Film Training Manitoba celebrating two decades

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This article was published 28/01/2020 (2076 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

Film Training Manitoba is celebrating its 20th anniversary this year — and Adam Smoluk is thrilled to have been part of the journey.

According to On Screen Manitoba, Film Training Manitoba’s goal is to develop a highly skilled and adaptable workforce to support the activities of Manitoba production companies, and collaborate with members of the film and television industry to identify the training needs within the community.

With January not yet over, the organization, based in Winnipeg’s Exchange District, has already had a busy month. In celebration of its landmark anniversary, it held its sold-out Film Expo 2020 recently, which was hosted by Les Productions Midcan Productions and Frank Digital. And it was at the expo that Film Training Manitoba launched its new logo — created by Winnipeg-based Vincent Design — and company colours. It was the organization’s first rebranding since it was founded in 1999.

“Film Training Manitoba engages people looking to work in the industry, and those who do work in the industry,” Smoluk, the organization’s managing director, said. “It’s a unique organization, and very few organizations have a similar mandate.”

The south St. Vital resident — who has worked his way up through the organization in the last 14 years, having landed the managing director role last summer — said the film industry has changed significantly in the last two decades, which has made his experiences all the more enriching. A big part of the change was the advent of the digital age, he said.

“When I started in the industry, we were still shooting with film,” he said, noting that skills upgrades are an important part of evolving with the business.

“It feels great to reach our 20th anniversary, and it’s interesting to see where we’ve been. Now, we have around 1,400 individual participants in our programs, whereas before we might have had 100 to 200.”

“Before, there was no Netflix or streaming services, and the industry has changed. It’s been an amazing journey, and I’ve had a great vantage point to see how the technology has changed. It’s been amazing to see where cameras have gone and how editing software has developed. I’ve really had a front-row seat.”

For a number of reasons, Smoluk said recent years have proved to be a great time for the film community in the province.

“We have an exceptional film commission in Manitoba, which helps attract lots of production companies to the province, and there’s also the tax credit,” he said.

“It’s amazing to see how many talented and skilled people there are in Manitoba working in the industry.”

The film industry is not the only way Smoluk is involved in the community. He is also a board member of the Westland Foundation — a grassroots, volunteer-based charitable organization whose mission is to increase access to post-secondary education by providing scholarships to Winnipeg students.

Go online at www.filmtraining.mb.ca for more information.