The online portion of the Production Assistant Certification Program will be taught by Director’s Guild of America Assistant Director Gary Romolo Fiorelli (Castle Rock, All American).

An online course will be led by Gary Romolo Fiorelli and covers:

• Fundamentals of Production Assisting

• Production Assisting: On-Set Protocol

• Production Assisting: Paperwork & Department Interaction

• Call Sheets

A two-day in-person workshop will be led by a DGA Assistant Director. The workshop will dive deeper into the subjects learned in the online segment, covering additional subjects such as:

• Understanding the Flow of a Set

• Using Radios for Film Production

• Navigating Unions

• Going from PA to Assistant Director

At the end of the program, a select group of passing participants will be placed on a Tampa Bay production. The trainees will receive IMDb credit and invaluable networking opportunities.    

Terms and Conditions:

Applicants must be 18+ years old and be residents of Hillsborough County.

This program is specifically designed for people who want to have a career on a film set. Though it will go over PA duties specifically, if you are curious about a specific department, advice can also be given about these roles. People who aspire to be directors (without going the traditional on-set route), writers, editors, or actors are not likely to benefit from this program. 

Cost and scholarship information will be available soon.

After successful completion of the online courses and in-person workshop, trainees will be eligible to be a paid Day Player on a local production. Film Tampa Bay staff will be in touch with eligible trainees to organize placements. Placements are not guaranteed and are dependent on the following:

• Availability

• Trainee performance and engagement

• Production/trainee schedules

Departments of interest will be considered during the placement process.