Decatur Student Lands Television Academy Foundation Fellowship

Kellynn Beasley, of Decatur, GA, was selected for the Television Academy Foundation’s prestigious 2020 Summer Fellows program.

Beasley, a senior at Georgia State University, is majoring in film with a minor in marketing. She was a scripted series development fellow this summer through the Foundation’s program. Beasley attended Newton High School in Covington, GA.

Normally, 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 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.

“I feel honored and very proud of myself to know that I was chosen for this fellowship,” said Beasley. “It’s like a confirmation of all the things about myself that I’d previously doubted---my talent, originality, and the ability to make my goals manifest. Being chosen for this fellowship is an extra push for me to strive for even grander feats in the future.”

The Summer Fellows Program included 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. Fellows also become life-long members of the Television Academy Foundation’s alumni family giving them access to events and networking opportunities as they build their careers in the industry.

The program included 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.