Trainees are a screened and trained addition to your production team and can perform DGA duties. All trainees have had classroom-based curriculum that includes: Production forms, call sheets, first aid, SAG, IATSE & Basic Crafts contracts, Safety on set, and staging background action. We also offer several incentive programs to you that may help alleviate some of the costs of hiring a trainee (or multiple!) on your production. Our programs include:
November 2025 Update: Applications are currently closed and we have not announced a timeline for the upcoming cycle. Once additional information is available it will be posted here. Please note we are on a different timeline from the New York program.
For information regarding membership in the Directors Guild of America, you would need to contact them directly. Please be aware that we are not the Directors Guild and we operate as a separate, non-profit, ERISA trust with a Board of Trustees made up of members from the Directors Guild of America and the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers. You may also go to www.dgaca.org. This is the link to DGA Contract Administration and has information on the minimum requirements for work as a UPM, 1st AD and 2nd AD.
Because both the DGA and the AMPTP established this program, the name of our trust is the Directors Guild-Producer Training Plan. There is no actual training for producers through our program. The name of the program is the Assistant Directors Training Program. This causes confusion for some applicants who are looking to become producers. Our program trains 2nd Assistant Directors. We are unaware of any producer training since the career ladder most frequently followed by 2ndADs is: 2nd AD, 1st AD and then Unit Production Manager. A number of UPMs become producers after spending many years in the industry honing their craft.
There is no written test or fee to apply or participate in the Los Angeles Assistant Directors Training Program.
There is a question at the top of the application, which asks if you have applied within the last five years. Make sure to mark “yes” so we know to look for your file.
Just be sure to follow all the application instructions and answer all the questions completely. If something is not applicable, you should consider noting that in that section or box provided. Please see our "common mistakes" section for more information.
The timeline changes each year, we cannot give exact dates for Training Plan events. We will post on our website and social media once notifications have been sent out.
Any paid work, internships or volunteer work in motion picture, television, entertainment or related industries can be demonstrated on your Employment Record, essay, resume and/or Work Experience Equivalency forms. Any classes taken related to the entertainment industry can be shown on your transcripts or with copies of certificates. You can also reference your interests and experience in your essay responses.
The application for the Assistant Directors Training Program must be completed in its entirety and all the elements must be submitted in one submission by the deadline. Please remember that all applicants receive this same set of guidelines and they must be followed without exception so that the selection process is fair.
You will not be moving on to the next phase of our process. There is no further information that can be provided regarding your application. Each application is rated by our Board of Trustees.
We encourage you to apply again next year. Many successful trainees have applied several times. Take your time and go through the application carefully. Be sure to submit it with plenty of time before the deadline. This is a highly competitive program and the applicant pool changes every year. In addition, you will have another year to build your resume, take more classes, or become more involved in some facet the entertainment industry. If you choose to reapply, please remember that we keep your transcripts, work equivalency forms and/or military forms on file for 5 years from the date of your most recent submission (depending on which category you chose). If you submitted a transcript with a pending degree and a letter from the registrar, you need to make sure that we have a transcript that reflects your degree earned for the next application period. If you had previously applied and have additional classes/schools to add to the application, you must obtain a transcript or letter from the registrar that documents your current enrollment.
If you do not have your application submitted by the deadline date, you will have to wait and apply next year. We do not take any applications past the deadline and no exceptions are made. We do not have a waiting list.
There is a program in New York. We are two separate programs, so you are welcome to apply to both. There is a different application and deadline, so be sure to visit www.dgatrainingprogram.org if you would like information about the New York program. Our programs, based in Los Angeles, and the New York program, are the only industry sponsored Assistant Director Training Programs available.
Incorrect font size/type in essay and resume
Essay margin size (see Step 8)
Transcripts are Secured/locked or unofficial (see Step 6 below)
Pending Graduates still need to submit official transcripts. Accepting unofficial versions is a very rare occurrence.
Educational Record does not match transcripts (we check GPA's, majors, etc.! Errors requires a REDO of your application)
Listing schools (except H.S.) without proper documentation to upload (this requires a REDO of the entire application to fix, so please have your education docs ready to go before filling in education!)
Fixing Rejected Applications
You will have one opportunity to fix your application if there is an issue with it. We will email you what's wrong with it. If past our deadline, you will have 24 hours from the time of that notice to submit all corrections at once for reconsideration. This re-submission must be perfect to move forward. Please add mail@dgptp.com to your safe senders list so this email does not filter to spam.
Transcripts
TRANSCRIPT PDFs CANNOT BE LOCKED/SECURED, EXPIRE, OR REQUIRE A PASSWORD TO ACCESS. You'll see a PADLOCK at the top-left corner of your PDF. Print your official transcript, scan it and submit that PDF to us instead. Watermarks or stamped "Issued to student" are allowed. Photographs are not. Discrepancies between your submitted vs. the secured version will result in a rescinding of your offer to join the program.
Applicant Essays
We check font size and margins by printing your PDF to 'actual size' not 'fitted to page'. The latter adjusts the font to appear smaller than 12pt and margins wider than 1". Avoid using lists/bullet points and indents--all text should be left-aligned to 1"; however, indenting the first line of a paragraph is fine.
Educational Record
Please do not fill out this section until you have your transcripts on hand to upload. Several candidates were rejected last year for not providing transcripts for education they listed and had to REDO THEIR ENTIRE APPLICATION.
Resume
You're required to list the number of days worked for each production job on your Resume. This applies to paid and unpaid work. Resumes can list more jobs than in 'Step 9 - Employment Record', but they must match.