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22 P E R S P E C T I V E | N OV E M B E R / D E C E M B E R 2 0 1 6 news 2016 PRODUCTION APPRENTICE TRAINING PROGRAM by Co-chairs Corey Kaplan, Marcia Hinds, Tom Walsh, Production Designers In June, the Art Directors Review Panel selected twelve exceptional designers from a field of fifty-six applicants for the 2016 Production Apprentice (PA) Training Initiative. Since its inception, the PA Initiative has been extremely successful and the demand for this diverse cadre of well-prepared young artists has been greater than the previous pools of available participants could supply. This year's participants are Virginia Berg (Savannah College of Art+Design), Dylan Bocanegra (Art Center College of Design), Sarah B. Brown (Southern Methodist University), Laura Santoyo Dangond (American Film Institute), Chad Dellinger (San Diego State University), Ji Young Lee (UCLA), Sita "Tarn" Lerdjarudech (Chapman University), Arielle Ness-Cohn (American Film Institute), Rebekah Scheys (Chapman University), Lauren Spalding (American Film Institute), Margaret Srmayan (Cal State University, Fresno) and Shannon Walsh (American Film Institute). On the following pages, you will see the work of these young designers. The purpose and mission of this training initiative is to provide those possessing outstanding talent, imagination and leadership abilities, with a clear, sensible and supervised path toward future consideration and eventual membership in the Guild. After reviewing their portfolios, it is easy to predict that these young designers are destined to be the leaders in the future of our profession. The Art Directors Council of the ADG administers the Production Apprentice Training Initiative. PAs are employed and compensated just as any other production assistant would be, by the signatory production that hires them, whether that company is local, regional or international. The Initiative is designed to provide mentorship, supervision and on-the-job training to future Production Designers and Art Directors, to give the participants real- time workplace experience and exposure to all facets of our profession and its workflow. In tandem with their work opportunities, the PAs participate in community-service activities for the Guild, work such as helping with ADG-branded events, the Awards program, Film Society and Archives, programs which benefit from their talents and enthusiasm. We encourage all AD Branch members active in feature, single- or multi-camera series, variety or reality, commercials, news, game, awards, daytime, industrial or themed exhibition to reach out to these talented young designers. We hope your production and Art Departments can find a place for them to learn, contribute and grow. If you have an open position for an Art Department PA, please consider them. Contact Laura Kamogawa at the Guild office: 818 762 9995 or laura@artdirectors.org. Above: A keyframe illustration drawn by ADG Production Apprentice Sita "Tarn" Lerdjarudech, a Los Angeles-based film artist born and raised in Thailand.