TUSCALOOSA, Ala. — The University of Alabama was one of only two schools in the nation with multiple students who earned internships in 2015 through the Television Academy Foundation’s highly competitive internship program.
Telecommunication and film majors Tanner Robbins, of Hoover, Dillon Owen, of Moulton, and Christina Irion, of Spanish Fort, were selected for the prestigious program.
The Television Academy Foundation, the charitable arm of the Television Academy which annually presents the Primetime Emmy Awards, identifies talented students from across the country and provides opportunities to work with the most reputable companies in the industry, across more than 30 disciplines.
The chosen students will spend the summer in Los Angeles as part of a UA course called TCF in L.A., offered in the College of Communication and Information Sciences.
TCF in L.A. was developed by Dr. Rachel Raimist, who teaches the course in California each year.
“I hope to learn what it’s like to be a real cinematographer,” said Robbins, who will be mentored by American Horror Story cinematographer Michael Goi during his internship. “I want to see how preproduction, production and postproduction actually work for a professional DP (director of photography) and what kind of pressures are put on them.”
Owen will be working for Revelations Entertainment, a production company co-owned by superstar actor Morgan Freeman. His work will involve a variety of administrative and production-related tasks, including researching site locations and reading scripts.
“I hope to gain knowledge that is far greater than what I can receive in a traditional classroom,” Owen said. “I want to know how a production company is run, how to network and make lasting connections that will benefit me for the rest of my life and to gain more experience in the postproduction side of things, whether it’s in the editorial process or marketing aspect of pushing a product and getting it noticed before its release.”
Irion will intern with the Wolper Organization, based in the backlot at Warner Bros. She was part of the TCF in L.A. class during summer 2014 and returned in 2015 for the internship.
“I am a television development intern for scripted television,” Irion said. “I will be sitting in on conference calls for television shows in preproduction, pitches for new shows, and meetings on shows that the company is developing now. It’s very exciting to see a show built from the ground up and what it takes to get it off the ground.”
Robbins said being able to add such an internship to his resume should give him a huge leg up when applying for future jobs.
“The Television Academy Foundation’s internships mean something in this industry,” Robbins said. “Not only will I have that recognition on my resume, but I will have experience that not many other people my age can say that they’ve had.”
Applications for the 2016 Internship Program will open next spring at http://www.emmys.com/internship
About the Television Academy Foundation
Established in 1959 as the charitable arm of the Television Academy, the Television Academy Foundation is dedicated to preserving the legacy of television while educating and inspiring those who will shape its future. Through renowned educational and outreach programs such as the Archive of American Television, College Television Awards and Student Internship Program the Foundation seeks to widen the circle of voices our industry represents and to create more opportunity for television to reflect all of society. For more information on the Foundation, please visit TelevisionAcademy.com/Foundation.