TU students complete Television Academy Foundation summer internship program

By Rebecca Kirkman on August 19, 2021

Jovan Brooks ’22 and Hannah Froehlke ’22 return to campus this fall with some impressive new credentials—paid, eight-week summer internships with top Los Angeles production companies.

The seniors studying electronic media and film (EMF) were among 50 students nationwide to participate in the Television Academy Foundation’s summer programs and among just two dozen of those students placed at remote development internships with host companies. Only one other educational institution—California State University, Long Beach—was represented by more than one intern.

From the charitable arm of the Television Academy, producers of the Emmys, the program places students selected by members of the foundation with host companies, where they get hands-on learning opportunities with professionals at the top of their game in the television industry. In addition, students are invited to weekly online panels in the evening with leaders in the television industry and customized seminars covering personal brand building and navigating the job market ahead.

Froehlke, who was born in China and raised in Princeton Junction, New Jersey, has always dreamed of working in television. When she saw the Television Academy Foundation Internship advertised in the EMF newsletter last winter, she jumped at the opportunity. 

As an intern in the scripted television series department at Burbank, California-based Wolper Organization, part of the Warner Bros. family, Froehlke spent most days reading potential series scripts and sharing feedback.

“I’m learning how the television industry works, and it’s really fun getting to read professional scripts from real writers,” she says. “As an intern, a lot of what I do is give feedback and opinions about upcoming projects they have. The people at the company are very nice, and I love the work I’m doing for them.”

Brooks, who is from Upper Marlboro, Maryland, interned remotely in the scripted series department at Pine Tree Entertainment, a new production studio based in Hollywood and helmed by Bill Prady, producer of “The Big Bang Theory,” and former Netflix executive Chris Sanagustin. 

Brooks said he immediately felt like a valued member of the team. On his first day, he was tasked with creating a lookbook for a series in development, a tool used to convey the look and feel of a project through stills, photos and other visual media.

“That's a very crucial part in the development or the pitching of a show to studios,” Brooks says. “Being asked to do that the first day was surprising and just really amazing to me.”

In addition to acquiring real-world skills and experiences they can bring back to campus and into their professional careers, Brooks and Froehlke had the chance to learn from leaders in the industry and network with their peers at universities across the U.S. They join a growing network of program alumni who now hold lead positions across the industry. 

“It's not just about doing the work, it's about getting to know the people that are doing the same thing that you love,” says Brooks. “I've been able to gain a lot of advice about how to approach graduation, what options there will be for me when I graduate, but I also just really felt like a part of the team. And that's been a really great learning experience for me.”

It’s a similar feeling to the community Brooks has made at TU.

“One of my favorite parts about being an EMF major is the connections,” he says. “And then the second-best part to me is just the fact that we get to create, having that structure gives you one or two films a semester, and I've just loved being able to build my profile and keep making films and telling stories.”

When he graduates, Brooks aspires to be a writer–director telling unique coming-of-age stories, especially those of people who look like him.

“From an early age I would write stories about myself, my relationship with my older brother and his perseverance with cerebral palsy and different fictional characters,” Brooks says, pointing to shows like HBO’s “Euphoria” for capturing the bliss of youth through a cinematic lens. “Such shows, along with my attachment to storytelling, continue to shape my aspirations to portray life onscreen.”

For Froehlke, working on student films and developing mentorships with faculty including Ross Angelella and Lynn Tomlinson have given her the skills and confidence to succeed not only in the summer internship but in her future career.

After graduation, she hopes to move to LA and work as a screenwriter in the television industry. 

“My advice would be to get as much experience as you can but also just keep taking chances, no matter how impossible something may seem, because that's what I did with this internship,” Froehlke says.

MORE INFORMATION

Studying electronic media and film at TU

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