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.

Application Period: August 31 – September 30, 2026

Selection Period: October 1 – October 9, 2026

Notification Date: October 14, 2026

Registration: October 19 – 30, 2026

Online Course: November 1 – December 31, 2026

In-Person Workshop: The workshop will be held over a weekend in January 2027. Details will be provided soon.

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 taking the traditional on-set route), writers, editors, or actors are unlikely to benefit from this program. 

This training course and workshop is $825 all-inclusive.

Film Tampa Bay is offering 12 partial scholarships. Scholarship recipients will then be responsible for the remaining $250. Scholarship considerations will be made based on the merit of the submitted application.

A total of 20 participants will be accepted for the program, including 12 scholarship recipients. You will be notified after the selection period if you are accepted as a self-funded or scholarship participant. Please direct any further questions to sallen@visittampabay.com.

After successful completion of the online courses and in-person workshop, a select number of 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.