Issue link: https://digital.copcomm.com/i/1545089
Community Outreach FOX Studios has long supported local charities and veteran organizations, but one of its most meaningful recent initiatives has been led by Gina Medina and Finished Costumer James Leal. Brought on by the costume house as needed, Leal has played a key role in developing a growing high school internship program in partnership with the Edward R. Roybal Learning Center. Drawing on his background in youth coaching, Leal helped shape a hands-on curriculum that introduces students to the many facets of working in a costume house. The program gives interns direct exposure to the cra guiding them through tools, workflow, and the organization of a professional wardrobe department. "In the summer, interns were placed across the FOX Studio Lot in different departments," Leal explains. "When the costume house became involved, I created a curriculum to help them understand what we do here. We walk them through our tools, how we organize inventory, and the different stages of sizing and restocking. They get a tour, a map, and learn how to navigate the space, it's about building familiarity." Students are also introduced to more creative aspects of the work, including aging and dyeing techniques such as tea staining. In collaborative exercises, they are assigned characters from a mock production and tasked with pulling looks to dress mannequins giving them a practical understanding of how costumes support storytelling. "It's still a new program and evolving," Leal adds. "But it's been incredibly rewarding to see their interest and engagement. We present them with projects, review their ideas, and then bring them into the space to execute them." The program also emphasizes collaboration. Students are encouraged to interact with staff, ask questions, and learn how to navigate the department mirroring the way professional Costumers build relationships over the course of their careers. Built for Today's Production Landscape As production paerns have shied across Los Angeles and beyond, FOX Costumes & Tailor Shop has adapted to operate independently, serving a wide range of productions regardless of where they are based. With its RFID-driven inventory system, curated specialty collections, extensive historical holdings, and upgraded facilities, the department offers a combination of efficiency and creative value that is increasingly important in today's industry. Throughout these changes, the team at FOX Costumes & Tailor Shop has remained focused on people as much as process. Their guiding philosophy, drawn from the FOX Studio Lot's tenet, "Come for the Production. Stay for the People," is reflected not only in their service to productions, but in their commitment to mentorship and community. Aer a period of significant revitalization, the department continues to welcome productions to shop both in person and online at foxcostumes.com. FOX Costumes & Tailor Shop is not just preserving its history; it is actively reshaping itself to meet the needs of modern production. MOTIONPICTUREC O S T U M E R S .O R G 37 Marina Fortel checks in items for a production's return order.