Carnegie Mellon Grad Student Lands Television Academy Fellowship

Claudia Brownlee has been selected for the Television Academy Foundation’s prestigious 2021 Summer Fellows program. Brownlee is one of just 50 students chosen from across the country by Television Academy members for the program.

Brownlee is currently a graduate student at Carnegie Mellon University working towards a masters in Costume Design. She will be a Costume Design Fellow this summer through the Television Academy Foundation’s Fellowship program. Originally from Washington, D.C., she attended Duke Ellington School of the Arts.

“I am honored to have been chosen as a fellow with the Television Academy Foundation,” said Brownlee. “I look forward to connecting with fellow creators and exploring new opportunities that will assist in my continued education, professional growth and career development. The wealth of expertise possessed by those within the Academy makes this an invaluable opportunity.”

“I have amassed a variety of professional experiences already, from working as a stitcher in opera, a production assistant in the costume department on Spike Lee’s film BlacKkKlansman, and as a freelance costume designer and costume manager. Last year, I also started a small business making one-of-a-kind artisanal jewelry to help with the cost of graduate school. These experiences have culminated in developing my unique design perspective. Now, as I pursue my graduate degree this fellowship allows me to take what I have learned and place it in the context of the television industry,” said Brownlee.

Typically, the Television Academy Foundation’s annual Internship Program provides 50 internships, at top Hollywood studios and production companies, to college students nationwide every summer. However, 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 Summer Fellows 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. Fellows 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.