Corporate
June 2, 2009
Warner Bros. Studios Announces 2009 Reach Program Burbank Honorship Winners
(June 2, 2009 – Burbank, CA) – Warner Bros. Studios has announced local high school seniors Paige Andrews, Grace Babbes and Thomas DeMasters as the 2009 Burbank REACH Honorship winners.
Andrews and Babbes will each receive a $10,000 college scholarship, coupled with four consecutive, paid summer internships at the Studio in their specific areas of interest. DeMasters, winner of this year’s vocational Honorship, will receive a $2,500 scholarship in addition to two consecutive, paid summer internships at the Studio.
This fall, Andrews, a senior at John Burroughs High School, will pursue her passion for communications at California State University Northridge. Providence High School senior Babbes will focus on film production while attending Chapman University, and DeMasters, a Burroughs senior, will focus on technical theater at a local community college.
“I heard about the REACH Program when I was a freshman in high school, and I never imagined that one day I'd be able to be part of it,” said Andrews. “The chance to intern for a company like Warner Bros. provides me with an amazing opportunity to become more familiar with the type of work I'd like to pursue in the future, not to mention a scholarship will help finance my college education.”
“I am so excited to be the recipient of such an amazing honor. This opportunity is the difference between an average summer job and the beginning of my career as a filmmaker. I am deeply grateful to Warner Bros.,” said Babbes.
“This Honorship gives me the opportunity to step out of high school and into the workforce to form strong business relationships with professionals in the entertainment industry,” said DeMasters. “The REACH Program offers me a true shot at the career of my dreams.”
Since 2005, Warner Bros. Studios has awarded scholarship-internship packages, known as Honorships, to graduating high school seniors passionate about careers in the entertainment industry. Each year, in addition to the Local Burbank Honorships, Warner Bros. provides two Regional REACH Honorships—one to a graduating student from L.A. County High School for the Arts and the other to a student recruited by one of the Studio's community partner organizations. In addition, the Studio offers one National REACH Honorship to a graduating senior who will major in animation in college.
In the five years since the REACH Program began, 11 Burbank students have been awarded Honorships. Applicants are evaluated on their academic performance as well as their interest in pursuing careers in the entertainment industry. These Burbank Honorships are part of an initiative that was created following a community survey in which Burbank residents called for Warner Bros. to continue to create jobs and focus new resources on education and job training for youth. REACH builds upon the Studio’s longstanding partnership with the Burbank community by providing local students with on-the-job opportunities to explore the myriad career options within the company.
“Warner Bros. continually seeks new ways to meet the community’s needs, and we can’t think of a better way to do this than to provide entertainment industry education and job training to our local youth,” said Michelle Yates, Vice President, Corporate Responsibility, Warner Bros. Entertainment. “The scholarships convey our support for the students, but the internships are where we demonstrate our commitment to their career development and continued success. We are truly invested in these students and their futures—futures we hope they will spend here with us at Warner Bros.”
For more information on the REACH Program, visit www.WBCommunityConnection.com.
About Warner Bros. Entertainment
Warner Bros. Entertainment, a fully integrated, broad-based entertainment company, is a global leader in the creation, production, distribution, licensing and marketing of all forms of entertainment and their related businesses. A Time Warner Company, Warner Bros. stands at the forefront of every aspect of the entertainment industry, from feature films to television, home video/DVD, animation, comic books, interactive entertainment and games, product and brand licensing, international cinemas and broadcasting.