AUC Graduate Spike Lee continues to honor vow of, “bringing as many Black and Brown folks …in front and behind the camera.”
1/30/24
Atlanta – For the 2nd year filmmaker Spike Lee and the Gersh Agency announce the Spike Fellows Program, a fellowship to support undergraduate students at the Atlanta University Center Consortium, of Clark Atlanta University, Morehouse College, and Spelman College, with an interest in the film industry. The program is based on the principle that access plus exposure creates opportunities.
A proud “Morehouse Man” (Class of ’79), Lee received his B.A. in Mass Communication and took classes at Clark College as well as at Spelman College. “It is with great honor, privilege, and excitement to announce the Spike Fellows in association with my partners The Gersh Agency and the AUCC. From the jump, from the get-go, I knew when (not if) I opened a crack in the door, I was bringing as many Black and Brown folks with me in front and behind the camera,” said Lee. Five students from the AUC are currently Spike Lee fellows and the program hopes to welcome 5 additional students for 2024.
“I know firsthand the education one receives at a Historically Black College and University. I am who I am because of my grandmother (Zimmie Jackson) and my mother (Jacquelyn Shelton Lee) who both graduated from Spelman College. I am who I am because of my grandfather (Richard Jackson Shelton) and my father (William Lee) who both graduated from Morehouse. It’s on the campuses of Spelman and Morehouse where they met, fell in love, and got married. As my elders often told me, ‘Deeds not words,’ Lee added.
This class of Spike Fellows will also consist of five graduating seniors or juniors from the AUCC who will receive potential academic debt relief, access to industry mentorship, post-graduate internships, and potential full-time employment, all provided by Gersh. Like Lee, Gersh has a long history of supporting social issues, both as an agency and in support of its clients.
“This fellowship will provide invaluable experience and mentorship for our students desiring impact in the entertainment industry, both in front and behind the camera, said Dr. Michael Hodge, Executive Director of the AUCC. “We are pleased and grateful to AUCC alum, Spike Lee and the Gersh Agency for continuing to provide these outstanding opportunities for aspiring entertainment leaders.”
Jayson Council, Head of Culture at Gersh, will again lead the 2024 fellowship program. “I joined Gersh to lead the charge in identifying powerful opportunities and signature moments to advance cultural competence and accelerate social impact. As an HBCU graduate, I am extremely proud of Gersh and Spike for their commitment to growing opportunities for AUCC graduates.”
The fellowship program begins in Spring 2024 with five fellows selected by a panel including Spike Lee the AUCC campus community, and Gersh management. AUC students are invited to a Zoom meeting, on February 1st for an informational session to learn about the Spike Fellows at Gersh! This transformative opportunity is open to all current juniors and seniors at Clark Atlanta University, Morehouse College, and Spelman College!
If you are interested in the film industry, join the event to learn more about this unique opportunity at Gersh.
The online application is open now at: www.spikefellows.com.
Applications for this program closed March 1, 2024
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About the AUCC
The Atlanta University Center Consortium, a 501 (c)(3) non-profit corporation under the laws of the State of Georgia, formed in 1929 to operate on behalf of its member institutions–Clark Atlanta University, Morehouse College, Morehouse School of Medicine, and Spelman College—is the world’s oldest and largest association of historically Black colleges and universities. The Consortium is a vibrant intellectual community with a long tradition of scholarship, service, and community engagement.
Contact:
Teresa D. Southern
Manager of Communications, Events & Marketing
Atlanta University Center Consortium
Tsouthern@aucenter.edu
478-320-7753
