'O oficio de producir' brings industry to schools

Audiovisual production is the part of film and TV most kids almost never see. They know actors, maybe directors, but not the people who raise money, build teams, schedule shoots, and turn an idea into something that can actually be filmed. That gap is what “O oficio de producir” is trying to close. On Monday, May 11, the Diputación de Pontevedra kicked off the second edition of the school program in Agolada, with Galician producer Javier Lopa visiting a local primary school as the first speaker. ### What changed this week? The new bit is simple — the program is back. La Voz de Galicia says the second edition started in Agolada on May 11, and Javier Lopa of Undodez was scheduled to speak there on Tuesday, May 12. This is not a one-off talk but the restart of a province-wide school circuit. (lavozdegalicia.es) ### What is “O oficio de producir” exactly? It’s a set of educational sessions built by the Asociación Galega de Produtoras Independentes, or AGAPI, together with the Deputación de Pontevedra’s culture service. The idea is to bring producing into schools as a real craft — not as abstract “media studies,” but as the practical work behind animation, film, and television. The Diputación’s program page describes six educational days under that banner. (lavozdegalicia.es) ### Who is behind it? On the public side, the main institutional backer is the Diputación de Pontevedra. On the industry side, it’s AGAPI, the association representing independent Galician production companies. When the first edition was presented, provincial culture deputy Jorge Cubela framed it as a way to bring students closer to the reality of Galicia’s audiovisual sector and the career options inside it. (depo.gal) ### Why send producers into primary schools? Because producing is the hidden engine room. A producer is the person who gets a project financed, hires the team, keeps the calendar from collapsing, and makes the whole thing exist in the first place. Kids usually see the shiny front end of media. This program shows them the backstage machinery — basically, that creative industries also need organizers, planners, and entrepreneurs. (depo.gal) ### Which schools and towns are involved? The first edition reached six municipalities in the province: Gondomar, A Guarda, Meaño, Mondariz-Balneario, Poio, and O Porriño. One of the early stops was CEIP Xosé Fernández López in O Porriño on October 13, 2025, where local officials pitched the project as part of a more modern, locally rooted cultural education. The 2026 edition again runs through six CEIP schools, starting from Agolada. (agapi.gal) ### Why does Javier Lopa matter here? Because the program is using working professionals, not generic lecturers. Lopa is tied to Undodez and was presented as the person behind productions including *Pipo*, *Bibopalula*, and *O novo son da regueifa*. That matters — kids are hearing from someone who has actually shipped projects, which makes the career path feel less theoretical. (diariodevigo.com) ### Is this just outreach, or something bigger? It looks like part of a broader Galician push to build the audiovisual pipeline earlier. AGAPI has also been running other training and professional-development initiatives, including university-facing and executive-producer programs. So “O oficio de producir” sits lower in the ladder — at school level — but the logic is the same: make the sector visible before talent drifts elsewhere. (lavozdegalicia.es) ### Bottom line? This is a small program, but the strategy is bigger than it looks. Pontevedra and AGAPI are treating audiovisual production as local economic culture — something children can imagine doing, not just consuming. If that sticks, the real result is not one school visit. It’s a wider idea of who gets to see a future in Galicia’s screen industry. (lavozdegalicia.es) (agapi.gal)