ICTA Mentoring Program – Call for Nominations

Call for Nominations – ICTA Cinema Technology Mentoring Program 2025/2026 – North America Edition

Dear ICTA Members,

The International Cinema Technology Association (ICTA) is excited to invite nominations for the 2025/2026 North American Cinema Technology Mentoring Program. This initiative is designed to support skills development and career growth among professionals in cinema technology by pairing industry entrants and junior decision-makers with seasoned experts from our community.

About the Program:

The Cinema Technology Mentoring Program is a 12-month pilot program aimed at fostering knowledge transfer, technical and operational skills development, and career guidance. The initiative seeks to create a community of professionals dedicated to strengthening the future of cinema technology. At a time when manufacturers, integrators, and cinema operators face challenges in attracting and retaining technical talent, this mentoring program also serves to highlight career pathways within the industry.

The program will be launched in North America in summer 2025, running until mid-2026, after which it will be reviewed based on participant and organizational feedback.

Who Can Participate?

We invite nominations from cinema operators, cinema technology manufacturers, integrators, and dealers who would like to take part in the program as either mentees or mentors. Participation from ICTA members is encouraged, but we also accept non-ICTA participants in exceptional circumstances (and may try to recruit you as a member in the process).

We aim to recruit 3-5 mentees and pair them with 3-5 experienced mentors. Pairings will be based on geography, technical expertise, and career interests, ensuring meaningful and relevant mentorship relationships.

To maintain confidentiality and address any competition concerns, Non-Disclosure Agreements (NDAs) will be available upon request. Mentors and mentees will not be from the same company.

How It Works:

The program is structured as a one-on-one mentoring scheme, where each mentee is paired with an experienced mentor. Participants will engage in at least six mentoring sessions over the course of 12 months, focusing on key industry topics such as:

To enhance the experience, mentees will have the opportunity to undertake the Gallup Strength Finder Assessment, which can serve as a foundation for discussions. Additionally, participants may utilize the GROW coaching framework to guide their conversations.

Tentative Program Schedule:

Costs & Sponsorship:

All costs associated with participation are covered by the mentees’ and mentors’ employers. Given that many mentors will already be attending industry conventions, costs for them should be minimal. Mentees should anticipate travel and accommodation costs for key in-person meetings. Should the pilot be successful, we may explore corporate sponsorship to reduce financial barriers for participants.

Next Steps

We are seeking ICTA members to:

1. Nominate potential mentees from within their organizations.
2. Only once we have identified participating mentees we will look to involve experienced industry professionals who would make great mentors.
3. Share feedback on the initiative and indicate their willingness to support the program.

How to Get Involved

If your organization is interested in participating, please email contact@icta-web.com to discuss further details. We encourage you to share this opportunity with HR teams and relevant colleagues.

We look forward to collaborating with you in shaping the future of cinema technology through this exciting mentorship initiative!