By Rob Morrissey
Director of Player Engagement
Twenty current and former NFL players, including five-time Pro Bowler Terrell Suggs(Ravens) and three-time All-Stars D’brickashaw Ferguson(Jets) and Steven Jackson(Rams), took part in the first-ever NFL Pro Hollywood Boot Campat Universal Studios in Universal City, California.
The program, which ran from April 2nd – 5th, was directed by NFL Player Engagement and Film Life Inc., the New York-based film production company, and covered a wide range of topics in the movie industry.
The four-day boot camp offered a comprehensive overview of creative disciplines in the film industry, including screenwriting, directing, producing, and film financing. Session leaders were selected from among top industry executives and filmmakers and included multiple Academy Award-nominated director/producer/screenwriter John Singletonand writer/actor/director Robert Townsend.
Participants had the opportunity to shoot and edit a short film at Universal Studios, the largest working motion picture studio in the world, which offers 30 sound stages and 30 backlot movie sets where many legendary films have been shot.
Additionally, participants were paired with a mentor to help continue their professional development. The objective of the mentoring program is to provide an additional resource that can help prepare the participants for success in the film industry long after the Boot Camp has ended. The mentor is someone that participants can pose questions to, ask advice on internship and career opportunities, discuss business plans with, and more.
The Pro Hollywood Boot Camp was offered through the NFL Player Engagement Career Development Program. The objectives of the Career Development Program are to:
- Provide current and former players with professional development training (brand assessment, presentation skills training, business etiquette, resume writing, and interview skills) to facilitate their growth as public figures and their transition out of professional football and into a desired second career.
- Provide internships, apprenticeships, informational interviews, shadowing, and structured learning opportunities in all fields of interest to current and former players in an effort to assist them in becoming acquainted with the requirements of the job market as they exist outside of professional football.
- Utilize existing and create new partnerships to establish opportunities for current and former players.