ON SET
EAST HOLLYWOOD’S CONTINUED GROWTH COULD DEPEND ON TRAINING MORE FILM INDUSTRY WORKERS
BY JENNY CALLISON
UNCW film students work at the university’s new soundstage. The school this year added graduate programs in film to train more students for the industry.
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PHOTO C/O UNCW
WO MAJOR ANNOUNCEMENTS AFFECTING THE AREA’S FILM INDUSTRY CAME WITHIN DAYS OF EACH OTHER IN EARLY NOVEMBER.
The Wilmington City Council approved a grant of $400,000 in American Rescue Plan funds to finance a five-week workforce training program for up to 90 people who would like to learn a
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trade in the film industry. And Hollywood Reporter announced that an independent fantasy adventure film starring Mel Gibson will begin production this month in Wilmington. The movie, Boys of Summer, will cap off what Wilmington Regional Film Commission Director Johnny Griffin calls “the biggest year in our history,” with an estimated spend by projects in the Wilmington area alone of about $350 million. The two developments are closely related. With a
