Houston Association of Producers Mentorship Program

The Houston Association of Producers (HAP) is committed to strengthening Houston’s film and television industry by creating meaningful pathways for students to transition from the classroom to professional production. Our HAP Mentorship Program is one of the ways we are working to make that happen.

While students receive valuable technical and creative training in the classroom, there is no substitute for experiencing a professional set firsthand. The HAP Mentorship Program gives emerging filmmakers the opportunity to bridge that gap by learning directly from experienced working professionals and gaining practical insight into how productions actually operate.

In our inaugural program last year, ten (10) Houston-area college students were selected to participate. Each student was paired with an experienced industry mentor and had the opportunity to shadow and apprentice on professional productions, including major brand commercials and independent feature films. In addition to gaining hands-on experience, students were able to build professional relationships, expand their industry networks, and experience the expectations and protocols of working on a professional set.

We believe experiences like these can be transformative for students as they begin building their careers.

Thanks to the tremendous support of our community and the success of this year’s HAPIE Awards—our annual fundraiser supporting the Mentorship Program—we are excited to provide this opportunity to ten (10) new emerging film professionals in 2027.

This is an opportunity for students to gain experience that can complement their classroom education, make valuable industry connections, and begin building the professional relationships that can help launch their careers.

HAP’s goal is not only to create opportunities for individual students, but to help develop the highly skilled local workforce Houston needs to attract and sustain larger film and television productions. By connecting students and working professionals, we can create a stronger pipeline from education to employment and help ensure that Houston’s next generation of filmmakers has the opportunity to build their careers here.