TV/Film

"Made in NY" PA: Shanye Fayson

February 6, 2015 - While working at a department store, Shanye Fayson knew he wanted to do something different with his life. Now he has a career in the entertainment industry and is starting his own business.

Shanye Fayson

The Brooklyn resident accomplished this by being a part of the "Made in NY" Production Assistant Training Program, which prepares unemployed and underemployed New Yorkers for entry level jobs in film and television program. Fayson was a part of Cycle 31 and graduated as a "Made in NY" PA in June 2013. The program taught him what it’s really like to be a production assistant and how to network. As part of the training, he learned how important it is to leave a good impression on everyone he meets. The program also introduced him to new friends.

"I made lifelong friends," he said. "Some of them, I’m going to know forever."

He worked on a number of productions after graduation, including the Noah Baumbach-directed film While We’re Young. For the past year and a half, he worked on the CBS series Blue Bloods as the locations PA. Now, along with a few friends, he’s starting a new venture – his own business called Weird Sound Productions. He and his team have already worked with a documentary and a student film, and he’s looking forward to getting the business up and running.

His advice to anyone interested in becoming a "Made in NY" PA is to stay focused. "Find out what you want to do no matter how hard it seems," he said. "You don’t want to regret staying in the same thing knowing your worth."

Interested in learning more about the “Made in NY” PA Training Program? Click here.