Williams called the collaboration “groundbreaking.”

“Our collective team is focused on positively impacting the future of our youth, and being a part of this program will put these students on the path to joining Georgia’s booming film industry,” he said in a statement.

According to Fulton County Superintendent Robert Avossa, the partnership is directly aligned to the school system’s strategic plan of preparing 100 percent of students to be career-ready.

“This project presents a tremendous opportunity for recent high school graduates to receive free training to be able to qualify for very high-paying jobs and long-term careers in the film industry,” he said in a statement. “We look forward to this continued partnership within the programs at the career and technical education school opening 2016 near Banneker High School.”

Barton Bond, director of the Film and Digital Media Center at the university, said he sees this project as not only unique in Georgia, but in the nation.

“The program trains students on professional equipment, orients them to all the jobs and procedures on film sets and then, most critical to the students’ potential success, places them on the crews of independent productions in the Atlanta area during the two-semester course schedule,” he said in a statement. “In just our first year of offering the program, we have placed 10 students in the local film union, which is also one of our training partners. Another two dozen students are currently working in film-related jobs.”

Information: (678) 466-5112 or http://bit.ly/1F0BdOj

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