Kalison Studios works at the intersection of workforce research, training program execution, and AI-driven outcomes technology — building the labor economy that makes local film production sustainable.
The Local Hire Manifest™ — the first local hire tool of its kind. Commissions shape the talent. Productions maximize local labor. Incentive value, retained.
The hiring infrastructure for incoming productions — branded to your operation. Verified local crew. Real-time incentive uplift compliance. Audit-ready hire reporting that closes the audit at wrap.
Every market wants local crew on the call sheet. So does every production. For incentive and infrastructure investments to deliver, the local workforce has to be ready. For twenty years, across nine markets and four continents, we've delivered the strategy and execution that turn incentive policy into local hires — for governments, studios, and content creators.
We build public-private partnerships, align stakeholders, and execute the workforce strategy that turns incentive spend into local jobs. For governments, studios, and institutions: Local Hire Rate™ diagnostics, MOS™ benchmarking, legislative testimony, and pilots that scale into institutional infrastructure.
High-ROI workforce intervention. Job training embedded in high schools, community colleges, and trade programs already in market — the Last Mile from transferable skills to verified production credits. Live, credentialed local rosters delivered directly to commissions, studios, and productions.
We built this model. Literally. The first accredited college on a working studio lot in the U.S. — recognized by Variety, The Wrap, and The Hollywood Reporter. Campus design, accreditation, regulatory approvals, curriculum, and faculty — embedded on your lot, co-located with your facility, or delivered virtually.
The AI layer that runs underneath the workforce. Live: the Local Hire Manifest™ — branded hiring infrastructure for incoming productions, with verified local crew, real-time incentive uplift compliance, and audit-ready hire reporting. In R&D: adaptive, responsive training that learns the market it's deployed in — calibrated to each region's roles, employers, and gaps. Nothing off-the-shelf. Everything bespoke per market.
"Kalison Studios is reframing the conversation for policymakers and industry leaders."
Glenn is Founder and CEO of Kalison Studios, which published the Local Hire Rate in April — the first-ever standardized measurement of crew wage retention across 77 global film incentive markets, covered exclusively by The Hollywood Reporter. The findings sidestep the twenty-year incentive debate to ask the sharper question: are the local jobs the incentive was sold on actually staying local?
The research came out of two decades of building training institutions from inside the industry itself — from the lot, the production office, and the call sheet. As Founding President of Relativity Media's education division, Glenn created a new model: embed a school inside a working studio. He took it further as Founder of Studio School Los Angeles — the first accredited U.S. college on a working studio lot, recognized by Variety, The Wrap, and The Hollywood Reporter.
With IATSE Local 480, he negotiated the first collective bargaining agreement between a film union and a training institution — pairing veteran craftspeople with the next generation of below-the-line talent on a sustainable, contracted footing. At Shadowbox Studios, he built the first studio-run academy in Atlanta with an online platform serving learners globally. He has launched programs across ten markets and four continents — Georgia, Saudi Arabia, China, Nigeria, Curaçao, Alaska Local 918, New Mexico, New York, Los Angeles, and Australia — each one built for what local employers and workers actually needed.
Kalison Studios now operates at the intersection of workforce data, training program execution, and AI-driven outcomes technology. The work prepares people to get hired, stay hired, and get hired again — building the labor economy that makes local film production sustainable.
Built the first accredited U.S. college on a working studio lot — from regulatory approvals to industry partnerships to a new model for production-embedded education.
Designed the first studio-based, studio-run workforce development platform — a 150-hour "Last Mile" curriculum delivering industry-led certifications and a direct pathway to entry-level on-set jobs. On-ground training in Atlanta combined with an online academy serving learners globally. Shadowbox actively places Backlot Academy graduates on its own productions, working with community schools and organizations to build a diverse, production-ready crew pipeline.
Designed, built, and now operates an in-house production studio for a university system serving 15,000 learners across five campuses. Produced 2,000+ minutes of cinematic educational content using virtual production, professional Hollywood talent, and Academy Award-winning green screen technology. Extended beyond video into hologram patient interviews, AI patient simulations, Alexa-powered study guides, and mobile learning games.
Founded a training institute to meet urgent demand for below-the-line crews in an emerging incentive market. Negotiated the first-ever Collective Bargaining Agreement with IATSE Local 480 to establish covered instructor positions, pairing veteran craftspeople with the next generation of talent and creating new teaching pathways for industry veterans.
Pioneered production-embedded training across five countries — partnering with the Saudi Film Council, Republic of Nigeria, U.S. Department of State (Lions@frica), Curaçao, and China to create direct talent pipelines for local entertainment economies. Each program addressed critical workforce shortages, enabling regions to attract and retain significant production investment.
As Founding President, launched the education arm of a major studio — pioneering integration of professional training with active production environments.
Whether you're opening a new incentive market, launching a training academy, or want early access — let's talk.
$2.5 billion in crew wages are leaking out of incentive markets annually. The LHR is the first framework that measures it — 77 markets, market by market, dollar by dollar.
"Evaluating how effective film subsidies are at creating local employment."