Future Media Concepts

At a Glance
Name: Future Media Concepts Contact: Scottf@fmctraining.com Major Courses of Study: Nonlinear video editing, sound design, Web design and programming, video streaming, DVD authoring, 3-D animation, compositing and desktop publishing Degrees Offered: Manufacturer’s Certificates, Pro Tools Certification Program Accreditation: New York State Department. of Education, accreditation pending; manufacturer-approved training on all technology platforms Main Technology Platforms: Digidesign Pro Tools; Avid Media Composer, Xpress and Unity Media Net; Sonic DVD Creator; Apple Final Cut Pro, Quicktime; Macromedia Director, Flash MX, Dreamweaver MX; Adobe Photoshop, After Effects, Premiere, Acrobat; QuarkXpress; and many others Tuition: depends on level and intensity of curriculum chosen; ranges from two-day introductory class to master classes Financial Assistance: Various financing options available.

Founded in 1994, at the cusp of the new-media revolution, Future Media Concepts offers a unique approach to digital media training. Dozens of courses, ranging from entry level to master class, and configured in concise and intensive formats allow students to create a customized curriculum covering the entire spectrum of digital media arts—nonlinear sound and video editing, sound design, Web design and programming, video streaming, DVD authoring, 3-D animation, compositing and desktop publishing.
FMC is renowned throughout the industry as one of the world’s leading Pro Tools training facilities, with an ideal learning environment and suites equipped with Pro Tools Mix 24 and HD systems. The successful completion of these courses leads to official certification, by Digidesign, as a Pro Tools operator or Pro Tools expert, as well as other important benefits, including a listing on Digi ProNet and the right to use a special logo on their business cards.

“The courses are intensive, the testing is serious, and programs are designed to allow the pro audio industry to immediately distinguish the real experts in Pro Tools,” says Jeff Rothberg, FMC VP and co-founder.

With learning centers in New York City, Boston, Washington, D.C., and Philadelphia, FMC works in strategic cooperation with leading manufacturers and developers to assemble a course of study. This ensures that graduates get the most comprehensive training on the absolutely latest versions of the most widely used hardware and software systems in the entertainment media industry. In addition to Avid/Digidesign, FMC is also a manufacturer’s authorized training center for Adobe, Apple, Macromedia, Sony, Softimage, Newtek, Discreet, Pinnacle, Boris/FX and others.

Future Media Concepts’ instructors have applied their extensive real-world experience to help students transition into careers in the expanding digital media industry. The courses are also available to professionals who wish to enhance their existing skills and broaden their marketability. “We purposely target technology platforms that are the most widely used in the media industry,” explains Rothberg. Another benefit of FMC’s approach to learning is its small class sizes (only four to six students per hands-on course). And FMC has designed its Master Class course groupings to give trainees a solid foundation in their particular software of interest.

The approach has worked brilliantly for over eight years, and has provided quality digital media training for individuals from major broadcast and cable networks (including ABC, NBC, CBS, USA Networks and MTV), major post-production facilities and major corporations. FMC’s instructors have traveled to as far as Japan and Singapore to provide onsite digital media training, and they are constantly re-certified as new versions of systems/software come to market, keeping their students on the cutting edge.

Finally, FMC offers one of the most extensive quality guarantees in the industry: If, for any reason, a participant feels he or she has not received the full benefit from a course, then he or she can audit the same course at no additional charge. “Our goal is to get the student up to speed on specific technologies as quickly and as efficiently as possible,” says Rothberg. “We call it ‘just-in-time training,’ and it really works.” •