For Immediate Release: Contact: Richard Pierce Tuesday, May 13, 2008 212.998.6796 richard.pierce@nyu.edu
Two student writers from the Rita and Burton Goldberg Department of Dramatic Writing at New York University’s Kanbar Institute of Film and Television in the Tisch School of the Arts (TSOA) have been selected to participate in the 2008 Comedy Central Summer School Program. The Summer School program, now in its fourth year, offers students of color the opportunity to gain practical skills in the field of professional comedy writing at a cable television network. The Summer School program runs from June 9 through August 1.
Philadelphia native by way of Boston Amit Ashraf, a senior, and Hong Kong native Ellen Chan, ‘08 alumna, are this year’s TSOA students in the internship program.
Every year, Comedy Central reaches out to the writing programs at Brooklyn College, Columbia University, Emerson College, Fordham University, Howard University, Hunter College, NYU, and Northwestern University to ask for three nominations from each for the Summer School program. Students must submit two comedy writing samples and two personal references. Senior executives at Comedy Central narrow the field and then interview finalists in person or by phone before selecting up to a total of eight students for internships each summer.
Comedy Central is proud to point out that two of its past Summer School participants went on to land fulltime jobs at the cable network. And another Summer School alumnus, Donald Glover, who is an ‘06 TSOA Dramatic Writing alumnus, is now a comedy writer on the hit NBC television series 30 Rock.