AFFMedia Lab

Watch Lab Films

The AFF Media Production Lab is a free 3 month Workforce Development/Career Exploration program featuring Master Classes, Lectures, Workshops, and Media Production Experiences, intended to empower NYC Residents between the ages of 16 and 28, providing them with essential skills, hands-on experience, and valuable connections, so they can pursue industry careers in film/tv/digital media production.

Disabled and ELL youth are welcome in the LAB.

Lab Fellows have multiple deliverables along the way including a Capstone Project where they create their own group film during the Lab as well, which is then Premiered at our Youth Festival.

THE AFFMEDIA LAB is funded partially by a grant from the NYC Department of Cultural Affairs. and partially by the generosity of our partners Kaufman Astoria Studios, Gotham Sound, Samansa, BridgeNext, Sound Lounge, MiniKorn, and Variety Boys and Girls Club of Queens, who provide free spaces, Master Classes and Workshops. The rest is subsidized by the Astoria Film Festival.

The FALL 2025 Media Lab will run from OCT 2- DEC 22, 2025.

The FALL 2025 Lab Application was available AUG 15-SEPT 20 2025. Notifications went out SEPT 23.

Requirements: Ages 16-28, NYC Resident, must be available for the days/times of the lab events, both in zoom and in person.

We run a lab once a year, if funding is available. The next lab application, if there is funding, will be available in August 2026.

Fall 2025 Lab Schedule

SCHEDULE

IN PERSON EVENTS (for lab fellows only)

SAT NOV 8, 8:30am-4pm - IN PERSON GAFFING/GRIP WORKSHOP AT KAUFMAN ASTORIA STUDIOS

LAB FILM SHOOT: SAT AND SUN DEC 13 and 14, 11am-5pm at Variety Boys and Girls Club of Queens 21-12 30TH ROAD, LIC, NY, 11102

ZOOM MEETINGS 7:30-8:30pm ET unless otherwise noted

OCTOBER

THURS OCT 30 Chris Reinhart, Emmy-Winning SVP Post Production at BridgeNext

WED NOV 5 8-9PM Danielle Pretsfelder Demchick, DPD Casting/FMR Nickelodeon Casting Director (note different time)

SAT NOV 8, 8am-4pm - IN PERSON GAFFING/GRIP WORKSHOP AT KAUFMAN ASTORIA STUDIOS

WED NOV 12 Rosalie Vitale-Alava Global Recruitment Coordinator, Warner Bros.

THURS NOV 13 John Gill Senior Creative Editor at BridgeNext

WED NOV 19 Sultan Ali Jr Award Winning Filmmaker, Former Production Coordinator, Netflix

THURS NOV 20 Efrain Cortes, AD/ VP, 20th Television

DECEMBER

WED DEC 3 Jen Beman, Award-Winning Documentary Editor

TH DEC 4 Alison Weller, Directing Actors - Artist at The Civilians Theater & Adjunct Professor, Brooklyn College

WED DEC 10 Shemeka Foster, SONY Animation Production Coordinator

THURS DEC 11 - 7:30-9:30pm- Pre-Production on Lab Film with Nina

IN PERSON FILMING DEC 13 and 14 at Variety Boys and Girls Club of Queens

THURS DEC 18 - 7:30-9:30pm - Editing Workshop using Lab Film footage with Editor Joseph Rana

DEC 19-22 - 1:1 Zoom Meetings with Astoria Film Festival to Review Resumes/Get Job Advice

JAN 5-15, 2026: Interviews for Internships with Industry Partners (if selected)

MAY 30 or 31, 2026 - IN PERSON FILM PREMIERE at The Zukor Theater, Kaufman Astoria Studios

  • Sound Equipment Workshop with Gotham Sound

  • Gaffing and Grip Workshop with The MBS Group at Kaufman Astoria Studios

  • Creating a Short Film Together as a Group

  • Audio Editing Workshops with Emmy-Winning Editors at Sound Lounge