About — HOLLYWOOD CPR

OUR HISTORY

Training diverse students for 25 years and counting…

Where Best-in-Class Hollywood Production Training Meets 21st Century Technology

Our History

Kevin Considine founded Hollywood Cinema Production Resources (CPR) in 1997 with a desire to help the people that may not have the access, money or support to pursue a traditional film program.

Kevin envisioned Hollywood CPR as a program that would provide contextual, experiential, hands-on training that would allow students to fully understand concepts and truly learn art and trade skills as they relate to the craft departments of the film and television industry.

People who have the desire and the discipline to complete the training but may have, in some ways, been underestimated in the mainstream academic or professional pathways find success with Hollywood CPR’s proven training model. Hollywood CPR was born to gather the best instructors and the students with a passion to learn the craft and trade skills of the entertainment industry.

THE BEGINNING

Hollywood Cinema Production Resources, a non-profit, tax-exempt 501 (c) (3) organization, was founded in 1997 by Kevin Considine. Kevin was inspired by his personal experiences with the arts as a form of empowerment in his life and career when traditional academic paths did not lend themselves to his form of learning. The arts helped him break through the walls of traditional academia and led him to a successful career in the entertainment industry.

After an active career as a set dresser and prop maker, Kevin decided to embark on a new phase in his career. He was driven by a desire to share his personal experiences in the entertainment industry with underserved youth through a production training program. In the process of developing his vision, he met Laura Peterson who had had a successful career starting both for-profit and non-profit businesses, focusing on the needs of children. Together, they developed the Hollywood CPR Entertainment Arts Training Program to provide hands-on experience to students who wanted to learn the trade skills of the entertainment industry.

This program was designed to fill a void that exists in training for union trade and craft skills like prop making, set dressing, and construction, among others. Many schools, non-profit organizations, and training centers provide instruction in all other aspects of film and television, like writing, directing, editing, producing, and cinematography, but no programs were providing students – especially underserved individuals – with the skills needed to compete for jobs in the craft and technician areas of the industry.

In 1998, Hollywood CPR established a partnership with West Los Angeles College which now offers Hollywood CPR students college credit and a Film/TV Production Crafts Certificate upon completion of the training program. This has provided tremendous opportunities for the students. By enrolling in college accredited courses they are eligible for tutoring, counseling, financial aid and all the resources the community college offers. Kevin and Laura both became full-time tenured faculty at the College and oversee all of the craft classes.

In 2001, Hollywood CPR began discussions with Workplace Hollywood, an organization whose mission was to ensure that historically underrepresented and economically disadvantaged communities in Los Angeles can effectively compete for and gain access to jobs and business opportunities within the entertainment industry. Workplace Hollywood awarded Hollywood CPR a grant to expand its program and together they worked with the unions to introduce new course pathways for students in Local 80 Grips/Craftservice, Local 600 Camera, Local 700 Editors, Local 705 Costume, Local 706 Make-up, Local 728 Set Lighting, Local 729 Set Painters, and Local 800 Scenic/Graphic Artists in addition to Hollywood CPR’s original coursework in Local 44 Prop Makers, Set Dressers, Upholstery/Drapery, and Greens.

In 2012, Hollywood CPR and Workplace Hollywood combined their resources to continue to provide the entertainment industry with diverse crew and production employees who are trained by union professionals in the skills and work habits most desired by industry employers.

This collaboration combined with Hollywood CPR’s partnership with West Los Angeles College brings a diverse, college-educated, expert IATSE industry professional-trained workforce to the entertainment industry for the first time in its over 100-year history.

Hollywood CPR’s intention is to power possibilities for the highly motivated and the underestimated to learn critical production skills and start new careers in the entertainment arts. For 24 years, Hollywood CPR has been steadfast in this commitment to providing fair and equitable training.

Its growth has included studios, unions, networks, streamers, brands, and more who all believe that the Hollywood community should better reflect the diversity of our actual community. As a non-profit organization, Hollywood CPR has prioritized best-in-class education and a commitment to the craft over hyper-growth and corporate profits. Hollywood needs diverse crew more than ever, and Hollywood CPR is continuing to build its organization to support more equitable opportunities for its diverse student body.

CAREER
PATHWAYS

STAGECRAFT
SET DRESSING
PROP MAKING
GRIP
CAMERA
EDITING
COSTUMING
SET LIGHTING
SET PAINTING

& COMING SOON
SOUND
HAIR & MAKE-UP

LEARN MORE

“Students also learn fundamental work-place skills, such as showing up on time and respecting the [chain of command] on film and television sets. Many producers praise the program for opening doors in an industry that has been notoriously tough to break in to without having connections or a degree from a top film school.”

LEADERSHIP TEAM

Ashlee Hypolite

Executive Director
HOLLYWOOD CPR

Ashlee Hypolite currently serves as the Executive Director at Hollywood CPR, leveraging over a decade of experience in the nonprofit, entertainment and philanthropy sectors. Raised in Massachusetts with Trinidadian roots, Ashlee is committed to creating opportunities for historically marginalized communities to be seen, heard, and empowered.

In her previous role as Partnerships Manager at the Entertainment Industry Foundation, Ashlee successfully managed a diverse portfolio of over 30 celebrity-guided funds, providing operational management and pioneering innovative approaches to maximize the reach and impact of each fund.

Ashlee is also dedicated to working collaboratively with companies to develop integrated, authentic, and practical strategies for program development, fundraising, and social and corporate responsibility initiatives. Passionate about making a positive impact, Ashlee managed the Social Change Fund United (SCFU), a philanthropic initiative created by Carmelo Anthony, Dwyane Wade, and Chris Paul to address critical issues affecting the Black community.

Before her role in the entertainment industry, Ashlee made significant contributions to the nonprofit sector. Notably, she played a crucial role at the CAA Foundation, supporting clients in their philanthropic pursuits and contributing to impactful initiatives such as CAA Amplify, Full Story Initiative, CAA Convene, TIME’S UP, and the CAA Alumni network.

Before entering the world of entertainment, Ashlee worked at nonprofit organizations- most notably, the Philanthropic Initiative at the Boston Foundation, providing strategic and program management support to family foundations, major donors, and corporations.

Ashlee’s work experience extends globally, having taught through the French Ministry of Education in Castres, France, and worked at the Women’s Initiatives for Gender Justice in Leiden, Netherlands. Ashlee graduated from Brandeis University, where she concentrated in politics, sociology, and legal studies.

Kevin Considine

FOUNDER - CHAIR EMERITUS,
HOLLYWOOD CPR

Hollywood Cinema Production Resources (Hollywood CPR) Founder and Chair Emeritus, Kevin Considine, is a native of Southern California, born into an entertainment industry family. His great-grandfathers, Alexander Pantages and John W. Considine, were vaudeville impresarios and theatre-chain owners.

His grandfather, John W. Considine, Jr., was a prolific MGM motion picture producer of the 1930s and 1940s, who produced Boys Town, Broadway Melody, and Son of the Sheik, starring Rudolph Valentino. His father, John Considine, is a film and television actor/writer, and his mother, Toby Considine, is a retired set decorator who worked on some of Hollywood’s most successful films and television series. As such, Kevin was destined to work in this industry. After college, he experienced a successful career in Hollywood as a member of IATSE Local 44 working as a set dresser, and prop maker on such films as DIE HARD, MARS ATTACKS! and THE PLAYER.

READ MORE ABOUT KEVIN

Although Kevin possessed significant talents in the arts and crafts, he had always struggled academically and these struggles created an intense desire to help others with alternative academic needs. Determined to make a difference in the community that he loved, Kevin felt that schools failed to recognize students’ strengths and to support students in building upon these strengths. Reflecting upon his early academic struggles and witnessing huge cutbacks in the arts and crafts within the Los Angeles Unified School District, Kevin wanted to ensure that students like him could be guided artistically along a pathway that actually led to a lucrative artistic career.

Therefore, in 1997, Kevin founded Hollywood CPR as a program that would provide contextual, experiential, hands-on training that would allow students to fully understand concepts and to truly learn art and trade skills as they relate to the craft departments of the film and television industry. Focusing on students with learning disabilities, foster youth, economically challenged students and other underrepresented populations, Hollywood CPR has consistently maintained a low student to teacher ratio in order to give students the individualized attention that they need. As a result, many students who would likely not have had access to attended college have continued their college careers after graduating from Hollywood CPR.

Through Mr. Considine’s leadership, Hollywood CPR has developed from an idea to its current status today as a first-of-its-kind entertainment industry crafts and technicians training program bringing together 11 International Alliance of Theatrical & Stage Employees (IATSE) Locals, West Los Angeles College, all major motion picture studios, many production companies, community based organizations and high schools. Utilizing his more than 20 years of experience in the crafts of the entertainment industry, Kevin works with all of these varied entities in the development of the curriculum, discipline, and the unique industry-specific training required for successful productions. Since 1997, Hollywood CPR has trained over 7,000 people and guided them into successful careers in the film industry.

CERTIFIED PRODUCTION SKILLS.
TARGETED PATHWAYS.
UNION TRAINING.

Hollywood CPR’s work is made possible by the generous support of a collection of people and companies who believe in both its mission and its students.

Board Members

Aracely Aguiar
President - Pierce College

Kevin Considine
Founder & Chair Emeritus - Hollywood CPR

Thom Davis
International Vice President Emeritus - I.A.T.S.E., Chairperson - Los Angeles County Federation of Labor

Alton Glass
Hollywood CPR Alumni, Founder & President - GRX Immersive Labs

Paul Martin
Co-Chair, Executive Vice President and Chief Diversity Officer -
Sony Pictures Entertainment

Geary Mcleod
Director, Director of Photography, Local 600

Janice Pober
Co-Chair, Former Senior Vice President Global Corporate Social Responsibility - Sony Pictures Entertainment

Jay Roewe
Treasurer, Senior Vice President, Production - Global Incentives & Production Planning - HBO/MAX/WBD

Julie Tugend
Secretary, Consultant for Nonprofits, Philanthropy, Government

Government & Public Organizations

California Film Commission
City of Los Angeles
County of Los Angeles
West Los Angeles College
U.S. Department of Labor
State of California Department of Education

The Power of the Crew

They are the unsung heroes of any film, theater or television production — the team of dedicated, hardworking and largely unseen workers whose office consists of miles of cable, white-hot lights and millions of dollars of delicate equipment that must be treated with expert care. They are the grips, stagehands, set dressers, set lighting technicians, camera loaders, editors, sound utility, costume manufactures, set painters, scenics and the like who silently and diligently perform the multitude of tasks needed to help create the magic that is entertainment.