Snyder School of Cinema & Media Arts student Dominyk Sutton was selected for the prestigious Television Academy Foundation Internship program for the summer of 2024. She was one of just 40 college students chosen by Television Academy members from across the country for the program. The foundation offers paid internships at top Hollywood studios and production companies annually to college students nationwide, and Sutton was offered one of the internships.

“Words cannot describe the feeling I felt when I was offered this internship,” said Sutton. “It's such an honor and something I will remember forever.”

Sutton, a junior majoring in cinema and media arts with an entertainment business concentration, was placed with United Talent Agency (UTA) — one of the top agencies in the country — through the foundation’s program. In addition to providing hands-on experience in the Los Angeles office, the internship also provided 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.

Image shows the interns in the program
Sutton, second row, third from left, with the other interns in the program

Originally from Dallas, Texas, Sutton attended high school at UME Preparatory Academy in Dallas.

“At the age 8, I had to do a project on Lucille Ball,” said Sutton. “I learned what a trailblazer she was. She was not limited to just being an actor; she was a producer, writer and director as well. She inspired me by illustrating that you do not have to put limits on what you do in television.”

Without any prior experience at an agency, Sutton initially wondered whether working in the high-pressure environment was her calling.

“I prayed to God to allow me to feel welcomed in this space if it was meant for me,” Sutton said. “The day after I prayed that prayer, I began to meet more Christians at UTA and at the Television Academy. People began to soften their hearts around the topic of faith.”

Sutton excelled in her work to the extent that her internship was extended into the fall semester.

In 2020, UTA recently opened a division called the Heartland Initiative in order to focus on “storytelling rooted in the shared values of community, faith and family.” Sutton sees this as an incredible opportunity.

“Going from hopeless to hopeful about where the industry is going and my role in it has encouraged me so much. I know now more than ever that God wants me in this space,” she said.

The Snyder School of Cinema & Media Arts places high priority on helping its students secure internships. Students in the Snyder School are required to intern at least once and are strongly encouraged to have multiple internships while completing the program. The school was recently recognized as one of the top 50 film schools in the United States. Learn more and apply to the Snyder School of Cinema & Media Arts.

Written by Nate Bell, Snyder School of Cinema & Media Arts. For more information, contact Biola’s Media Relations at media.relations@biola.edu.