Bruce Cohen • Executive Producer    - To Wong Foo Thanks for Everything, Julie Newmar      • Producer   - The Forgotten   - Big Fish    - American Beauty   - Down With Love    - The Flintstones in Viva Rock Vegas    - Mistrial     • Co-Producer    - Alive     • First Assistant Director    - Hook   -Arachnophobia    • Associate Producer     - Hook "The Training Program gave me my career in the film business -- and not just because I learned the skills which prepared me to assistant direct and eventually produce. It was as a trainee on my first film, The Color Purple, that I first worked for Amblin Entertainment. 11 years and 8 films later, with a first look producing deal at Dreamworks SKG, I still enjoy a great professional relationship with the people I met on my first film as a trainee."

Barry Thomas • First Assistant Director    - Out of Time    - Then Came Jones    - X Files    - Boys on the Side     - Preacher's Wife    - Great White Hype     - What's Love Got to Do With It    - Boys on the Side     - Sister Act II    - Trespass     - Hook "After graduation from college with a major in communication arts, I spent 3 years unsuccessfully trying to find employment in the film business. Upon acceptance into the Training Program, I was assigned to my first film, Walter Hill's Crossroads. Since then, my work on 17 films has been a result of the contacts I made on my first job as a trainee."

Penny Adams • Director    - ER    - Midnight Caller    - Columbo    - Hill Street Blues     • Producer    - Heart of the City       • Line Producer     - More, Patience "I arrived in this town in 1974; I knew no one in the industry, I had $2,000 in my pocket, a BA in theatre from a small college in Ohio, a year-and-a-half stint as an Equity Stage Manager in a dinner theatre in suburban D.C., and I was, of all things, a girl. Outside of the Training Program, my odds of having a prayer of breaking into the film business were between zero and ridiculous."

Michael Grillo • Producer    - Gladiator    - The Ring     - Accidental Tourist     - Defending Your Life    - The Trigger Effect      • Executive Producer    - The Peacemaker     - Wyatt Earp   - Silverado   - I Love You To Death "The Assistant Directors Training Program opens the door to opportunity. Unlike a college education, it finds you initial employment in the freelance market. If you take advantage of the production experience and contacts you make, you have a wonderful shot at a truly successful career."

Thomas Bliss • Executive Producer    - Dawn of the Dead    - The Emperor's Club    - Tuck Everlasting    - Spy Game     - Thirteen Days     - The Family Man    - End of Days    - The Hurricane     • Producer     - Bring It On Again     - Bring It On "Today, more than twenty years after my own graduation, I can tell you for sure there is no other way one can learn as much about film production than in the Training Program. This unique opportunity to actively observe and learn to anticipate the challenges each department faces under varying conditions made me a far better assistant director, production manager and producer than I could have been otherwise." Ricardo Mendez Matta • Director    - The District    - Touched by an Angel    - Nash Bridges     • First Assistant Director    - American Family    - Bread and Roses    - Price of Glory "I was accepted into the Assistant Directors Training Program, even though I had little experience, I had no contacts in Hollywood, and English was my second language. Twenty-three years later I am here to tell you that, with a little talent and a lot of hard work, you can make it as far as you want in this industry, specially if you learn to shut up and listen, treat others as human beings, and keep a smile on your face through tough situations. I know first hand that the Assistant Directors Training Program is an unparalleled opportunity that is truly open to anyone who wants to take advantage of it. I did, and you can do it too."