Kimberly Macharia, a sophomore philosophy major at Rhodes College, has accepted a highly sought-after spot in the Creative Mind Group at Cannes Internship Program.” I’ve always wanted to work in the film industry and am so excited to be able to get a taste of it through such a wonderful opportunity,” she says.

The Creative Mind Group is a company located in Hollywood, Calif., which provides international film programs at the world’s most prestigious film festivals and markets. Only a select number of interns are chosen for the Cannes Film Festival in France. The internship is two weeks in May and affords participants opportunities to work with noteworthy film/television companies, meet with major directors and producers, attend exclusive parties and networking events, and receive assistance securing a job after the festival.

For the application process, Macharia submitted a resume, recommendation letter, and a video about transformative experiences that have shaped who she is, including her gap year in Bolivia and her screenwriting fellowship at Rhodes. She also had to answer a series of essay questions about her industry and career goals. Macharia has been interested in the film industry from a young age. Up until graduating from George Walton Comprehensive High, she says she was particularly interested in acting. “This passion was intensified after I took a week-long trip to Los Angeles with the Atlanta Workshop Players and met casting directors at places such as Nickelodeon Studios, networked with working film/TV actors, and got a sense of what life in Hollywood is like.”

Rhodes provides students the flexibility to pursue their own personal interests through self-designed fellowships that complement coursework, strengthen analytical/creative abilities, and lead to personal and social development. Macharia attended an information session during her first semester at Rhodes and created “A Cultural Critique of American Values Through Comedy” as a result of working with the director of fellowships. “Through this multi-semester fellowship, I perform ethnographic research on different American values while taking an online comedy writing class. I then use my research and classwork to help me create comedic screenplays that I submit to various screenplay competitions.”

The online course Macharia refers to is offered through Second City, an improvisational comedy enterprise whose alumni include Tina Fey, Bill Murray, and Keegan-Michael Key. In addition to being a scriptwriter, Macharia enjoys working as a guest relations host at the Fedex Forum and writing for the Her Campus online publication for college women. She also is the host of “The Real Diehl” on Rhodes Radio.

“I have a lot of work to do before I can attain my dream of working on a satirical news show like ‘Last Week Tonight,’ and Cannes is a starting point,” says Macharia. “The experience and connections I stand to gain from the Cannes program is massive, so I intend to step outside my comfort zone and fully embrace every part of this opportunity. And I’ll make sure to keep some business cards handy at all times.”

 

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