What happened in this Culture story?

The Television Academy Foundation and Best Buy are launching a free after-school program that trains Los Angeles-area high school students for entry-level television production work, combining classroom instruction with hands-on set experience.

What is a key fact in this story? (1)

**Best Buy** is funding the Television Academy Foundation's after-school program, covering a 10-week production assistant course at no cost for Los Angeles-area high school students.

What is a key fact in this story? (2)

**Television Academy Foundation** will train students for seven entry-level crew tracks — production assistant, production coordinator, assistant director, production manager, producer, location manager and production accountant — and add field trips to scripted and unscripted television productions.

Best Buy Funds Free 10-Week TV PA Training — SkimNews

By Variety · Summarized & edited by Kapil Samant · 2026-10-27

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Best Buy is funding the Television Academy Foundation's after-school program, covering a 10-week production assistant course at no cost for Los Angeles-area high school students.
Television Academy Foundation will train students for seven entry-level crew tracks — production assistant, production coordinator, assistant director, production manager, producer, location manager and production accountant — and add field trips to scripted and unscripted television productions.
YMCA facilities in Boyle Heights and Long Beach will host the after-school sessions.
Donny Hugo Herran, a Television Academy board governor with 20 years as an industry executive, will lead the inaugural cohort; his credits include "Yellowstone," "Landman," "MobLand," "The Challenge" and "Martha & Snoop's Dinner Party."
Tina Perry, chair of the Television Academy Foundation, says the curriculum blends industry education, practical production training, professional mentorship and real-world exposure to give underserved local students "the knowledge, confidence and connections needed" to explore careers in television.
Vin Di Bona, creator and executive producer of "America's Funniest Home Videos," is pictured meeting students Morgan Crafton and Aalijah Perez with YMCA chaperones David Haro and Kevin O. Campos on a program visit.
The Production Guru, Herran's book on leadership principles across film, television and beyond, and his own firm, Ellevan Creative Consulting, round out the first instructor's credentials.

Why it matters: Best Buy's grant makes 10 weeks of training free for Los Angeles-area high school students, and the curriculum names seven entry-level crew roles, from PA to producer, as destinations. For students at the Boyle Heights and Long Beach YMCA sites, Herran's promise to open doors to production jobs now comes with a cost-free path and hands-on set visits.