The Austin Film Society Unveils its 2024 Creative Workforce Report at City Hall with Mayor and Members of City Council

AFS’s 2024 Creative Workforce Report was developed to provide data and insights into the local creative industry through the lens of the programs administered by the Austin Film Society. Due to limited resources, regional data collection about the workforce can be underdeveloped, and insights into the creative workforce are not readily available in Central Texas. Therefore, AFS’s goal was to take a leadership role in offering this type of data to the public through its new report, which includes qualitative and quantitative data to highlight the impact of AFS programs.

AFS’s 2024 Creative Workforce Report can be accessed by clicking here or by visiting austinfilm.org. Photos from the City Hall press conference can be downloaded here.

Ahead of the press conference, AFS CEO Rebecca Campbell said, “Workforce data is essential for gaining insights into the present state of Austin’s creative industries as well as their future. Our 2024 Creative Workforce Report aims to show the impact of AFS programs — how they help people find jobs and create access points into the local film and TV industry. But it also aims to show the benefits of investing in a well-rounded film ecosystem.”

Campbell continued, “According to the US Bureau of Labor, the median pay in 2022 for film and video editors and camera operators was $31.28/hour, and the City of Austin’s living wage is currently around $21.63/hour. By providing training, education and funding opportunities for creatives throughout Texas, we can also help fuel economic growth in a robust filmmaking hub like Austin.”

A major focus of AFS’s report is the impact of AFS Creative Careers, a workforce development program started in 2021 in collaboration with the City of Austin and the GTOPs (Grant for Technology Opportunities Program) grant. The goal of this program is to create training and professional opportunities for Austinites, in particular those who may have been traditionally underrepresented in the film, TV and creative media industries.

Since its creation, AFS Creative Careers has served more than 120 participants who received a combination of hands-on and classroom-style training alongside shadowing and mentoring opportunities. Program participants have self-reported more than 120 job placements since enrollments, and graduates have gone on to work for a variety of local and national employers including ESPN, Indeed, SXSW and many others.

The press conference included comments about the past and present successes of the regional creative media industry.

Speakers included:

• Mayor Kirk Watson
• Elizabeth Avellán
• Councilperson Natasha Harper-Madison (District 1) 
• Councilperson  José “Chito” Vela (District 4) 
• Councilperson Zohaib “Zo” Qadri (District 9)
• AFS CEO Rebecca Campbell
• AFS Head of Austin Studios Martin Jones
• AFS Director of Community Education Rakeda L. Ervin
  

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 is committed to racial equity and inclusion, with an objective to deliver programs that actively dismantle the structural racism, sexism and other bias in the screen industries. 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.