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	Vol.7, No 61, January 24, 2000
	Doors to show business opened By Tom Harshbarger  Daily Forty-Niner Three Cal State Long Beach students recently received $1,000 scholarships and internships in the entertainment industry.  Sebastian Puccio, Francisco Romero and Margarita Valenzuela won Buchannon Scholarships, which are awarded to Latinos seeking careers in film or electronic arts, such as producing, directing or broadcast journalism.  The scholarships range from $200 to $1,000 and go to 25 California college students each year, said Harold Cannon, a CSULB professor of Spanish who teaches the internship class. "I think the internship turns around whole careers because the students have never been so close to the entertainment industry," Cannon said.  Students receive the scholarships based on financial need and must be interviewed by the companies that hire them, Cannon said.  The Buchannon Scholarships promote diversity in the entertainment industry, which it currently lacks, Cannon said. Students can get unpaid internships at entertainment companies such as KVEA, a Spanish-language cable station, Sony Music Productions and the Walt Disney Co., Cannon said.  The behind-the-scenes experience and contacts gained can be invaluable after graduation, he said. "I thought I'd start out serving coffee or something," said Puccio, a junior majoring in broadcast journalism. "But it wasn't like that at all. All the stuff I got to do helped me learn." Puccio interned at Raleigh Studios in Hollywood, assisting cameramen in various television productions, he said.  One show he worked on was the "Golden Eagle Awards," given by the Nosotros organization, a coalition of Hispanic actors and entertainment executives that seeks to improve the image of Latinos in television and film. Romero, a senior majoring in film and electronic arts who aspires to be a director, said he began his internship doing secretarial chores such as typing and creating a database, but later received more hands-on work. He split his time between Nosotros Studios, which is part of the Nosotros organization, and The Production Group, which rents out studio space for TV shows. "I had a great time," Romero said. "It gave me a lot of insight into the entertainment business, and I established some valuable contacts as well." Valenzuela, a junior film major, interned at Velasco and Associates, a firm that helps Latin artists from abroad find work. While there, she worked with several show business veterans, she said. "One of my bosses was a producer," Valenzuela said. "She gave me some pointers about working in the business from a woman's perspective." Students interested in the Buchannon Scholarships can contact Cannon at (562) 985-1599.		CSULB spring enrollment rises   2 busted for car burglary   Student to be honored   Carpooling program eases congestion   Fraternities, sororities at CSULB offer support   Doors to show business opened Boy must go back  to Cuba   More masturbation healthy L.B. band magnificent   2pac puts in worthy performance 49ers still running after O'Neal walks   Player quits due to ‘personal reasons'   Men's volleyball steps on slugs; women's b-ball beats Nevada Spring 2000 ISSUES DAILY 49ER HOMEPAGE
Forty-Niner Publications, Department of Journalism, California State University, Long Beach © 2000 All rights reserved.