The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences announces the seventh year of Academy Gold Rising, a career development program for students and young professionals from underrepresented communities.
Gold Rising works with various studios and industry organisations to provide educational programs, career preparation sessions, and networking and mentorship opportunities with Academy members and industry professionals. Gold Rising helps college seniors, recent graduates and young professionals acquire the knowledge, skills and connections to achieve success as they navigate in front of and behind-the-camera careers in film. This year, 90 students and 21 film and entertainment companies will participate in the program.
“We are incredibly honoured to host a new group of emerging filmmakers who will undoubtedly bring their passion, stories and insights to the program each day,” said Academy governor and Education and Outreach Committee chair Wynn P. Thomas. “These young talents make our future brighter, and we can’t wait to help them grow as they explore their opportunities in the film industry.”
“The Academy is thrilled to continue providing invaluable experiences and knowledge through the expertise of our Gold Rising mentors and partners,” said Academy Senior Vice President, Impact and Global Talent Development Kendra Carter. “We are incredibly grateful to our Academy members, partners and donors for supporting this important work.”
The eight-week program kicks off today, June 7, with a two-day orientation that includes a presentation on the Academy Film Archive and tours of the Margaret Herrick Library and Academy Museum of Motion Pictures. The program concludes with a graduation ceremony on August 10. Upon completing the program, all Gold Rising participants will be paired with an Academy member for an eight-month mentorship. Academy members from every branch have volunteered their time and support to the program.
Throughout Gold Rising, participants will hear from more than 80 panelists and speakers on such topics as:
- Anatomy of a Production – “Everything Everywhere All at Once”
- Post-Production – “Chevalier”
- The Magic of Visual Effects
- Green Production & Climate Storytelling
- Authentic Storytelling in the LGBTQIA+ Space
- Destigmatizing Mental Health
Panelists include Michael Abels (composer), Bobbi Banks (supervising sound editor), Kris Bowers (composer), Michael Goi (cinematographer), Greg Hedgepath (supervising sound editor), Daniel Kwan (writer-director), Paul Rogers (film editor), Daniel Scheinert (writer-director), Brittany Snow (actor) and Jonathan Wang (producer).
The program’s specialised production track features online technical workshops and masterclasses for students interested in cinematography, costume design, film editing, production design, sound and visual effects.
To date, there have been 564 past Gold Rising program participants. The 2023 class is from 51 colleges and universities and comprises 63% underrepresented racial/ethnic communities, 57% women, 30% LGBTQ+ and 10% with disability.
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.
Alongside the Academy, Gold Rising’s 2023 partners, each of whom sponsors up to three of their interns for the program, include Amazon Studios, The Black List, Circle of Confusion, Creative Artists Agency (CAA), DTS – Xperi, The Walt Disney Company, Dolby Laboratories, FotoKem, Fremantle, Group Effort Initiative, Monkeypaw Productions, Moving Picture Institute, Panavision, Paramount Pictures, Participant Media, Shout! Factory, Sony Pictures Entertainment, Streamland Media, United Talent Agency (UTA) and Universal Filmed Entertainment Group.
Academy Gold Rising is supported by a grant from The James Irvine Foundation. Additional support is provided by the Ruderman Family Foundation and Apple Creative Studios.
Gold Tier partners include The Walt Disney Company and NBCUniversal.
The Academy Gold Rising production track is made possible in part by the JPMorgan Chase Foundation. Other funding is provided by the Los Angeles County Department of Arts and Culture, Critics Choice Association, Leon Silverman, and Randy Haberkamp.
In-kind support is provided by Exceptional Minds, Filmmakers Academy, FotoKem, New York Film Academy, and Panavision.
