McCracken County High Alum Selected for Live Television Internship in Hollywood

McCracken County High School alumna Ava Kelly has been selected for the prestigious Television Academy Foundation Internship Program. She is one of 40 students chosen by Television Academy members from across the country for the 2025 Summer Internship Program. The Foundation offers paid internships at top Hollywood studios and production companies annually to college students nationwide.

Kelly will be a senior this fall at the University of Southern California (USC) majoring in Cinema and Media Studies with a minor in Entertainment Industry. She will be a live television production intern this summer at Bob Bain Productions in El Segundo, CA, through the Foundation’s program. Executive Producer Bob Bain is one of the industry’s leading producers of event television. For two decades Bob Bain Productions has been at the helm of the popular Teen Choice Awards, Kids Choice Awards and the Critics Choice Awards. Bain has also produced Fox’s New Year’s Eve LIVE Special as well as the Billboard Music Awards, American Country Awards and numerous music specials.

“I am the most excited about not just learning from the most talented individuals in live television, but then returning to my senior year of film school and imparting my newfound knowledge on my cast and crew at the Trojan Vision Live Television Studio at the University of Southern California,” said Kelly.

“My education in Kentucky did not include a formal film background like the majority of my peers in California,” said Kelly. “Everything I did with a camera was self taught with hours upon hours of YouTube videos. I also did not have the money to purchase camera equipment, so anytime I made a profit from an amateur shoot in my home state, I'd turn around and invest that money in building my kit and gear. When I got to film school, I had to play a fair amount of catch-up in order to be on the same caliber as the majority of my classmates due to my self-taught and funded background. If I made a mistake, I could only make it once and learn from it. In all, I think it made me a better creative because all of the "catch-up" demonstrated my true passion for the art form.”

“I want to be the next great director of the Emmys, Oscars, Grammys, or Tonys,” said Kelly. “In my opinion, a camera move in an awards show is just as calibrated and important as the opening shot of 2001: A Space Odyssey. There is something so inherently special about recognizing and applauding creatives in an award space by using an art form of production that everyone being honored is familiar with. It would feel as if I was honoring the people that made me fall in love with the arts if I were able to direct their awards ceremony.”

Originally from Paducah, Kentucky, Kelly attended McCracken County High School in McCracken County, KY.

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. For more information on the Foundation, please visit TelevisionAcademy.com/Foundation.