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The Television Academy Foundation is bridging the gap between the classroom and the entertainment industry by providing direct access to the industry, nurturing careers, and offering professional development to support artists, artisans, and executives.

Last year, we were proud to celebrate the 25th Anniversary of preserving television history through The Interviews, which offer students, scholars, journalists, and fans the opportunity to learn from the leaders in our medium from yesterday and today.

Our programs are changing the entertainment industry for the better and enabling us to create a pipeline for our future while seeding the stories that will connect, entertain, inform, and inspire.

Cris Abrego, Television Academy Foundation Chair

Read until the end to play our trivia game!

A warm welcome to the newest members of the Foundation's Board of Directors!

From left to right: Scott Evans, Emmy-nominated entertainment journalist; Alix Jaffe, Executive Vice President, Television, at Village Roadshow Entertainment Group; Paula Williams Madison, Chairman and CEO, Madison Media Management LLC; Babette Perry, Head of Broadcasting and Hosting, Innovative Artists.

"We are thrilled to welcome our esteemed industry colleagues to the board. We look forward to working together and implementing their collective professional expertise to continue the Foundation's mission to diversify and nurture television's next generation of leaders while capturing the stories of the industry's icons." - Cris Abrego

The Interviews 25th Anniversary

Onstage that night are (Left to Right) Cris Abrego, famed costume designer Bob Mackie and Scott Evans. On Dec. 6, 2022, the Television Academy Foundation invited all of their interviewees and archivists together to celebrate 25 years of interviews. The Interviews: An Oral History of Television is a video collection of first-person interviews with influential figures involved in the birth and growth of the television industry.
(Left to Right) Bob Mackie and Jo Anne Worley. (Left to Right) Scott Evans interviewed Bob Mackie during the event. To date, the Television Academy Foundation has captured over 900 oral history interviews (approximately 3,000 hours) with television professionals across all positions and genres. Bob Mackie and Jo Anne Worley celebrate this collection of videos, which preserves the rich history of television and the personal stories of its pioneers and innovators, as a primary source for future generations.
(Left to Right) Frank Scherma, Television Academy Chair, and Scott Evans. Currently, 321 interviews have been delivered to the USC digital repository for long-term preservation consisting of 1,679 tapes and 13,583 files.

The Foundation invites you to make a gift to the Interviews Preservation Fund to help preserve this rare resource for generations to come.

Check out some behind-the-scenes photos of The Interviews over the years:

The Power of TV: Reshaping Breast Cancer Narratives

In January 2023, The Power of TV: Reshaping Breast Cancer Narratives was presented by the Foundation in partnership with USC Hollywood Health & Society.
Moderated by Carri Twigg, Co-Founder and Head of Development of Culture House, Krista Vernoff, Showrunner and Executive Producer, Grey's Anatomy and Station 19, Kristi Korzec, Writer and Co-Executive Producer, Superman and Lois, Alena Smith, Creator of Dickinson on Apple TV+, Carlie Thompson, Board-certified and fellowship-trained breast surgical oncologist joined the discussion.

"The most helpful thing that I think media can do is educating and providing awareness about breast cancer risk." – Carlie Thompson, MD

Internship Program Spring 2023

The Television Academy Foundation welcomed the students of the Spring 2023 Internship Program!

This year’s program started February 6, as 12 talented students enjoyed their internships with a variety of host companies including Hulu, CBS Television Studios, and more!

These students spent the Spring semester gaining hands-on experience with industry professionals, networking opportunities, and the ability to further their exploration of the entertainment industry.

Visit our website to learn more about the Class of 2023!

Summer is right around the corner be sure to check the next Focus Newsletter to learn more about the Summer interns.

42nd College Television Awards

Out of 132 entries from across the U.S., 21 student projects were nominated for this year's College Television Awards (CTA). The ceremony was held on April 1, 2023, which recognized and rewarded excellence in student-produced programs from colleges nationwide.

Click here to view the full list of winners.

Leading up to the awards ceremony, the nominated students participated in professional development sessions at HBO, FX Networks, DreamWorks Animation, Access Hollywood, KTLA, and Creative Artists Agency. Nominees also networked with media-industry leaders at the Industry Professionals Breakfast.

Click here to watch the 42nd College Television Awards Ceremony.

A special thank you to our sponsors People, United Airlines, Warner Bros. Discovery, The Loreen Arbus Foundation, and the Johnny Carson Foundation.

The Power of TV: Representing Climate Change On Screen

In April 2023, The Power of TV: Representing Climate Change On Screen was presented by the Los Angeles Times with additional support provided by The Walt Disney Company.

Panelists for the event included the award-winning screenwriter, director, producer, playwright, and creator of the Apple TV+ series Extrapolations, Scott Z. Burns; founder and CEO of Good Energy, Anna Jane Joyner; creative director of the NRDC's Rewrite the Future Initiative, Meredith Milton; and co-creator of Mixed-ish, Peter Saji, who was the recipient of the 2020 Environmental Media Association Award. The discussion was moderated by Los Angeles Times environment reporter Rosanna Xia.

College Television Summit

This year's College Television Summit took place virtually April 25 and 26 and was attended by television and media arts students from two-year and four-year universities nationwide.

The College Television Summit featured industry leaders, including Emmy winners, creative and business executives, agents, and more, providing college students with an insider's guide to a career in the television industry.

Click here for more information.

Fall Intern Applications

The application period for Fall 2023 internships has just concluded. We are in the process of reviewing the abundance of applicants.

The Foundation will offer paid, part-time internships to full-time students who will be enrolled in college/university in the Greater Los Angeles Area (counties of Los Angeles, Orange, Riverside, San Bernardino and Ventura) and semester in LA programs ONLY.

These internships provide incredible opportunities to get hands-on experience and connect with industry leaders.

For more information about hosting the future leaders in the industry click here.

The Television Academy Foundation welcomes three of its newest staff members!

Left to Right: Arrian Maize, Production Coordinator, Brooklyn Snyder, Program Manager, and Kirsten Manda, Executive Assistant.

Arrian Maize, Production Coordinator

Arrian is our most recent addition to The Interviews team. Throughout her career as an artist and a non-profit arts administrator, she has directed and launched several community-based programs and companies throughout the Washington D.C. and Los Angeles areas. She’s committed to amplifying the voices of marginalized artists and is excited to continue to make an impact at the Television Academy Foundation.

Brooklyn Snyder, Program Manager

Brooklyn is thrilled to permanently join the Foundation’s team as a Program Manager after serving as a Program Coordinator for the past six months. Coming from the Music Academy of the West in Santa Barbara, she has a background in arts education, development, event coordination, and database management. She looks forward to growing programs that best prepare the future leaders of the television industry.

Kirsten Manda, Executive Assistant

Kirsten most recently worked at Civic Entertainment, Ryan Seacrest’s marketing and activations company, where she assisted the CEO and CCO as an executive assistant. She also helped form Civic’s LGBTQIA+ ERG group as a founding member of their DEI Council. Initially an opera singer and concert pianist living in NYC, she now sings lullabies (and Taylor Swift lyrics) to her 8-month-old daughter, Lucy. In her free time, she enjoys watching tv, crafting, and all things Star Wars

Credits:

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