“Hollywood South,” the unofficial moniker for Louisiana’s burgeoning film industry, is poised to grow exponentially in the coming years—sourcing talent from its own backyard. As Louisiana’s film industry has expanded over the last two decades due to attractive tax incentives, the state has transformed into a hub for film and production. In Baton Rouge, a new charter school aims to meet the need this evolution brings, training students to become the technical experts the industry demands.
Opening in August 2026, the Louisiana Academy of Production aims to equip Baton Rouge high schoolers with the skills to launch successful careers in the state’s film industry. An accredited charter school offering immersive film and production programming, LAAP’s campus in Baton Rouge will provide students with a supportive environment in which to develop concrete and soft skills that can serve them in both the workforce and/or college—whichever path they choose.
While gaining a thorough grounding in the core educational curriculum, LAAP students will have additional opportunities to choose between a number of in-depth tracks including technical, craft, post-production, and business. The school promotes project-based learning, allowing the relatively small class sizes (enrollment is capped between seventy-five and ninety students) to collaborate while learning real-world skills.
“You’re going to get your core courses,” said Fallon Buckner Ward, LAAP Executive Director. “But in addition to that, imagine being able to integrate that core coursework with film production. What an exciting way to learn! Why not bring it to those kids here? Why not bring it to Baton Rouge? Why not give them a different educational experience?”
“The generation is changing,” she added. “Education is changing.”
Joining the ranks of such renowned institutions as Roybal Film and Television Magnet in Los Angeles, Motion Picture Technical High School in New York City, and Robert Halmi Sr. Academy of Film and Television in Yonkers, LAAP will share curriculum with these sites as it aims to build a dedicated pipeline of both college and career-ready students to enter the film, television, and digital media industries. LAAP also plans to partner with LSU, Southern University, and Baton Rouge Community College to offer dual-enrollment courses.
“Content creation is part of our world these days,” said Katie Pryor, Baton Rouge Film Commissioner and LAAP Board Chair. “There is such a community in this field, and I think the collaborative nature and the personal nature of the work that you do in film creation—there’s nothing that really parallels.”
Ward explained the school intends to connect students to the industry, providing them with transferable skills that go beyond a traditional education. According to Ceasar Hendricks, LAAP’s founding principal, the school’s strategy for success is based upon developing a close-knit, vibrant culture of trust, predicated on access and inclusivity.
“I want to build a learning culture,” he said. “It’s one of including students. It’s definitely one of respect, for sure. I want students to feel comfortable, where kids want to come to school. I want to create a culture where staff want to come to work.”
By training students to meet the film industry’s needs, school leaders also hope to keep local talent and academic excellence at home. With promising career prospects right here at “Hollywood on the Bayou,” there will be no need to leave the state to achieve success in the industry.
“The innovation behind the educational approach really aims to provide our students with immersive, hands-on experience, directly addressing the workforce needs for our Louisiana creative economy,” Ward said. “The workforce has to live here, and if you can learn here and work here, then we can keep the economy here as well.”
“I’m excited,” Pryor added. “I hope in a few years I’ll be watching those kids work at the Baton Rouge Underground Film Festival.
Priority Open Enrollment is now open for all current eighth grade students. This priority application window closes on December 8, 2025. Eligible applicants are strongly encouraged to secure their spot now at laapbr.org.
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