Bailey Johnson
Jane Sparango
Media Contact
Hayesville High School alumna Bailey Johnson 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 2024 Summer Internship Program. The Foundation offers paid internships at top Hollywood studios and production companies annually to college students nationwide.
Bailey is a 2024 graduate of The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill who majored in communications studies with a media production focus. She will be an intern this summer in the documentary production department of Marwar Junction Productions in Los Angeles, Calif. through the Foundation’s program. Marwar Junction Productions is an independent production company known for creating distinctive content for television and streaming services, such as “Krishnas: Gurus. Karma. Murder,” “Elizabeth Smart: Autobiography,” “Eli Roth’s History of Horror” and the highly anticipated “Perfect Wife” a documentary on the Sherri Papini kidnapping hoax for Hulu.
Originally from Hayesville Johnson attended Hayesville High School. Her parents are Missy and Brad Johnson, of Knoxville, Tenn. Grandparents are Bill and Susan Johnson, of Fredericksburg, Va. and Sonja and Larry Silvers, of Hayesville.
“As someone from a very small town on the other side of the country, I’m ecstatic to have been chosen for this amazing opportunity to spend the summer learning from key members of the entertainment industry in Hollywood,” said Johnson. “I’m most excited to meet and build connections with my fellow interns and industry professionals.
“Growing up in a rural, isolated town in the Appalachian mountains, representation and opportunities for successful careers in the arts were scarce; so I never realized that was a real option for me until college,” said Johnson. “Since opening that door, I have been fortunate to have had amazing experiences and opportunities, including this one. I have always been drawn to art in all forms,” continued Johnson. “When I found film and television production, I fell in love with the ability to create a world that others can step into using the power of creative storytelling and that is what inspired me to pursue it as a career.”
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 more than 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.