Student From Huntley Selected As ‘Future Leader’ by Television Academy

Shokie Tseumah, of Huntley, IL, has been selected for the prestigious Bob Bennett Future Leaders program by the Television Academy Foundation in Hollywood. Tseumah is one of just 10 students selected amongst the Foundation’s forty summer interns for the initiative.

Tseumah is a recent graduate of The Theatre School at DePaul University in Chicago who majored in scene design and minored in animation. Tseumah is interning this summer in art direction and set decorating with entertainment production designer and art director Adam Rowe on the CBS/Paramount+ television series Matlock through the Foundation’s program. Tseumah is one of just 40 students chosen by Television Academy members from across the country for the 2024 Summer Internship Program.

The Bob Bennett Future Leaders program, established in 2023 by the Robert M. and Marjie Bennett Foundation, supports select students from the internship program by providing financial assistance, professional development and leadership training.

From Huntley, Illinois, Tseumah attended Huntley High School.

“Being chosen for this internship is incredibly validating,” said Tseumah. “It definitely makes me feel like all the work and effort I have put into building my career and skills has been noticed and affirmed. It was a little intimidating to think the same Primetime Emmy judges have seen my work and know who I am in a little way, but it's also really exciting."

“I'm excited to really see how a professional art department runs and witness how all the various jobs and related departments all work together to collaborate and create a show,” said Tseumah. “I have a design background, so I'm familiar with how the process works in general; but the actual day-to-day operations of how TV runs is foreign to me. I'm also very excited to develop connections within my host company and with the other summer interns through the Academy and throughout the various development workshops we get to partake in over the duration of the program."

“I didn't grow up in an area with huge arts programs; and my family wasn’t really involved in creative careers,” continued Tseumah. “It has taken a lot for me to do something that others don't fully understand or think is a poor decision, while at the same time seeking out and fighting to participate in the programs that would help me learn or gain experience in my chosen industry.”

The Television Academy Foundation shapes the art of creating television by engaging and educating the next generation of television professionals providing essential resources that help them discover their voices, refine their skills and forge rewarding careers in every sector of the television industry. The Internship Program provides over 50 students from across the nation with hands-on work experience, mentorships and opportunities for accelerated career development in more than 30 disciplines annually.

The Television Academy Foundation’s Internship Program also provides professional development sessions with leaders in the television industry and customized seminars covering personal brand-building and navigating the job market ahead for participating students.

Foundation alumni include prominent writers, producers, documentarians, creative executives, network presidents and more. Interns also automatically become members of the Foundation’s alumni family giving them access to year-round events and networking opportunities as they build their careers in the industry.