Television Academy Foundation Launches Training Program With Best Buy

The Television Academy Foundation is launching a 10-week production assistant training program for Los Angeles-area high school students in a partnership with consumer electronics retailer Best Buy.

Through funding from Best Buy, the after-school program will be free for students, providing them with training for entry-level positions from PAs, production coordinators, assistant directors, production managers, producers, location managers and production accountants. Students will also take field trips to experience scripted and unscripted television productions firsthand.

“We are thrilled to partner with Best Buy to offer this exceptional program to local underserved communities,” said Tina Perry, chair of the Television Academy Foundation. “This curriculum combines industry education, practical production training, professional mentorship and real-world exposure to help students build the knowledge, confidence and connections needed to begin exploring careers in television and entertainment.”

Television Academy board governor Donny Hugo Herran will serve as the program’s first instructor. The program will operate out of YMCA facilities in L.A.’s Boyle Heights neighborhood and in Long Beach. With 20 years of experience as an industry executive, Herran has steered production on a wide range of TV series, including scripted dramas “Yellowstone,” “Landman” and “MobLand” and unscripted shows such as “The Challenge” and “Martha & Snoop’s Dinner Party.”

Herran is also the author of “The Production Guru: Leadership Principles and Philosophies Across Film, Television and Beyond” and founder of Ellevan Creative Consulting.

“Opening doors to production jobs helps shape a more dynamic and representative entertainment industry,” Herran said. “I’m proud to lead the inaugural Production Assistant Training program, supported by Best Buy’s generous grant and to prepare aspiring crew members to help them thrive behind the scenes.”

(Pictured: YMCA chaperone David Haro, student Morgan Crafton, chaperone Kevin O. Campos and student Aalijah Perez during a visit with “America’s Funniest Home Videos” creator and executive producer Vin Di Bona.)