Applications Now Open for AFS Creative Careers 2026
December 1, 2025, AUSTIN, TX—Applications for the spring cycle of AFS Creative Careers, the Austin Film Society’s unique workforce program, are now open. The program expands access for Austin-area creatives looking to break into the film and television industry. By providing training, mentorship and networking opportunities to participants, AFS helps place its Creative Careers graduates into the vibrant, creative workforce of Austin and Texas at large. The program focuses on providing equitable access to aspiring filmmakers and content creators from diverse backgrounds who are traditionally underrepresented in the film industry, supporting their advancement toward jobs that pay at or above the average wage.
The AFS Creative Careers program has three pathways that meet candidates where they’re at in their professional journeys: the AFS Internship Pathway is a six-month stipend-paid internship and training curriculum for 18-24-year-olds who want to pursue media production careers as an alternative to or in conjunction with a college degree; the Immersive Training Pathway is also stipend-paid for three months followed by on-the-job opportunities to shadow professionals, work with mentors and receive production assistant training; and the Continuing Education Pathway is designed for those who already have a bit of industry experience, offering them production and professional development courses beyond equipment certification to expand their skills toward career advancement.
For more information about the Creative Careers program and how applicants can apply, click here.
Photo courtesy of AFS Production Services. To download the image, click here.
Applications for the spring program cycle of the AFS Internship Pathway (Pathway 1) and Immersive Training Pathway (Pathway 2) of AFS Creative Careers open Monday, December 1, and will remain open until Monday, January 11, 2026, at 11:59 p.m. The program will also accept applications for its Continuing Education Pathway (Pathway 3) beginning in the summer of 2026.
AFS Creative Careers is run through Austin Public, a creative hub providing locals with access to equipment and training. Rakeda L. Ervin, AFS’s Director of Access and Education Programs, leads the program.
“We are so proud to see the vast network of program alumni grow each year,” Ervin said. “Each graduating class enters the workforce and opens the door wider for the next graduating class. For us, it’s a real manifestation of our goal to build a community of skilled production professionals in Austin who are ready to enter the workforce.”
The program first launched in the fall of 2021 in partnership with the City of Austin. To date, AFS has served over 180 participants with a 96% graduation rate, providing them with over 180 hours of training and hands-on experience. The curriculum includes job-specific classes like production assistant training, technical classes on lighting and grip roles and courses dedicated to creative skill-building in subjects such as 3-D animation.
Those interested in the application process can watch a recording of a webinar hosted by AFS’s Access and Education staff on November 12. The session aimed to answer questions about the program and application logistics. Interested candidates can learn more through AFS’s website.
To watch the November 30 webinar for the upcoming AFS Creative Careers application cycle, click here.
AFS will celebrate the accomplishments of its most recent class of program graduates at its annual Creative Careers Capstone celebration on Thursday, December 11, at 6 p.m. Ya’Ke Smith, a filmmaker and film professor in UT’s Radio-Television-Film department, will be the guest speaker. Smith also serves on the AFS Board of Directors.
Press interested in attending the 2025 Creative Careers Capstone Celebration can reach out to will@austinfilm.org for more info and to RSVP.
About AFS Creative Careers
The Creative Careers program is designed to expand access to jobs for Austin-area creatives looking to break into the film and television industry. The program has three pathways that meet candidates where they are in their professional journeys: the AFS Internship Pathway and the Immersive Training Pathway (both stipend-paid) as well as the Continuing Education Pathway. By providing training, mentorship and networking opportunities to participants, AFS can embed its graduates into the vibrant, creative workforce of Austin and Texas at large.
About Austin Film Society
Founded in 1985 by filmmaker Richard Linklater, AFS creates life-changing opportunities for filmmakers, catalyzes Austin and Texas as a creative hub, and brings the community together around great film. AFS supports filmmakers from all backgrounds towards career leaps, encouraging exceptional artistic projects with grants and support services. AFS operates Austin Studios, a 20-acre production facility, to attract and grow the creative media ecosystem. Austin Public, a space for our city’s diverse mediamakers to train and collaborate, provides many points of access to filmmaking and film careers. The AFS Cinema is an ambitiously programmed repertory and first run arthouse with broad community engagement. By hosting premieres, local and international industry events, and the Texas Film Awards, AFS shines the national spotlight on Texas filmmakers while connecting Austin and Texas to the wider film community. AFS is a registered 501(c)(3) non-profit organization.
Will Stefanski
Will@austinfilm.org
