LOS ANGELES – The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences has received commitments from 25 partner companies for the fifth year of its Academy Gold Rising program. Gold Rising, formerly called Academy Gold, is an entertainment industry internship enhancement and mentorship program for students and young professionals from underrepresented communities. The summer program will be virtual for the second time, enabling interns to participate from anywhere in the world.
Alongside the Academy, participating partners include AMC Networks, Annapurna Pictures, The Black List, Bron Studios, Circle of Confusion, Creative Artists Agency (CAA), DTS (part of Xperi Corporation), The Walt Disney Company, Dolby Laboratories, Evolve Entertainment Fund (Mayor’s Office), Formosa Group LLC, FotoKem, Fremantle, Illumination Entertainment, Monkeypaw Productions, Moving Picture Institute, NBCUniversal Filmed Entertainment Group, Paradigm Talent Agency, Paramount Pictures, Participant, Shout! Factory, Streamland Media, United Talent Agency (UTA) and WarnerMedia.
“Over the past five years, the Gold Rising program has steadily evolved and grown, ushering hundreds of alumni into the start of their careers,” says Academy governor and education and outreach committee chair Wynn P. Thomas. “We are eternally grateful to our incredible partners who help open doors to a more inclusive field and bring dreams closer to reality for this talented group of young people. Along with my fellow members of the Academy, I look forward to meeting and mentoring this new class as they begin their journeys.”
“During a time with so many unprecedented challenges for artists, filmmakers and young professionals looking to explore their futures, the Gold Rising program will continue to offer participants meaningful, relevant and hands-on experiences to help them find their way in our industry,” adds Academy COO, Christine Simmons. “As we continue to push towards equity and inclusion across all aspects of the Academy and greater film community, we’re excited to support new and past Gold Rising interns throughout their careers and can’t wait to see how they make their mark on the future of filmmaking.”
This summer, 100 students (including six interns placed within the Academy and the Academy Museum) from across the United States and abroad will participate in Gold Rising. The eight-week program, which concludes with a graduation ceremony on August 7th, offers participants networking opportunities with Academy members and industry professionals, a variety of panel discussions on every aspect of filmmaking, and career preparation sessions.
Each of the partners will sponsor up to three of their interns for the program, which kicked off on June 16th, with a two-day orientation that included Academy governors, members and other industry speakers, studio and agency panels, virtual tours of the Academy’s Film Archive, Margaret Herrick Library and Academy Museum of Motion Pictures, and a look into the Oscars and Scientific and Technical Awards.
The program also has a production track with online technical workshops and master classes for students interested in cinematography, costume design, film editing, production design and sound. The 35 participants in this track are from California State University Northridge, Exceptional Minds Academy, Los Angeles Film School, Los Angeles Trade-Technical College, New York Film Academy and select local community colleges from the Academy’s Community College Film and Media Arts Consortium.
Gold Rising (www.oscars.org/academy-gold/about-gold) interns will hear from more than 120 panelists and speakers over the course of the program. Upon completion of the program, all Gold Rising interns will be paired with an Academy member for an eight-month mentorship. This past year, members from every branch volunteered their time and support to the program. Gold Rising affords top film entertainment, technology, production services and digital media companies an opportunity to recruit and educate a nationwide pool of diverse talent. To date, there are 365 past Gold Rising program participants. The 2021 class is from 45 universities and is composed of 78 percent underrepresented racial/ethnic communities, 61 percent women, 43 percent LGBTQ+ and 17 percent with disability.