New York, NY –
The city is trying to make the local film industry a bit more racially diverse. A new program will use city funding to train people of color for jobs on set, including positions for gaffers, riggers, and dolly grips.
An existing program to train minority production assistants has helped diversify the industry's lower ranks, says Katy Finch, who works for Brooklyn Workforce Innovations, which will administer the program. "If you know someone, it's a lot easier to get a job. And so, I think if most of the people who work in an industry are from a community that you're not from, then you don't know those people," Finch says.
The pilot program is receiving $120,000 from the City Council and the nonprofit Mayors Fund to Advance New York City. About two dozen applicants will be selected this year.
Arun Venugopal is a reporter and the creator of Micropolis, WNYC’s multi-platform series examining race, sexuality, religion, street life and other issues that define New York City. He has been with the station since 2005, and has covered a wide range of stories, including the death of Sean Bell, the controversy over the Park 51 mosque and community center and Occupy Wall Street .
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