Spike Lee's Summer Internship Initiative Is Gearing up for Production at Morgan State University
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Spike Lee is producing a new multimedia summer internship program for students at Morgan State University.
Through a partnership with MSU's School of Global Journalism and Communication (SGJC), Lee, and The Gersh Agency, one student will have the opportunity to study film production, assist in crafting and editing scripts, and learn the essentials of filmmaking during an eight-week internship. The goal of the initiative is to prepare HBCU grads for employment in the film industry.
The program will start in June 2024 in Los Angeles or New York.
Hard at work behind the scenes, Steven Jackson, head of production and development for 40 Acres & A Mule Filmworks, initiated the program to bring it to his alma mater's SGJC. His program co-producer is another HBCU alum (Virginia State University), Jayson Council, the head of culture for the Gersh Agency. Jackie Jones, dean of the School of Global Journalism and Communication, is excited about the opportunity for the school and its students and looks forward to a lasting partnership with 40 Acres & A Mule and the Gersh Agency.
The program has roots in Atlanta with the Atlanta University Center Consortium. In 2023, Spike Lee partnered with the Gersh Agency to begin Spike Fellows as a pipeline for young Black talent seeking to work off-screen to gain experience on sets.
Five students from Clark Atlanta University, Morehouse College, and Spelman College were selected as the inaugural cohort. The interns received a paid graduate study summer internship at the Gersh Agency, Inc. Council explained that the internship includes "an agency-wide departmental rotation, senior-level industry mentoring, curated off-site learning moments, and volunteer service projects." The program culminated with the intern receiving $25,000 in academic debt relief as well as full-time employment.
The Gersh Agency was founded in 1949 by Phil Gersh and is the fourth-largest talent and literary agency in the world.