Oakland Student Lands Television Academy Foundation Internship

Alana Walker, of Oakland, CA, has been selected for the prestigious Television Academy Foundation's 2020 Internship Program. Walker is interning remotely this summer in the animation development department at The Jim Henson Company in Los Angeles , CA.

Walker, a junior at Grinnell College in Iowa, is majoring in studio art.

“When I was in high school I visited Pixar Animation Studios and I saw the artwork that was produced to create The Incredibles 2. I saw all the clay models and drawings created to construct the worlds the characters existed within,” said Walker. “I have always loved animation but I was unaware of how much work artists contribute to these projects. I wanted to pursue art as a career but I didn't know which professions were available to me until the tour. Afterward, I decided that I wanted to become an artist for animated projects.”

“I'm very excited to work with the Television Academy Foundation and The Jim Henson company and have them as my mentors as I learn more about the television and animation industries. This opportunity reaffirms that I possess the potential to become an animator and motivates me to practice my art more,” said Walker.

Typically, the Television Academy Foundation's annual Internship Program provides 50 paid internships, at top Hollywood studios and production companies, to college students nationwide. Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the Television Academy Foundation has had to re-imagine its internship program this year offering the 50 students selected from across the country the chance to either intern remotely or enroll as a Summer Fellow.

The program includes virtual one-on-one visits with professionals in a student's field of study, online panels with leaders in the television industry, and customized seminars covering personal brand building and navigating the job market ahead. Interns also become life-long members of the Foundation's alumni family giving them access to events and networking opportunities as they build their careers in the industry.

The program includes a series of professional development webinars for students with top industry professionals including writer/director Gina Prince-Bythewood (The Old Guard ); Amazon Studios executives Albert Cheng, (Chief Operating Officer and Co-Head of Television) and Vernon Sanders (Co-Head of Television); and the executive producer of the Apple TV+ series Little Voice Sara Bareilles and series star Brittany O'Grady.