
--
The inaugural class of the Young Entertainment Professionals (YEP) Program launched last week during the Society of Motion Picture and Television Engineers (SMPTE ) 2016 Annual Technical Conference & Exhibition (SMPTE 2016) in Hollywood. Sponsored by the Hollywood Professional Association (HPA) and SMPTE, YEP was created to encourage worthy individuals to follow a career in the media content industry and support them with connection and community. The first YEP group included applicants from a variety of disciplines and locales.
Inaugural class of the Young Entertainment Professionals (YEP) Program
Aspiring YEP program participants were asked to outline their interests in the content creation industry and goals for their careers, and applications were supported by recommendations from supervisors. Incubated by HPA's Women in Post, the YEP Committee, co-chaired by Kari Grubin and Loren Nielsen, considered a number of highly qualified applicants for inclusion in the program. Grubin commented, The caliber of applicants was impressive, and the inquiries came from young men and women who are at work in complex and responsible roles, motivated to take the next step in their careers. The dedication to their current positions as well as their clear-eyed focus on the future was exactly what we had hoped for this debut class. The committee was delighted to work with the YEP group this week, and will remain with them on their journey.
The first class of YEP includes 29 young men and women between the ages of 21 and 29, hailing from the US and beyond. They hold responsible creative and technical posts at studios, facilities, and tech companies, and in some cases are accomplished individuals from outside of the industry. The structured daylong event began with introductions from the YEP Committee members, HPA President Seth Hallen, SMPTE-HPA Executive Director Barbara Lange and SMPTE President Robert Seidel. Post-production guru Garrett Smith presented a history of cinema. Over lunch, YEP participants split into mentor-led roundtables. Mentors included industry leaders from studios, major vendors and manufacturers, and will have an ongoing relationship with the class. The afternoon included guided tours of the exhibition area by industry insiders, and attendance at the SMPTE panel, Re-Inventing Entertainment Engineering: How to Blend the Experience of Yesterday with Millennials Vision of Tomorrow. The group gathered at the end of the day for an interactive wrap up session and a stop at the SMPTE Oktoberfest party, followed by the SMPTE-HPA Student Film Festival at the Egyptian Theater.
HPA president Seth Hallen noted, The formation of the YEP program and spending time with these amazing young people is inspiring. It became clear in our day together that mentoring is a two-way street, and they bring as many insights for us as we bring to them. As our industry continues to change and its complexities deepen, this group is proof that the future is in great hands. The YEP program is but one of the mentoring initiatives undertaken by the HPA. Hallen continued, In the next few months, the HPA Board will unveil additional mentoring initiatives to nurture and launch the next generation of professionals. YEP is an auspicious start to our efforts.
For further information, visit hpaonline.com.
###
About the Hollywood Professional Association
Hollywood Professional Association (HPA) serves the professional community of businesses and individuals who provide expertise, support, tools and the infrastructure for the creation and finishing of motion pictures, television, commercials, digital media and other dynamic media content. Through their partnership with the Society of Motion Picture and Television Engineers (SMPTE ), the leader in the advancement of the art, science and craft of the image, sound, and metadata ecosystem, the HPA continues to extend its support of the community it represents. Information about the HPA is available at www.hpaonline.com.
About the Society of Motion Picture and Television Engineers (SMPTE )
For the past 100 years, the people of the Society of Motion Pictures and Television Engineers (SMPTE, pronounced simp-tee ) have sorted out the details of many significant advances in entertainment technology, from the introduction of talkies and color television to HD and UHD (4K, 8K) TV. Since its founding in 1916, the Society has earned an Oscar and multiple Emmy Awards for its work in advancing moving-imagery education and engineering across the communications, technology, media, and entertainment industries. The Society has developed thousands of standards, recommended practices, and engineering guidelines, more than 800 of which are currently in force. SMPTE's global membership today includes 7,000 members, who are motion-imaging executives, engineers, creative and technology professionals, researchers, scientists, educators, and students. A partnership with the Hollywood Professional Association (HPA ) connects SMPTE and its membership with the professional community of businesses and individuals who provide the expertise, support, tools, and infrastructure for the creation and finishing of motion pictures, television programs, commercials, digital media, and other dynamic media content. Information on joining SMPTE is available at http://www.smpte.org/join.
###
Most recent headlines
05/01/2027
Worlds first 802.15.4ab-UWB chip verified by Calterah and Rohde & Schwarz to be ...
09/11/2026
In a new home, the show had its traditional focus on music production, but broadcast themes received significant emphasis
The Audio Engineering Society (AES) c...
09/11/2026
Content creation and rights, YouTube archive, production workflows, investment, ...
09/11/2026
Industry leaders from Prime Video, NASCAR, FOX Sports, and more discuss the tech...
09/11/2026
SMT (SportsMEDIA Technology) is delivering on-air graphics and shot data for the Women's Team Golf League (WTGL), which made its debut Sunday, Nov. 8, at So...
09/11/2026
BKB Bare Knuckle Boxing has appointed Michael Ridout Managing Director, UK. He will lead BKB's operations in the United Kingdom and take on wider operationa...
09/11/2026
SMPTE's Media Technology Summit (MTS2026) takes place Nov. 16-19 at the Pasadena Convention Center. The schedule:
Media Tech Business Forum (Monday, Nov. 1...
09/11/2026
The Audio Engineering Society (AES) held AES Show Nashville 2026 Oct. 30-Nov. 1 at the Gaylord Opryland Resort & Convention Center. AES reports nearly 3,000 reg...
09/11/2026
Analyst Josh Stinehour will share results Jan. 26 in Mountain View, Calif.
Devo...
09/11/2026
Behind The Mic provides a roundup of recent news regarding on-air talent, includ...
09/11/2026
Permanent mixed-reality activation debuted against the Brooklyn Nets at Rocket A...
09/11/2026
The new agreement brings the Playoff to 23 games, including 16 on-campus matchup...
09/11/2026
SMT provided production technology and graphics support for all three NASCAR nat...
09/11/2026
Captures Nils Frahms upright concert grand
In their latest collaboration with composer Nils Frahm, Native Instruments have captured a vertical concert grand...
09/11/2026
18-19 November 2026, Sonic College, UC SYD, Kolding, Denmark
Sonic College have announced that their annual Sonic Days conference is set to return to Koldin...
09/11/2026
Cinematic scoring tool gains free entry-level version
Sonuscore's Elements range offers a free entry point into the company's line-up of scoring too...
09/11/2026
Rohde & Schwarz and ZES ZIMMER present test solutions for power systems and auto...
09/11/2026
The BBC and BritBox have announced further casting for the forthcoming six-part series Hercule from Mammoth Screen and Agatha Christie Limited for the BBC and B...
09/11/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
09/11/2026
Share
{alert(Link copied)}).catch(err => {console.error(Failed to copy: , err)}) data-platform=copy_link data-action= class=font-ui-heading py-2 text-sm tex...
09/11/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
09/11/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
09/11/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
09/11/2026
Berklee's Singers Showcase Celebrates Whitney Houston's Music and Her Go...
09/11/2026
Monday 9 November 2026
Life in the fast laneTurn on cookies to view this content. Go to Privacy options and select Accept All'.
Privacy options
From Tik...
09/11/2026
Monday 9 November 2026
Cathy Newman to revist defining moments in recent histor...
09/11/2026
Monday 9 November 2026
Sky VIP unwraps over one million free rewards for customers this Christmas
This Christmas, Sky VIP is giving away more than one million...
09/11/2026
When is a city green' and when is it a big polluter? As we approach COP 31, when country leaders from around the world meet to negotiate climate policies a...
09/11/2026
Focusrite Control 2 iOS and Android apps now support Scarlett 3rd Gen, Clarett ,...
09/11/2026
Korea's Ministry of Science and ICT and NVIDIA hosted the MSIT-NVIDIA AI Sta...
09/11/2026
Simulation, which has long been the proving ground for robots learning to walk, ...
08/11/2026
Updated modules & new Analyze function
Acon Digital's all-in-one restoration plug-in has just been updated, and now boasts an Analyze button that allows...
08/11/2026
Run analogue gear emulations on your GPU
AnalogX have released a new GPU-powered mixing ecosystem that's been designed to change how users handle analog...
08/11/2026
COW Jobs: Set and Production Design Expert - Remote
Brie Clayton November 8, 2026
0 Comments
Set and Production Design Expert (Remote, worldwide)
No...
08/11/2026
NVIDIA is releasing Dynamo-optimized deployment recipes for Korea's leading open models: A.X K2 from SK Telecom, K-EXAONE 2.0 from LG AI Research, Solar Ope...
08/11/2026
NVIDIA and Korea's Ministry of Science and ICT (MSIT) are expanding their collaboration across the country's sovereign AI ecosystem, from AI semiconduct...
08/11/2026
As AI agents take on more work, they need capable open models and security that advances alongside them.
Hyundai Motor Group is exploring NVIDIA NemoClaw bluep...
08/11/2026
Tapping into the country's strengths in manufacturing and engineering, NVIDIA is helping advance Korea's physical AI ecosystem.
The country's indu...
07/11/2026
Mix Analysis, improved Render window & new bundled instrument
The free version of Tracktion's DAW software has recently received an update that introduc...
07/11/2026
The National Film and Video Foundation (NFVF) is a statutory body established to promote and develop the South African film and video industry, including animat...
07/11/2026
NEW YORK - November 5, 2026 - An estimated 31.2 million people watched primetime coverage of the 2026 U.S. midterm elections on Tuesday, November 3, according t...
07/11/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
07/11/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
07/11/2026
COW Jobs: Production Manager - Las Cruces, NM
Brie Clayton November 6, 2026
0 Comments
Production Manager
November 5, 2026COW Jobs: Faith-Based UGC ...
06/11/2026
It's been a big week in Australia horse racing as the Victoria Racing Club (...
06/11/2026
Additional gear includes a second, outside drone; a second slo-mo unit; and a wi...
06/11/2026
The University of Alabama has installed a new Daktronics display system at Coleman Coliseum in Tuscaloosa. It includes a 360-degree centerhung with four underbe...
06/11/2026
NEP Americas, part of NEP Group, has expanded its remote production offering with new IP-based flypack production kits deployed from the U.S. and available to c...
06/11/2026
Telestream has appointed Joseph Hopkins Chief Revenue Officer. He has more than two decades of executive experience in media technology. In the role, he will fo...
06/11/2026
In-venue and creative video staffers at the professional and collegiate level ha...