DETROIT, Mich., January 6, 2009 – S3 Entertainment Group (S3EG), a Ferndale, Michigan-based direct provider of the infrastructure necessary for successful film production in the state, and Oakland Community College (OCC), the largest community college system in the State of Michigan, today announced the launch of Film Industry Training (FIT), the premier film industry training program in Michigan. Jeffrey Spilman, managing partner of S3EG and Rochelle Kaye, program manager at OCC, jointly made the announcement.
FIT courses will be offered to all students system-wide at OCC and taught at S3EG’s studio and headquarters in Ferndale. Two classes will be available immediately, beginning on February 2, 2009; a general Film Industry Training Overview course, providing an overview of the jobs available in film production and a Grip/Electric/Generator Operator class, which will offer hands-on training to students in these specific areas. Students in these classes will work hand in hand with leading film industry professionals, with extensive feature film experience, to develop a working knowledge of the jobs available in Michigan’s rapidly emerging feature film industry, as well to develop the skills required to work in these areas. In addition to classroom training, students will work in an actual studio setting at S3EG, with the largest inventory of grip, electric, and specialty equipment in Michigan. Graduates of FIT will be presented with internship opportunities in the film industry, both on feature films, as well as with S3EG’s film support companies.
“The dramatic growth of Michigan’s film industry has led to an abundance of career opportunities for residents in the state,” stated Kaye. “At OCC, we constantly strive to align the needs of the workforce with the programs we offer to our students, and the Film Industry Training program presents us with an ideal platform to prepare our students for careers in this growing industry. The experience and facilities that S3 Entertainment Group has to offer will be a tremendous benefit to students in the program.”
Michigan’s film industry has grown exponentially over the past year with over 20 feature films shot in the state in 2008. Film productions are coming to Michigan largely due to the state’s leading film production incentives of up to 42 percent, which are the highest in the country. The Michigan Film Office has already approved 70 productions for filming in 2009. Over 1,000 new direct jobs in the film industry will be created in Michigan over the next year, in addition to the plethora of employment opportunities that will be developed in film support industries, such as equipment rental houses, movie studios and post-production facilities.
“A crucial element of establishing a successful film industry in Michigan is to have a talented and creative workforce to support the productions,” said Spilman. “We are delighted to partner with Oakland Community College in helping to prepare students for these wonderful career opportunities emerging in our state. At a time when most industries are cutting jobs, we’re creating training programs to put unemployed workers into new jobs in the rapidly expanding Michigan film industry.”
For more information on the FIT program, please call Oakland Community College at 248.232.4182 or visit www.S3eg.com.
S3 Entertainment Group (S3EG) is a Michigan-based direct provider of the infrastructure necessary for successful film production in the state. With additional offices in California and New York, S3EG serves as a gateway to help filmmakers get everything that they need in Michigan in order to have a successful production experience. S3EG’s wide variety of services includes production services; equipment and gear rental; tax incentive information, funding and processing, location services, music licensing, travel and catering and craft services. S3EG provides these services through its companies; MI Film Production Services, LLC; S3 Gear; Michigan Tax Credit, LLC; Michigan Film Finance, LLC; Film Catering & Craft Services, LLC; The Michigan Film Institute; Michigan Music Licensing, LLC; and Michigan Film Travel, LLC. S3EG also provides expert analysis of productions to take full advantage of Michigan’s film related tax credits. S3EG has worked on the majority of the films that have shot in Michigan and was the local producer for Clint Eastwood’s film, “Gran Torino.” For more information, please visit www.S3eg.com
With five campuses located throughout Oakland County, OCC is Michigan’s largest community college and the 26th largest in the nation. OCC offers degrees and certificates in 130 fields, including university transfer degrees in business, science and the liberal arts. Approximately 70,000 undergraduates attend OCC each year.
