A partnership between Laney Media Studies faculty member and virtual production specialist Koina Freeman and Magicbox (https://www.magicbox.ninja/ ) has led to opportunities for students in the discipline.

The fruitful discussions began in February 2022 when Professor Freeman met with their CEO to discuss “upskilling” those already pursuing Bay Area film/television and broadcasting careers to leverage training in Virtual Production. That ongoing partnership led to him Magic Box hiring Laney’s first Virtual Production certificate graduates in December 2022.

More recently, the National Association of Broadcasters held the biggest Film/TV conference in the world in Las Vegas. Three Laney Virtual Production Certificate graduates worked at the event as virtual trainees, focusing on the technology used to make ILM’s Mandalorian, parts of Games of Thrones, Marvel's Avengers films, and even the Weather Channel’s immersive broadcasts. This is yet one more example of Laney CTE graduates achieving sustainable employment at wage/benefits levels that allow them to truly be part of a thriving industry.

This article was included in the April 26 Laney College President's Report. To view the full report, click here.