Academy Gold Internship 2020

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Academy Gold Class of 2017. Photo via Medium.

Congratulations to the Academy Gold Interns from L.A. Film School

This summer will be the fourth year Academy Gold has opened its doors to film students. The Los Angeles Film School is proud to announce that eight of its students have been selected to participate again this year. This is an incredible achievement for each of these individuals, who will take their experience from The L.A. Film School into their internships. With so many candidates hoping for a spot, a showing of eight students from The L.A. Film School is incredible. On behalf of the school, we wish our students the very best as they embark on another step toward a future in the entertainment industry.

According to the Academy, all Gold interns will be paired with an Academy member for an eight-month mentorship upon completion of the internship. This past year, members from every branch volunteered their time and support to the program, including Bobbi Banks, Sterling K. Brown, Bruce Cohen, Joyce Cox, Michael Goi, Jane Jenkins, Eric Roth, Taura Stinson and Virgil Williams.

UPDATE: The summer internship program will be held virtually.

2020 LAFS Academy Gold Interns

  • Dan McNamera (sound)
  • Manuel Rivas (sound)
  • Travis Hatcher (sound)
  • Samuel Shoemaker (sound)
  • Alicia Simon (production design)
  • Alejandra Armijo (editing)
  • Kayleb Chan Lee (editing)
  • Carley Steichen (cinematography)

What is the Academy Gold Program?

The Academy Gold Program was created in 2017 to provide “multi-tiered educational and experiential” internships for some of the top film students in the world. Fourteen types of internships are offered as part of the experience, with options for marketing, film, TV, audio production, and casting (to name a few). The competition is fierce, and thousands apply, with just around 100 graduate and undergraduate students placed in final internships.

During one of the greatest summers of their lives, interns have “access to Academy members, industry professionals, screenings, and educational workshops” as well as a chance to get real work experience within 26 different companies who partner with Academy Gold.

The Academy Gold Program is determined to provide educational opportunities for all types of students. “We know there are a lot of diversity and inclusion programs out there,” says Bettina Fisher, the academy’s director of educational initiatives, “but we wanted to have a program that was going to move the needle.”

In 2017 — the first year of the program — 70 percent of the interns were female. As the program has expanded over the last few summers, students from across the globe have accepted internships with Academy Gold, on their way to creating a more diverse and inclusive industry.

The Academy Gold program is achieving its goals, it seems, as more than half of students gave credit to their mentor relationships from the program for helping them land another job, internship, or an introduction that moved their career forward.

These relationships and experiences are essential in the entertainment industry, something we at The Los Angeles Film School believe in.

Find out more about internships in Hollywood through our Career Development Department and Career Advisors.