C&IS IN LA offers UA students immersive internship opportunity
By Faith Henley
For UA students who dream of working in the entertainment capitol of the world, C&IS offers an opportunity for students to gain industry experience.
The C&IS IN LA program lets students of all majors study the industry, improve their skill set and build connections within the entertainment business. Students can choose between a less intensive May interim course or the full summer session. The program features opportunities for students in a variety of majors and different experience levels.
While in Los Angeles, students complete an internship, as well as attend classes, learn from guest speakers, and network with industry executives. Speakers include UA alumni such as producer Chuck Gordon and Senior Vice President at Authentic Entertainment Jeffery Weaver.
“I have heard from students that this program changed the trajectory of their lives," said Rachel Ramist, who began the program in 2014. "The students have shared that they would not have had the contacts (and for some, the courage) to move to Los Angeles and find their first job.”
In the past three years, The Television Academy (Emmys) has selected seven UA students for their highly competitive internship program as a result of C&IS IN LA. Students were selected from a variety of categories on both the business and creative side of the industry.
Acceptance into the internship program opens many doors for students who want to be successful in the entertainment industry.
“I think the program gives insight into the entertainment industry that you can't find in Alabama so if you're serious about working in the industry, then the program will give an advantage that others won't have,” said Shanrica Evans, who is now a graduate student at USC.
C&IS IN LA is the only intership of its kind at UA and rivals similar programs at top entertainment schools in the country in terms of students’ success.
“We received a lot of professional development that I still refer to in C&IS in LA – like how to network effectively, how to pitch your own job to move up, how to handle situations when they go bad etc.," said Daniel Barnes, a former C&IS IN LA student. "C&IS in LA taught us not only about the practical things about working in the industry, but also things like working with integrity and humility. This program was the foundation of my career and helped me prepare for my internship with the Television Academy which would eventually launch me into my career.”
Additionally, students in this program have completed internships for Fox Studios, Warner Brothers Studios, Warner Music Group, The Conan O’Brian Show, Awesomeness TV, Career Artist Management and many more high profile companies.
“My students know that there is no career fair for Hollywood.” Raimist said. “While the Career Center does a fantastic job with bringing companies to campus for employment recruitment, the hard truth is that if you want to work at a studio or in feature film development, as a television writer, in entertainment reporting, handling big media publicity, on the camera crew for an Emmy's winning show, as part of a Hollywood marketing team, and other ‘big Hollywood’ type positions, you have to move to a large city like Los Angeles.”
The 2017 application deadline for this program is Feb. 1.
See published version here: http://www.cw.ua.edu/article/2017/01/cis-offers-la-internship-programs
