A New Initiative for Black Undergraduate Students in Partnership with CUNY
Black Theatre United (BTU), a non-profit organization that helps protect Black people, Black talent, and Black lives in theatre, announces the launch of the Broadway Marketing Internship Program, a summer-long initiative that provides 8 paid internships for undergraduate education students. The pilot program is a first-of-its-kind collaboration between Black Theatre United, CUNY, and four of New York’s top live entertainment advertising and marketing agencies: Serino Coyne, AKA, RPM and Situation Interactive. With a strong focus on and commitment to increasing access for Black, Indigenous, and students of color who have an interest in this arena, yet open to all, this program will provide a learning space to develop a deeper understanding of how the industry operates by working with the various companies and organizations that keep Broadway moving. Two students will be placed with each of the four participating agencies for the eight-week paid program, which runs June 27 – August 19, 2022. Applications are available now at BlackTheatreUnited.com and are due by Monday, March 28, 2022.
The goal of the Broadway Marketing Internship Program is to create a learning space for Black students to: develop an understanding of the inner workings of the Broadway industry; become familiar with the companies and organizations that keep Broadway moving; put their coursework into practice in a real work environment; and get close to industry jobs to see what might spark their interest and curiosity. The program is open to all students currently enrolled in undergraduate programs.
BTU and the four participating agencies believe the Broadway Marketing Internship Program will open doors to educate and inspire Broadway’s new, next generation, as the theater industry reflects on how it can better serve communities of color and create access and pipelines in underrepresented fields within our industry. Students and their points of view are going to be fully integrated into every aspect of their internships to ensure a learning space that is safe, open, and filled with support.
“This collaboration is one more step on the journey to creating pipelines and developing a more inclusive and accountable industry,” said Allyson Tucker, a founding member of BTU. “The amount of talented Black advertising candidates and other advertising candidates of color is staggering and untapped when it comes to the theatrical industry. Providing opportunities for intelligent and creative artists of color to authentically and holistically hone their abilities in fields where there has been no access will elevate and excite this industry in ways, we can’t imagine but can’t wait to see. The dream of a truly relevant, vibrant, thriving inclusive industry begins by ensuring that opportunities exist in every corner of this community.”
The internship will begin with a special workshop from The Business of Broadway where students will learn how a show is produced, explore the timeline of a show’s creative development and begin to understand the business model that fuels the process. During their internships, students will receive hands-on experience across all departments and specialty areas at each agency, including Strategic Planning; Research; Creative Development and Art Direction; Media Planning and Buying; Social Media; Content Development; Partnership Marketing; and Sales and Data Analytics.
In addition, the internship will provide participants opportunities to receive professional and mentorship support through relationships with veteran Broadway mentors and decision-makers, including BTU founders. Students will attend two theater-related events each week, including courses taught by creatives and thought leaders at each agency, and field trips to other New York theater organizations led by industry experts. In addition to being paid, students will receive an unlimited Metro card for the summer.
Further information from Black Theatre United: www.BlackTheatreUnited.com
