BATON ROUGE — Baton Rouge Community College's Film and New Media Production Program received a substantial cash infusion from the state's Entertainment Development Fund. 

BRCC's production curriculum will receive $750,000 over three years to create a more comprehensive, career-oriented education for students looking to pursue a job in the entertainment industry. The grant is intended to bolster the school's collaboration with Baton Rouge-based film studio Celtic Media Centre and the International Alliance for Theatrical and Stage Employees.

BRCC will receive $250,000 a year from the fund for three years as part of the school's plan to invest in new equipment and new staff. BRCC will work with industry and educational partners to fast-track this endeavor to align its curriculum to meet the future needs, demands, and expectations of the film industry.

“With LED's support, BRCC will revolutionize filmmaker training by integrating hands-on practical instruction with an immersive virtual learning platform, replicating key industry settings like Celtic Studios,” said Rhett Poché, BRCC dean of liberal arts. “Our aim is to offer students from diverse backgrounds an accessible fast-track education based on industry best practices, ensuring they are job-ready before their first day on set. This initiative will help narrow local industry workforce gaps by fostering new talent from and for the greater Baton Rouge area and beyond.”

A similar grant from the Entertainment Development Fund was given to LSU for improvements to its digital production center in 2021. The LSU grant, totaling $1.25 million over five years, was used to invest in a virtual production stage — essentially a screen-based replacement for green screens — using similar technologies to those used on films and TV shows like "The Batman" and "The Mandalorian." 

The Entertainment Development Fund has awarded $7.5 million in education and workforce development programs at higher education and nonprofit institutions throughout Louisiana.