Veteran Fellowship Program in Place for Media & Entertainment

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Partners such as 21st Century Fox, Endemol Shine North America, A+E Networks, HBO and Lionsgate are backing the Veteran Fellowship Program, a new initiative designed to place and mentor qualified military veterans throughout the media and entertainment industry.

Got Your 6 and Veterans in Media and Entertainment (VME) have lined up a slew of entertainment partners to help support the entertainment community’s long-standing goal of expanding career opportunities for military veteran. The Veteran Fellowship Program will provide veterans with internship and career development opportunities by placing them in corporate (marketing, legal, business affairs) and creative internships (from on-set to on-site at live concerts) with top-tier studios, networks, agencies, production companies, guilds and unions.

Founding entertainment partners include 21st Century Fox,
44 Blue, A+E Networks, CBS, The Ebersol Lanigan Company, DreamWorks Animation, Endemol Shine North America, HBO, Lionsgate, Live Nation Entertainment (including its House of Blues, Ticketmaster, Insomniac, and Roc Nation groups), NBCUniversal, Paramount Pictures, Sony Pictures Entertainment, United Talent Agency, Valhalla Entertainment and Viacom. Industry partners pair Veteran Fellows with mentors, organize monthly internal education meetings and host industry-side networking events on a rotating basis to bring together the entire class of Fellows.

“As Got Your 6 celebrates our five year anniversary, we applaud the entertainment community’s growing recognition of our veterans as the leaders and assets we know them to be,” said Iraq War veteran and Got Your 6 Executive Director Bill Rausch. “In the past, veterans were the best kept secret in Hollywood. Today, they are not only proving to be invaluable contributors in telling accurate and compelling veteran stories, they’re bringing their ingrained sense of teamwork and dedication to employers all over Hollywood.”

Cris Abrego, CEO of Endemol Shine North America, said, “We’re proud to be one of the initial studios to participate in the Veteran Fellowship Program, an important initiative that will provide our military veterans with first-hand experience and career opportunities across a wide array of entertainment disciplines.”

HBO’s executive VP of programming, Amy Gravitt, added, “Making the leap from the Navy into an industry internship was a dizzying and pivotal moment in my life. I’m proud to work at a company that is providing that same opportunity for a new crop of veterans, with the help of Got Your 6 and VME.”

Karen Kraft, VME board member, added, “We want to give a very special thanks to Got Your 6 and Macy’s for making this initiative possible. These competitive internships will enable a new generation of veterans to find real-world work experience, and mentors, as they build their second careers in the entertainment industry. And, as more civilians meet and work with veterans, and realize how unique we are from our diverse backgrounds to our career aspirations, veterans can showcase their professionalism, creativity and dedication.”

“We are proud to participate in the launch of a program designed to further industry opportunities for our veterans,” said Lionsgate’s chief human resources officer, Ross Pollack. “Their experience, dedication, and work ethic helps strengthen our employee workforce, and initiatives supporting their recruitment and hiring are a top priority for us.”

Laura Roenick, director-development of recruitment and diversity at UTA, said, “UTA has been an official partner of Got Your 6 since its inception and we’re thrilled to see how the program has evolved to now include fellowships for veterans. This initiative is a tremendous opportunity to support veterans who will be our industry’s next generation of leaders.”