Georgia Film Academy Announces Free COVID Compliance Course

Georgia’s multi-billion-dollar film industry may be one step closer to re-launching with the Georgia Film Academy’s (GFA) first-ever COVID Compliance Course (CCC). Free to film and television production workers, casts, and crew, GFA’s CCC provides an unprecedented virtual training program of safety and sanitation best practices and procedures for anyone who works on a film set in Georgia.

“The GFA is committed to putting Georgians back to work in the film and entertainment industry through this industry-standard course,” said GFA Executive Director, Jeffrey Stepakoff. “We intend to add value to productions with safety protocols based on guidance from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the Georgia Department of Public Health.”

Created in 2015 to put Georgians to work in all aspects of the state’s explosive film industry, GFA’s veteran film instructors have incorporated the most up-to-date protocols from the CDC and GDPH to create individualized, trade-specific crafts on film sets.

“The CCC training program will address industry concerns with policies and procedures that ensure Georgia leads the nation in how to safely reopen and operate the film industry,” said Stepakoff. “This is another way can ensure a bright future for our students.”

The CCC holds true to GFA’s founding goal of building a workforce pipeline for Georgians into the state’s growing film industry. The two-part course may be presented entirely online for employees and on-site for producers, showrunners and key personnel. The course is comprised of instructional videos. The first addresses basic safety and sanitation procedures for working on-set. The second component is a series of shorter, craft-specific videos. Graduates receive certificates of completion from GFA and a handbook of recommended protocols and procedures.

About the Georgia Film Academy:

The Georgia Film Academy (GFA) is a collaboration of the University System of Georgia and the Technical College System of Georgia created by state leadership to meet education and workforce needs for high demand careers in Georgia’s film and creative industries.

Founded in 2015, the GFA higher education program offers rigorous professional training and leads to union-covered film and television production craft internships and placement in creative industries, apprenticeships and jobs.

Classes are offered for college credit through 22 University System of Georgia and Technical College System of Georgia partner institutions. Students can take film and entertainment-oriented arts, craft and career coursework through continuing education programs at several partner institutions and/or directly through the GFA as professional education. The GFA also offers training to high school teachers in GFA-developed courses, which serve as DOE-approved English Language Arts and Theater standards.