News Release

Local Angles: Charlotte, Durham, Elizabeth City, Hillsborough, Hurdle Mills, Kinston, Morehead City, Raleigh, Wilson, Houston, Texas, Staten Island, N.Y., Frankfort Ky., Richmond, Va.

Note: Students participating this summer are listed by hometowns at the end of this release.

UNC students hit Hollywood for show biz internships

CHAPEL HILL --Sixteen undergraduates at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill are spending the summer in Hollywood, working at show-biz internships and picking up inside tips from professional directors, producers, screenwriters, agents and cinematographers.

Though it may sound like a pitch for a new reality television series, it’s a dream come true for communication studies majors who are serious about careers in film and television. The UNC Hollywood Media Industries Internship Program allows students to earn academic credit for their work in LA and betters their prospects to land great jobs on the West Coast after graduation.

The interns work in film and television production, screenwriting, talent management, public relations, project development and distribution.

Students participate in writer meetings and "pitch" sessions, edit videos and CD-ROM productions, and review casting possibilities for films and television programs.

After work, the interns participate in nightly seminar discussions with successful Hollywood professionals, including: John Simmons, director of photography for "Once Upon A Time When We Were Colored" and "The Ruby Bridges Story;" John Schultz, director of "Bandwagon" and "Drive Me Crazy;" Dan Kolsrud, producer of "Grumpy Old Men" and "LA Confidential;" Harry Keramidas, editor of "Back to the Future" and "Children of the Corn;" and Jim Bissel, production designer for "E.T." and "Tin Cup."

Students learn about distribution from Chris DeFranco, director of sales for Buena Vista Pictures Distribution, and script development from Laurette Hayden, senior vice president for USA Network. Julien Thuan of United Talent Agency will discuss the role of the agent, and Hugh Taylor, author of "The Hollywood Job Hunter’s Survival Guide," will offer career development tips. Students will also observe the live production of "The Tonight Show with Jay Leno."

"This is a total immersion in the film and television industries," said screenwriter Paul Edwards, a Carolina alumnus who directs the Hollywood internship program. "Our interns will learn things in one summer that it took me more than five years to learn."

The UNC Hollywood Media Industries Program, which is based in the department of communication studies in the College of Arts and Sciences, has helped many students land jobs. More than half of the 120 students who have participated since the program began in 1992 have gone on to work in the entertainment business in Los Angeles, said Bill Balthrop, professor and chair of communication studies. Others have gone to graduate school or related jobs in Washington, D.C., New York and Chicago.

Students are selected for the internships based on talent (films or scripts they have already written or produced), commitment to careers in the entertainment world, knowledge of films and television and academic performance.

The program is supported by funds from the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences and from UNC alumnus Ken Lowe, president and chief operating officer of E.W. Scripps Co. of Cincinnati, as well as UNC’s summer school, communication studies department and College of Arts and Sciences.

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Students with Hollywood internships this summer, their hometowns and assignments are listed by state and town:

NORTH CAROLINA:

Charlotte

• Christopher Baker is working at Scott Free Productions, Ridley Scott and Tony Scott’s company, which produced "Bladerunner" and other major films.
• Heather Broeker is working at Cosmic Entertainment, the production company owned by Goldie Hawn and Kurt Russell.

Durham

• Philip Griffin is working for RBI Productions.

Elizabeth City

• Christa Cottemond is working for Lifetime Network

Hillsborough

• Jordan Carpenter is working for "King of the Hill," the television program produced by UNC alumni Dave Krinsky and John Altschuler

Hurdle Mills

• Sam Hargrave is working at Original Films, producers of "Sweet Home Alabama."

Kinston

• Lori Webster is working for USA Network.

Morehead City

• Courtney Graham is working for Reality Network with UNC alumna Karen Miller.

Raleigh

• Meg Barham is working at Birns and Sawyer, a camera rental house for feature films.
• Scott McFarlane is working with former UNC intern Michael Vislar for Crest National, a post-production lab.
• Daniel Miller is working at Digital Domain, the production company founded by James Cameron as the special-effects house for "Titanic."

Wilson

• Craig Boyer is working at Artisan Entertainment/Lions Gate, the producers of "Blair Witch Project" and "Buena Vista Social Club."

OUT-OF-STATE:

Frankfort, Ky.

• Mandy Helton is working at The Lippin Group, an entertainment public-relations agency.

Houston, Texas

• Alana Harrington is working at 3 Arts Entertainment, a talent management agency

Richmond, Va.

• Brian Millikin is working with UNC alumnus Michael Piller at Piller Squared Productions, producers of "The Dead Zone."

Staten Island, N.Y.

• Nataya Simmons is working with UNC alumni Bill Martin, executive producer, and Wan Park (a former intern) at the television show "Grounded for Life."

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Contact: Dee Reid, (919) 843-6339