By: Jordan Meadows, Staff Writer
The film industry has long been known for its glamour, but it is also a world where your connections often matter more than your skills. However, a North Carolina-based organization, the Film Partnership of North Carolina (FPNC), is working to break this mold and open up opportunities for a more diverse range of voices and talent in the industry.
Founded in Wilmington in 2021 by Susi Hamilton, Darla McGlamery, and Lauren Vilchik, the Film Partnership is a non-profit organization with a mission to diversify and grow the state’s film, television, and digital streaming workforce. The partnership aims to ensure that North Carolinians from all backgrounds can access the rapidly growing entertainment industry in the state.
“The mission is squarely with diversifying the crew base and growing it. A lot of the industry is really in who you know, it’s lots of family-related businesses. And our goal is to get people in North Carolina to understand that they too can dream this dream and be a part of growing an already established industry here,” Vilchik said.
The Film Partnership is not just about offering jobs—it’s about changing the landscape of an industry that has historically lacked diversity. The partnership’s founders are dedicated to broadening access and giving opportunities to historically marginalized communities, particularly women and people of color.
Vilchik, who is also the assistant dean of the graduate program at the University of North Carolina School of the Arts (UNCSA), believes that film needs more diverse stories.
“As an audience member, I have a diverse appetite for stories…So I have that sense of what interesting stories are out there,” Vilchik said.
The partnership works closely with local schools and film institutions, including Title One high schools, UNCSA, and the International Alliance of Theatrical Stage Employees (IATSE), to recruit talent and train the next generation of film professionals. Many of the internships and training programs offered through the partnership are paid, and they often lead to full-time jobs on film sets.
“We have conversations. What are you interested in? What are your skill sets? We work with the crafts mostly. So we’ll investigate where their talents are and try to build on that training and that interest,” Vilchick said.
Since its inception, the organization has provided paid internships for 54 aspiring film professionals, with 44% of those coming from historically marginalized populations, primarily African American communities. These internships offer hands-on experience and professional connections that lead to full-time positions on film sets.
“Most people aren’t aware of all the different opportunities, from construction to metalworking to painting, camera group, electric then, of course, there’s the production office side, the soft skills leadership organization, production, event, planning. Those kinds of skills are also part of the industry,” Vilchick said.
One of the goals of the Film Partnership is to not only attract new talent to the industry but to ensure that they can build long-term careers in North Carolina, rather than needing to relocate to other states like California or Georgia.
The state has a burgeoning film industry, bolstered by a favorable rebate package and a growing number of experienced crews and state-of-the-art studio facilities, including EUE/Screen Gems in Wilmington, which is the largest studio complex in the state.
North Carolina’s diverse landscapes—from cityscapes to coastal paradise to vast mountain ranges—offer filmmakers endless possibilities for filming locations, further cementing the state’s appeal as a prime production hub.
The Film Partnership is supported by various local organizations and institutions, including Cape Fear Community College (CFCC), the Girls Leadership Academy of Wilmington, and IATSE Local 491. The organization is also backed by the City of Wilmington, which granted $400,000 in 2021, and additional funding from the City of Winston-Salem.
As more diverse voices join the ranks of North Carolina’s film crews, the state is well-positioned to become a leader in creative storytelling and film production.
