Sargeant
Sargeant, who has worked on action blockbusters such as “Godzilla” and “War of the Worlds,” started his career as a stunt performer “jumping off of buildings for free.”
In 1991, after recognizing a need for education in the stunt community, he designed a weeklong course to help students “avoid years of trial and error by teaching them the skills they need to acquire an actual job in the industry, including how to effectively market themselves.” Though Sargeant acknowledges, “No one is going to become a total expert in a week,” he promises his pupils will learn “where to go, what to do, how to do it and, perhaps most importantly, what not to do.”
The course also provides resources to help aspiring stunt performers secure jobs abroad. “Newcomers tend to have tunnel vision. To them, Hollywood is the golden ring. Everyone wants to be working here, but there are steps you have to take to get here,” he cautions.
Contact Jeff Sneider at
jeff.sneider@variety.com