PARAMUS — Nathan MacCracken, a senior at Passaic County Technical Institute last spring, was thinking about his career characteristics when he learned of a training program for level technicians who help bring concerts, videos and sporting events to life.
I already had the idea of choosing an actor, but deep down I knew that the chances of good fortune were slim. After listening to the presentation of the International Alliance of Theater Employees Local 59, he thought he could have an exciting career and job security.
“I was stunned,” recalls MacCracken, 18, of Paterson. I am, like, that’s it. It’s my life. “
MacCracken is one of two dozen staff enrolled in IATSE’s apprenticeship program, which divides its time between the theatre arts categories at Bergen Community College and its employer. The state-funded program has no cost. They are paid while they are at work. They are informed of skills ranging from one level to driving a forklift. And your timing couldn’t be better.
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With New Jersey poised to strain massive film production studios (Netflix in Fort Monmouth, Lionsgate in Newark, 1888 Studios in Bayonne, among them), demand for level technicians is expected to skyrocket, putting pressure on unions, schools and employers to build a pool for the developing industry.
“The amount of profit generated requires a lot more people,” said Jared Saltzman, a Bergen Community College professor who has taught the school’s theater arts program for 50 years.
Saltzman stopped by the show one night last week, describing the complexities of the level to the trainees who were setting the stage for an upcoming school music magazine, “And the World Goes’ Round. “
Among the students, Christopher Martinez, 18, of Passaic. Like MacCracken, he attended Passaic County Technical School and acted in plays. But as he neared graduation, he felt adrift. That’s when he attended the IATSE presentation. a four-year school and enter the workforce.
Since then, he’s realized the monotony and excitement of the industry, from driving a forklift through a warehouse to helping produce MTV’s Video Music Awards at Newark’s Prudential Center. He thinks his long-term career is brilliant.
“Everything is convenient,” said Martínez. Me pay to be informed about the work. It’s pretty good. “
IATSE and Bergen Community College have been partners in the apprenticeship program for 14 years, operating largely in the darkness one would expect for a career that, by its nature, works in the background while others are in the spotlight.
The 3 IATSE locations, which cover northern and central New Jersey, have around 1000 members who occasionally paint in entertainment venues, from football games at MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford to concerts at Stone Pony in Asbury Park.
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They have a variety of jobs, adding and sound panel operators; carpenters; and accessory handlers, and earn up to $35 an hour in benefits,” said Greg Hancox, president of IATSE Lyndurst Local 59 and director of the Learning Project.
IATSE recently awarded a $309,884 contract through the New Jersey Department of Labor and Workforce Development to train 28 students. During the three-year program, students work with the private sector in the cadre and take classes at Bergen Community College.
IATSE was founded just 125 years ago to constitute projectionists. From now on, its members participate in the creation of multimedia sets aimed at impressing the public.
Production Resource Group can use the help. The company organizes events around the world, drawing attention with sumptuous designs: floating spheres with LED lighting fixtures for Coldplay concerts, audio and lighting for “Into the Woods” on Broadway, special effects for “Everything, Everywhere All At Once”.
PRG’s Secaucus facility has approximately one hundred workers who create sets for Broadway shows. And the tiered tech company partnered with IATSE to teach students the skills they need to survive, from showing up on time to high-tech consoles, said Michael Jencsik, chief executive officer.
“You have to be a painter who needs to come and paint every day, do your job,” Jencsik said. The lesson: If you do that, “you’ll have a longevity with the company, or whatever you do. “”
These are exciting days for the union and its learning partners. Since 2018, New Jersey has lured movie and TV makers from across the Hudson River with generous tax credits.
Filmmakers spent more than $650 million in the state in 2022, up 30% from 2021, representing 8500 jobs, according to the New Jersey Economic Development Authority. As studios build production services here, more jobs are expected to follow.
Netflix, for example, recently announced plans to build an $850 million production studio at Fort Monmouth, a former military outpost. The task is expected to include 12 sound studios, auxiliary production spaces and backyards, making it one of the largest production services. in the world.
The task may take up to a decade to develop, but when completed, the EDA estimates that Netflix can create between 1400 and 2200 jobs a year.
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Netflix is not alone. Lionsgate plans to open a $125 million production studio in Newark in 2024. And in Bayonne, developer Togus Urban Renewal announced plans to build a $900 million studio in Bayonne called 1888 Studios. Once completed, they will register for the outgoing Palisade Stages in Kearny. and Cinelease Studios in Jersey City.
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That begs the question: Is New Jersey in a position to fill the planned jobs?
A 15-minute drive from Fort Monmouth, Middletown’s Brookdale Community College offers its own media studies program with courses like virtual studio editing and audio engineering, attracting academics for whom film school is too expensive, said Matthew Montemorano, an assistant professor of communications. .
With Netflix on the way, Montemorano said he plans to succeed with unions to expand partnerships.
“The scenery, the level of lighting, the sound technicians who make the sound live. It’s a big, big production,” Montemorano said. You watch a movie, you see the hundreds, if not thousands, of names that scroll when you finish watching a movie. “
Jobs are for everyone. They come with heavy work, long hours, inconsistent schedules and the precariousness that comes with making certain celebrities at their best.
None of this deterred IATSE trainees at Bergen Community College. When they heard about the lighting from the next music review, they struggled to think about the drawbacks.
“It’s almost out of their global for me because I worked at Dunkin’ Donuts last year,” MacCracken said. “Now I’m at Prudential (Center), MetLife (Stadium). Making a living is exciting for me because it’s so left-wing. I never thought I would do this, but I’m satisfied with that. “
Michael L. Diamond is a business journalist who has written about New Jersey’s economy and fitness care for over 20 years. He can be reached at mdiamond@gannettnj. com.