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Business & Tech

Local Grad Kicks Off Career in Television

Remember this name: Michael Levin. You may see it in lights one day.

Holland native Michael Levin is shooting for the stars in Los Angeles this summer.

The recent Ithaca College graduate was selected from roughly 1,100 applicants for one of 39 spots in the Academy of Television Foundation’s Summer Internship Program.

"The Television Academy Foundation is proud to host one of the nation’s top programs for getting students’ feet wet in this extremely competitive industry," said Nancy Robinson, the Television Academy Foundation’s manager of education programs. "For more than 25 years, this program has been dedicated to providing interns with effective hands-on learning experiences that get them behind the scenes and beyond menial tasks like coffee and copy room runs."

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During the eight week program, which began on July 5, Levin will attend professional development workshops run by the Television Academy Foundation and take part in industry networking opportunities. His "day job" is with the Beverly-Hills based Montana Artists Agency, working with some of the industry’s top production talent representatives.

"I wanted to explore the agency track because you need agency experience to get a job, and this is a good way to learn about that side of the business," Levin said.

Levin, 21, said his ultimate goal is script writing for television or film. His career aspirations were sparked by a TV production class he took while attending high school at Council Rock South (class of 2007).

"I had the idea in high school that I wanted to be a sports writer, but I couldn’t get into the journalism class I wanted so I took TV production instead," Levin recalled. "I really enjoyed that and ended up falling in love with TV production, especially the writing aspect."

Levin is no stranger to internships; this is his fifth (albeit first paid) internship. He says he is hopeful that this internship will lead to his first full-time job.

"The big thing for me is to be likeable and make connections," Levin said. "This business is so people-oriented. You won’t get work if people don’t like you; so I’m smiling all the time. If someone asks me to make copies, then I love making copies."

Regardless of where the internship may lead, Levin says the experience has already provided valuable insight into the television industry.

"The best thing to do with internships – wherever they are – is to pay attention to what the higher-ups are doing, and see what you can learn from them just by watching and listening to how they work," Levin said. "I’ve already learned a good amount and will keep learning."

An avid television watcher, Levin’s personal lineup includes "Community," "How I Met Your Mother" and "Breaking Bad." Through the internship, he has already worked with representatives from such shows as "NCIS," "Modern Family" and "Pillars of the Earth."

"It’s cool to be on the lot of the TV Academy, to see what shows are doing and hear about them behind the scenes in areas that most people don’t know about or think about," Levin said. "Some of our clients have been nominated for Emmys; it’s cool to be along for that ride."

Levin now calls LA home, a far cry from his hometown, where he once worked at Rita’s in Village Shires. But this prodigal son is already planning his next visit back home to see friends and family in October and vows to stay grounded.

"I‘ll try to continue to be a nice person even if I make it," Levin joked. "I won’t throw pencils across the room or any of the other fun stuff you hear about people doing."

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