Most stories about young people in television start in front of the camera. This one starts behind it, with the people who make the day work: production assistants, production coordinators, assistant directors, production managers, producers, location managers, and production accountants. In fall 2026, Los Angeles-area high school students got a direct, free introduction to those jobs through a new program from the Television Academy Foundation.
The Foundation announced the program in October 2026, with funding from Best Buy toward its Skill-Building and Career Readiness program. It is the Foundation's first Production Assistant Training program for high school students. The free, after-school program runs for 10 weeks, beginning in late October 2026, and gives students a comprehensive, hands-on introduction to careers in television production, with a focus on preparing participants for entry-level production assistant roles and exploring longer-term career pathways across the entertainment industry.
The program launched at two locations: the Best Buy Teen Tech Centers at the Weingart East Los Angeles YMCA in Boyle Heights and the North Stars YMCA Teen Tech Center in North Long Beach, California. That placement matters. The training is not tucked away on a studio lot that most teenagers cannot reach. It meets young people in their own communities, after school, at YMCA centers that already serve as neighborhood hubs. Through community partnerships and the Best Buy Teen Tech Center network, the program is designed to let young people explore technology, build career skills, and learn from supportive mentors close to home.
Students learn from working television professionals, including production assistants, production coordinators, assistant directors, production managers, producers, location managers, and production accountants. They also go on field trips to both scripted and unscripted television productions for firsthand experience of what a set actually feels like: the pace, the problem- solving, and the teamwork that never shows up on screen. The program's first instructor is Television Academy Board Governor Donny Hugo Herran, a 20-year industry executive, who has spoken about preparing aspiring crew members to thrive behind the scenes.
The program concludes with a celebration on the Television Academy's North Hollywood campus, where participating students gather to discuss their newly acquired skills, build professional connections with industry leaders and Television Academy members, and receive a certificate of completion. That ending is deliberate. A certificate is useful, but the connections and the language of the job matter just as much. Knowing what a production assistant actually does on a Tuesday morning is different from imagining it. Knowing the names of the roles around that job — coordinator, assistant director, location manager — is how a teenager starts to see a real path, not just a dream job.
This is a high-school program, rather than an activity for younger children. Families with younger children can explore ALREADY!’s guide to LA after-school music, theatre, and video programs. The PA training’s value is specific and practical: an introduction to the roles that keep a production moving.
Families interested in future sessions should check directly with the Television Academy Foundation and the two YMCA Teen Tech Centers for enrollment windows and current schedules, since dates and availability can change. The fall 2026 launch is the news. The pathway it opens is the reason to keep watching.
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