Skip to main content

Hollywood Internship Program


UNC Chapel Hill Well Icon

Hollywood Icon

Since 1992, the Hollywood Internship Program has established itself as a direct connection between UNC Chapel Hill and the capital of the entertainment industry. The HIP offers students unprecedented access to top of the line internships and direct connections with some of the industries leading professionals.

Since it’s founding, the HIP has placed UNC students in over 1000 high level Hollywood internships. Internships with prominent companies such as NBC Universal, Funny or Die, CBS and The Television Academy, just to name a few.

In conjunction with internship placement and guidance, each year the HIP students participate in a two months long lecture series. These lectures give students direct access to some of the industries top professionals from award winning actors, producers and directors, to cinematographers, writers and casting directors.

The purpose of the UNC Hollywood Internship Program is to ensure students are given first class industry education and opportunities while pursuing their dreams of breaking into one of the most influential and competitive industries on earth. The strength of UNC Chapel Hill is in its students and their success is our success.

Prominent UNC HIP Alum include –

Sam Hargrave

Sam Hargrave

Director of Netflix’s Extraction and Extraction 2

Andrew Carlberg

Andrew Carlberg

Academy Award Winning Producer

Hannah Settle

Hannah Settle

Supervising Producer at Paramount Global

Rayna McClendon

Rayna McClendon

Producer for Disney + and Lucasfilm

Brian Ferguson

Brian Ferguson

Post Production Manager for Netflix


Interview with Sharon Lawrence – Emmy Award-nominated and SAG Award-winning actress, Sharon Lawrence, provides insight to the Hollywood Internship Program and its importance.

Interview with Jalen Mckoy – UNC graduate double majoring in Business Administration and Communication Studies, Jalen Mckoy, recounts the highlights of his HIP experience and what he gained from the program.


Imagine being able to meet directly with some of the entertainment industry’s most successful professionals.

What could a student learn?

What could a student gain?

This is just one of the unmatched opportunities that the HIP provides.

HIP lecturers include –

Director,
Sam Hargrave

(Extraction, Extraction 2)

Sam Hargrave Image

Emmy award nominated actress,
Sharon Lawrence

(NYPD Blue)

Sharon Lawrence Image

Emmy award winning actress,
Cady Mclain

(Days of Our Lives)

Cady Mclain Image

Academy Award winning producer,
Andrew Carlberg

(Skin, Sun Dogs, Some Girls)

Andrew Carlberg Image

Voice actor,
Yuri Lowenthal

(Spider-man, Naruto)

Yuri Lowenthal Image

Head of Casting, Dreamworks animation,
Ania O’hare

Ania O'hare Image

Writer,
Jacey Hildrich

(Westworld, Handmaids Tale)

Jacey Hildrich Image

Executive Producer,
Todd Grimes

(The Croods, Captain Underpants, Lucasfilms)

Todd Grimes Image

Producer,
Calvin Brown Jr

(Married with Children, Moesha,The Parkers, My Brother and Me, The Proud Family, Single Ladies,“Living Single,The Sinbad Show)

Calvin Brown Jr Image

Collage of Images of Lecturers for HIP

 

Since 1992, the Hollywood Internship Program has prepared UNC Communication majors and Writing for Stage & Screen minors for careers in the entertainment industry.

Your donations support student scholarships and ensures that students are paired with successful professionals and mentors, and that they receive the vital hands-on experience they need to succeed.

Scan our QR code to
support HIP!

QR Code

Image of Dayci Brookshire

Dayci Brookshire

Director

Ms. Brookshire first became associated with the HIP as a volunteer 8 years ago. In 2020 she became the program’s Assistant Director. In 2022 she became the program’s first female Director.

With a career that began by voicing the beloved Geico Pothole earning her a nomination for Commercial Actress of the Year, Ms. Brookshire has gone on to act for top companies including Warner Bros, Disney, Dreamworks, CBS, Netflix, MTV and Nickelodeon. Most recently she has appeared along side Sean Astin as Jessica and Dressy in Dreamworks’ The Epic Tales of Captain Underpants and worked with Jack Black voicing Changpu in Kung Fu Panda: The Dragon Knight.

Beyond acting, Ms. Brookshire’s passion is helping others make their way in this very challenging industry. As a die hard Tarheel with a BA in Journalism and Mass Communication, Ms. Brookshire considers her role with the HIP a perfect fit and intends to build upon the incredible foundation established by her predecessors.

Image of Maxwell Carraher

Maxwell Carraher

Assistant Director

Along with Ms. Brookshire’s leadership, her team brings years of marketing, administration and entertainment industry expertise to the HIP.

Recruited by Ms. Brookshire, Mr. Carraher heads the team with 15 + years of experience in executive administration, non-profit management and brand establishment.

Sam Hargrave

Sam Hargrave

Class of 04

After graduating from UNC, Sam Hargrave went on to become a stunt performer in film and television — working extensively with Hollywood stunt company and production house 87eleven while also creating his own short films. He was the stunt double for Chris Evans’s Captain America in The Avengers and Captain America: The Winter Soldier, and later continued his work with the Marvel Cinematic Universe as the Stunt/Fight Coordinator and Second Unit Director of Captain America: Civil War, Avengers: Infinity War, and Avengers: Endgame. Sam further honed his signature eye for blockbuster film-making through his stunt coordinating and second unit directing on The Hunger Games sequels, The Accountant, Atomic Blonde, Wolf Warrior 2, and The Mandalorian — cementing himself as one of the film industry’s top action experts.

 

His feature directorial debut for Netflix — Extraction — premiered in 2020 and was watched by a record-setting 99 million households in the first four weeks. Most recently, Sam has wrapped filming the highly-anticipated sequel — Extraction 2 — and has multiple directorial efforts lined up for the future.

My time in UNC’s Hollywood Internship Program was instrumental in my career as a filmmaker. It allowed me access to “behind the scenes” of how films were developed, gave me the opportunity to form relationships in the industry that I will hold to this day, and opened my eyes to what was possible in the entertainment industry.

 

I was placed with ORIGINAL FILM, run by Neil Mortiz, and I was responsible for covering scripts and stocking soda machines, copiers and refrigerators. Thinking back, it is wild to imagine that I was the first person who got to read many scripts that came through to the company and I, a 21-year-old senior in college, was potentially responsible for helping or hindering a writer’s career based on my recommendation (or not) of the script. Yikes.

 

It was during my internship at ORIGINAL FILM that I was introduced to the first “working” stuntman I had ever met and his words helped crystalize my path – “If you can think of ANYTHING else you can do with your life, anything at all, do it. This business is harsh and it can chew you up and spit you out before breakfast. But, if this is what you truly want to do, don’t let anyone else tell you otherwise.” I couldn’t think of anything else I loved doing as much as being involved in making films, so I stayed. 18 years later and I have just finished directing my 2nd feature action film for NETFLIX, after a long career in stunts, stunt coordinating and action directing.

 

I am thankful for the opportunities provided to me by my time spent in the Hollywood Internship program. It started me down a path that last year led me back to Neil Moritz and his film company. Only this time, I was talking about directing his next film, rather than stocking the fridge.“


Andrew Carlberg

Class of 07

Andrew Carlberg

Named by Variety (alongside Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Mindy Kaling, Ryan Coogler, Beau Willimon, and Olivia Wilde) as one of “Hollywoods New Leaders,” Carlberg is an Academy Award winning film, television, new media, Broadway and Los Angeles stage producer.

 

Andrew’s extensive credits include, but aren’t limited to, ABC’s Castle, DirecTV’s Full Circle, Broadway’s Romeo and Juliet and Side Show, Celebration Theatre’s Ovation Award winning productions of The Boy from Oz, The Color Purple: The Musical, and Priscilla, Queen of the Desert, the worldwide hit improv-based show The Blind Date Project, the Neil LaBute penned feature films Some Girl(s) and Dirty Weekend, actress Jennifer Morrison’s feature directorial debut Sun Dogs (Netflix 2018), and the 2018 and 2021 Official Sundance Selection The Blazing World (short and feature).

I was part of the UNC Hollywood Internship class of 2007. The experience was invaluable to me. Not only did it provide the impetus for moving to Los Angeles; it placed me in an internship that directly led to my employment, and eventual success in the entertainment industry. I was placed at Beacon Pictures, a production company with a long track record of studio feature films. While an intern, I was hired to be a runner for the company on a temporary basis – essentially doing professional tasks and errands for the executives. One of the executives, their head of television, Laurie Zaks, then asked if I wished to be her assistant. I accepted and she immediately proceeded to shoot two pilots, one of which went on to become the hit series CASTLE. I worked with her as an assistant and creative executive for 4 years, at which point I left to produce my first feature film. I have been a self-sufficient and successful independent producer since that time. That internship, and particularly, the mentorship and encouragement of Laurie Zaks, led me to my current career path.”


Rebecca Burnett

Rebecca Burnett

Class of 14

Rebecca is currently a freelance Visual Effects Production Manager/Supervisor and has almost a decade of experience in the entertainment industry.

 

Rebecca has worked as a member of the VFX team on many TV shows and feature films – most notably she has worked on VFX blockbusters such as AntMan and the Wasp and Detective Pikachu.

 

Prior to her role in Visual Effects, she worked as a production assistant and script coordinator at Marvel Animation. As a student at UNC-Chapel Hill, she double majored in Communications and Economics.

Moving to a new city can be very daunting, but thankfully because of the Hollywood Internship Program, you aren’t doing it alone. I believe my class had roughly 10-15 people and together with those people, you’re learning about the industry through in-person meet and greets Paul Edwards set up.

 

Additionally, for me at least, I was living with 3 other graduates and we were not only “hitting the pavement” together to find work, but were also exploring this new city together. It created this bond with my fellow graduating class that I still value highly to this day.

 

A fellow Tarheel set up a meeting with a graduate that worked at Marvel who graduated a few years prior. We met for lunch which led to an interview which led to my first industry job… at Marvel, nonetheless. I was beyond thrilled and excited! I could not have been more lucky and blessed.

 

That feeling… that only was possible because the HIP program existed. Since joining the UNC Hollywood network through HIP has introduced me to so many exciting contacts whom I otherwise wouldn’t have met.
Without the Hollywood Internship Program I do not think I would be where I am today nor would I be surrounded by the amazing community I have in Los Angeles.”


Brian Ferguson

Class of 03

Brian Ferguson

Brian is currently a Post Production Manager at Netflix and has 17 years of Post Production experience in the entertainment industry. Prior to Netflix, he was a Post Producer and Supervisor on shows such as Ugly Betty, Cougar Town, Undateable, and Ground Floor before jumping over to the Studio-side as a Post Production Executive at Warner Bros TV.

 

As a student at UNC-Chapel Hill, he majored in Communications and Business Administration. Brian was a Hollywood Intern in the Class of ‘03, which led to his first job in the industry on an unscripted series.

I spent my entire childhood and early adult life dreaming of working in the entertainment industry and couldn’t imagine being anywhere but Hollywood after I graduated from college. When I realized that there was an internship program through the Communications Department, it was a no-brainer that I apply. I was so excited when I landed a spot in the program and it really lived up to my expectations.

 

My initial desire to be on the “business end” of the industry placed me in the Sourcing department at NBC. Essentially, we secured exclusive suppliers for the various needs of all of NBC’s shows. It happened to be the Summer that NBC and Universal were considering merging and I actually helped create quite a few reports that were used to assess the effectiveness of the potential merger. While it was pretty exciting work for someone fresh out of college, I was in Hollywood! I didn’t want to be in a cubicle…I wanted to be on a set!

 

Through the work I put in and the contacts I had made through the HIP, I landed my first job on the set of a reality show. It still wasn’t quite where I was hoping to be, but I learned so much in the time I worked in unscripted. With some shows on my resume and once again with the help of HIP contacts, I was then able to move over to scripted series and have been working there ever since.

 

The HIP program was instrumental in helping me progress through every step of my early career. Without the knowledge and contacts that I gained through the program, I wouldn’t be where I am today… and I might not even have been able to have a successful career in the entertainment industry. For Tar Heel students with the same dreams I had, this program is an absolute must!”

From the Director

As a program offered by the University of North Carolina Chapel Hill, the Hollywood Internship Program is supported by generous contributions from alumni and like minded professionals such as yourself.

My team and I are proud to continue providing this one of a kind opportunity to our students but we need your help to ensure it remains here for many years to come.

Please consider supporting the Hollywood Internship Program. Your generous assistance will go towards helping future UNC graduates become the next wave of trailblazing innovators in one of the most influential industries in the world, Hollywood!

Sincerely,

Dayci Brookshire

Dayci Brookshire's Signature

Director & Professor of the Practice –
UNC Hollywood Internship Program

 

Since 1992, the Hollywood Internship Program has prepared UNC Communication majors and Writing for Stage & Screen minors for careers in the entertainment industry.

Your donations support student scholarships and ensures that students are paired with successful professionals and mentors, and that they receive the vital hands-on experience they need to succeed.

Scan our QR code to
support HIP!

QR Code

HIP intro pack

Getting Credit for Your Internship

Once you’re accepted into the program, you are required to take two courses in the 2nd Summer Session for this internship. The first course is COMM 690, Special Topics in Media Studies, for three credit hours. The second course is COMM 393, Internship, for three credit hours.  You will be registered for these courses by the Department of Communication Registrar during the registration period for Summer School.  You will also need to apply for Summer School financial aid, should you need assistance with paying tuition and/or living expenses.

Graduation

Since you will be taking these courses as part of the program, you will need to postpone graduation from May until August.  If you have applied to graduate in the spring, you will need to withdraw your name through Academic Advising once you have been confirmed as being selected into the program. (You will still be able to walk in both the University and departmental commencement ceremonies in the spring, but your official graduation will not be until August.)

Housing

We strongly encourage interns to live together during the Summer. Housing can be found through AirBnB, west side rentals.com and various other avenues.

Once accepted, students will be given more information regarding where to live.

Transportation

You will need a car to get around in L.A. Students usually drive a car there, often sharing expenses and carpooling.  You might plan on taking your own vehicle, renting a car or carpooling with a fellow intern working close to your internship.

Health Insurance

Since you will be enrolled for six credit hours, you will likely be covered by UNC student health insurance.  Make sure you check to see if it will continue over the summer.

Liability Insurance

You will be required to have UNC liability insurance, which is usually $20-25 per intern for the entire summer. This insurance protects you, your internship employer and the University. Please do not confuse this with medical health insurance, which will need to be your own coverage plan.

The application process for summer 2025 internships begins October 1st, 2024 at 12:00 a.m. EST. Please note that you will need to use your UNC email/UNC portal to access the video. Please also note that the program offers priority to Seniors, but Juniors may apply.

The Hollywood Internship Program is open only to Communication majors and WSS minors. To apply, please follow the Resume-Template and Personal-Statement-Template. Resumes are limited to one page, so condense your experiences/education into a concise document. Resumes should be written with the goal of working at a company rather than simply getting into the internship program. They should fill the page.

No high school experience should be on your resume unless you worked or performed on a feature film or network television series. For faculty references, you will not need letters of recommendation; simply include the names of Department of Communication faculty who are most familiar with your work or with whom you’ve had recent class experience. The application deadline for the summer 2025 internship is October 31, 2024 at 11:59 p.m. EST.

NEW this year! Submit an ONLINE APPLICATION via the portal below. After your submission, follow the instructions on the application confirmation page to sign up for a 10 minute interview with Interim Hollywood Internship Program Director, Dayci Brookshire. Interview dates – TBA, Dayci Brookshire will reach out regarding scheduling an interview.

Internships take place with companies doing business in the most competitive arena in the world: the entertainment industry. These companies are not in the business to teach. You have to learn on the run and by osmosis! While in the program, you will work firsthand with those doing the job you are interested in pursuing, find out where your interests really lie and learn what it takes to succeed.

Applicants should be aware that once they are accepted into the program, the students work alongside Dayci Brookshire to secure internships. The process does not result in automatic internship placement.

The typical length of internship is determined to some extent by the student, but the time frame is June to August. Many students have used the program’s networking opportunities and class information to score a job in the industry after their internship ended.

Past internships have included placement at:

  • Universal Studios
  • Paramount Studios
  • Warner Brothers Studio
  • Lion’s Gate Studio
  • Marvel Studios
  • NBC network
  • CBS network
  • USA network
  • Nickelodeon
  • It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia (TV show)
  • King of the Hill (TV show)

 

Application deadline:  October 31,  2024 at 11:59 p.m. EST | Interview Dates TBA: Dayci Brookshire will reach out regarding scheduling an interview.

 

Sorry. This form is no longer available.