Academy announces the eighth year of Gold Rising

The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences announces the 2024 Academy Gold Rising talent development program, an eight-week summer educational and networking initiative that helps college seniors, recent graduates and young professionals acquire the knowledge, skills and connections to achieve careers in the film industry.  Through internships with the Academy and partner companies, Gold Rising offers unprecedented industry access, connecting participants with valuable work experiences within film, technology, production and digital media.  Upon completing the program, each Gold Rising participant will be paired with an Academy member for an eight-month mentorship.

“The Academy’s Gold Rising program cultivates the next generation of storytellers and artisans.  We eagerly anticipate guiding this year’s class to demonstrate and instill a deep appreciation of how each discipline and aspect of filmmaking contributes to the collaborative nature of our industry,” said Brooke Breton, Academy governor and member of the Academy Foundation Board of Trustees.

In addition to valuable internships, the Academy Gold Rising program also includes the Gold Rising production track, which is available for students from Los Angeles community colleges, state schools and trade schools who have a specific behind-the-camera career focus on cinematography, costume design, film editing, production design, sound or visual effects.  Students in this track will get hands-on experience shooting on a soundstage and complete a short film project alongside Academy members and film professionals.

This year, 86 students and young professionals and 18 film and entertainment companies will participate in the program.  Gold Rising’s 2024 partners include The Black List, Creative Artists Agency (CAA), DTS – Xperi, The Walt Disney Company, Dolby Laboratories, FotoKem, Fremantle, Group Effort Initiative, Lionsgate, Monkeypaw Productions, Moving Picture Institute, Panavision, Paramount Pictures, Shout! Factory, Sony Pictures Entertainment, United Talent Agency (UTA) and Universal Filmed Entertainment Group.

“The Academy is dedicated to inspiring young artists and creating opportunities for underrepresented communities to engage with the film world.  The Academy Gold Rising program is a core part of this focus as it fosters pathways of access to the film industry to talented individuals from a wide range of backgrounds, experiences and perspectives,” said Kendra Carter, Academy Senior Vice President, Impact and Global Talent Development.  “We’re grateful to our generous partners, donors and Academy members, who enable us to share our commitment to creating opportunities for all voices to be heard and valued.”

The program kicks off tomorrow, June 12, with a two-day orientation that includes tours of the Academy Film Archive, the Academy’s Margaret Herrick Library and the Academy Museum of Motion Pictures as well as Walt Disney Animation Studios and Warner Bros. Discovery Studios.

Over the course of the program, participants will hear from panelists and speakers on such topics as:

Anatomy of a Film – “The Fall Guy” (Pre-Production)

Production & Post-Production – “A Quiet Place: Day One”

Expecting the Unexpected: A Conversation on Documentary Filmmaking

The Magic of Visual Effects and Special Effects

LGBTQ Storytelling as Collective Art & Advocacy

Mind Matters: Accessing Resources for Mental Wellbeing

With the program now in its eighth year, there have been more than 650 past Gold Rising participants.  The 2024 class is from 40 colleges and universities and is comprised of 63% underrepresented racial/ethnic communities, 64% women, 32% LGBTQ+, 16% with disability and 7% veterans

Gold Rising is part of Academy Gold, a global talent development and inclusion initiative that provides creative individuals of diverse backgrounds access and resources toward achieving their career pathways in filmmaking.  Academy Gold also includes career launch programs such as the Student Academy Awards and career growth programs such as the Academy Nicholl Fellowships in Screenwriting and Gold Fellowship for Women.  All past participants and award recipients of these programs become a part of the Gold Network , which provides networking opportunities, access and career advancement services.

Academy Gold Rising is supported by grants from The James Irvine Foundation, JPMorgan Chase, Snap Foundation and Dwight Stuart Youth Fund.  Additional support is provided by Gold tier partner, The Walt Disney Company.

Other funding generously provided by the Los Angeles County Department of Arts and Culture, Leon Silverman, Lisa Kaye and Randy Haberkamp.

In-kind support is provided by 424 Post, Disney Digital Studio Services, Harbor Picture Company, Panavision, Exceptional Minds, Filmmakers Academy, Los Angeles Film School and New York Film Academy.