This summer, Recording Arts major Zoe Cannon ’23 was selected for the Television Academy Foundation’s prestigious internship program. She was one of just 40 students chosen from across the country for an internship with one of the Television Academy’s top Hollywood studio and production company partners. For her placement, Cannon was a sound intern at Smart Post West, a post-production audio facility in Santa Monica.
When researching internship opportunities, Cannon was interested in roles with a studio or sound house that focused on film and TV with hands-on learning to expose herself to the post-production process. When she came across the opportunity with the Academy, it delivered everything she was looking for in an internship program. In addition to providing practical training, the Television Academy provided Cannon with access to weekly professional development sessions with leaders in the television industry and seminars covering navigating the job market ahead.
Through interning at her host company, Smart Post West, Cannon was exposed to several different departments and career opportunities that she hadn’t explored before starting the program. Through shadowing mentors, Cannon was able to learn from their professional experience and develop essential skills. Her internship gave her confidence in her knowledge of Pro Tools, audio editing, ADR (Automated Dialogue Replacement), and studio practices, while allowing her to learn more about the career path she hopes to pursue.
When asked how her time as a Recording Arts major prepared her for the Academy’s program, Cannon said “I wouldn’t have been able to achieve this without the support of my RECA professors and peers. They’ve taught me a lot of I knew coming into the program and continue to let me develop my skills. There’s a class requirement every semester to work on a student project, which allows me to put what I learned in class into practice while connecting with other SFTV students. SFTV is really good at fostering community in the sense that we all work on each other’s projects.”
Entering the industry with a conscientious mind is a top priority for Cannon. During her time at LMU, she has been given the space and community to grow and explore connecting to her Asian American roots through AAPI clubs such as Han Tao and Nikkei Student Union. In her SFTV classes, she’s prioritized working on projects that tell the stories of underrepresented voices, have been written or crewed by BIPOC, womxn, and members of the LGBTQ+ community. Regarding her post-graduation goals, Cannon ultimately hopes to be a post-production sound editor and ADR supervisor, while being part of a team that contributes to safe and uplifting environments. As she continues to develop her skillset, she also hopes to be able to teach audio one day down the line as well.
