Recent students from the campus have gained jobs working on Mad Max, a Marvel film and Home and Away.

"Hollywood has come to Australia obviously because we're in a much better situation than the US," said Ms Hartley, a 15-year veteran of the industry, including 10 seasons as a producer for the American Survivor.

"Donald Trump put a Covid bomb on America. So most of those big Hollywood blockbusters are uninsurable because no one can insure against Covid-19," she said.

Marvel blockbusters will reportedly be made at Fox Studios in Sydney for the next five years. The Gold Coast is also part of the boom.

The pandemic has created more demand in the sector because more people are watching shows more often.

"When the circus comes to town, they employ huge amounts of people," Ms Hartley said.

Stars shooting movies in Australia include Julia Roberts, George Clooney, Matt Damon, Natalie Portman and Christian Bale.

"When all the big shows come to town, all the high-end professionals who've been doing it for years get absorbed on those bigger productions. The pay is sometimes double or triple an Australian film or TV show," Ms Hartley said.

This means many jobs open up at the entry level.

Newcastle diploma graduate Georgia Larkin now has an internship at Channel Seven's Home and Away to be trained as an assistant director.

"I have students killing it in the industry in Sydney. I'm very proud of them," Ms Hartley said.

Rocky Sovechles, 23, of Newcastle, has worked on numerous projects in Sydney, including a Marvel film.

"The first thing I worked on was a TV series called The Secrets She Keeps [which premiered on Ten]," said Mr Sovechles, who works as a digital imaging technician.

"That came through Hannah through a program where the government paid the production company to have me on board because it was my first role.

"Off that, I met some cool camera guys. I was super-lucky to work with some super-talented people. I went onto a film that was called Rising Wolf. It's now called Ascendant. It just came out recently."

He then worked on a Marvel film - called Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings. "That was awesome. It was a crazy experience at Fox Studios just seeing the sheer scale that films can have."

The Marvel film was a "hardcore experience", where he worked up to 85 hours a week.

"It's pretty hectic. No one can really prepare you for what it's like. But if you love it, you'll enjoy it, I guess. I kind of like to immerse myself into it," he said.

He then worked on Three Thousand Years of Longing, starring Idris Elba and Tilda Swinton, with renowned Australian film director George Miller and cinematographer John Seale.

Mr Sovechles has also been working on a film called Interceptor, which Chris Hemsworth is producing.

Hemsworth's wife Elsa Pataky is playing the lead in the action thriller, co-written and directed by novelist Matthew Reilly. Shooting was due to wrap at the weekend.

Patrick Madden, who attended Newcastle TAFE, is working as a runner for the costumes department on Mad Max. "TAFE was great for me. I was able to meet a bunch of great people from different walks of life, which gave me a chance to expand my understanding of community and storytelling," Mr Madden, 33, said.

"My teachers were so knowledgeable. Because they came from industry backgrounds, they were able to teach me the real-world stuff that might easily be missed otherwise.

"Hannah Hartley, especially, was great to me. She was so supportive and encouraging. Because of her connections within the industry, she was able to get me on to assist the art department for a TV show shooting in Newcastle.

"Through this job, I was able to meet some people who recommended me for my current job."

Industry people have been ringing Ms Hartley, saying "we hear you've got some good people coming out of Hunter Street TAFE".

"I've been making a point of letting people know within the industry about the talent we have up here. We have incredible students here."

She was excited about "kids from Newcastle working in Hollywood".

"They can shoot, edit, work in teams, plan, use myriad software," she said.

"Kids also come here from rural areas and realise they are only one step away from working on that dream job on a Marvel film."

She emphasises teamwork and collaboration in her classes. When producers hire people, they "look for doers, people who can work with others and hard workers".

Students who want to progress in the industry must be "ready to move to Sydney tomorrow". Having the courage to "step into the big smoke" was a key requirement.

Glen Fredericks, of Adamstown Heights, is among those studying at Hunter Street TAFE.

"They don't do anything by halves in the screen and media course. They've got the best gear and the experience and knowledge," he said.

"I'll be producing short films for my Premium Dad Jokes Facebook page. I've already had success involving photographs going viral in the millions of views, now I want to do it with moving pictures."

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