Deadline – June 18, 2025

MFA Alum Chelsea Wilson (MFA ’24) got accepted to the 2025 Cohort of the Gotham EDU Film and Media Career Development Program for  New Media & Entrepreneurship Track.

Gotham EDU Film And Media Career Development Program Sets 2025 Cohort

by Matt Grobar

This year’s program will run from June 16 to August 1, featuring 37 students from 20 colleges and universities, each of whom will have their tuition covered in full by sponsorships. The curriculum will span pitching, nonprofit management, film festival strategy, entrepreneurship, and representation, with conversations and workshops that allow students to explore opportunities and carve a strategic path into the media industry.

Offering mentorship, industry insights, comprehensive resources, and support in developing selected projects, The Gotham’s Film and Media Career Development Program sorts students into one of six focused tracks that will be explored through conversations with industry professionals in their field of interest: Narrative Filmmaking, Documentary Filmmaking, Television & Episodic, New Media & Entrepreneurship, Executive Leadership, and Multi-Hyphenate Work.

Student participants will have the opportunity to attend this year’s Gotham Week, the Project Market and Expo put on by The Gotham. Select students will also get the chance to shadow with companies like Storm City Films through the Executive Ambassador track.

“Now in its seventh year, the Gotham EDU Career Development program is proud to welcome 37 standout students from an array of colleges and universities from across the country,” said The Gotham’s Deputy Director, Kia Brooks. “With the new programmatic tracks, students will gain hands-on experience tailored to their goals—setting them up for the next step in their careers.”

Added The Gotham’s Executive Director, Jeffrey Sharp, “Gotham EDU continues to open the door for emerging talent, offering students a rare opportunity to engage directly with working professionals at a formative moment in their creative lives. Thanks to incredible generosity of our supporters and partners, the program has grown into a vital launchpad for the next generation of storytellers and film and media executives, with alumni already making their mark across the industry.”

Executive Ambassador Track
Olivia Jane Graff, Savannah College of Art and Design
David Diouf, Northwestern University
Gabriela Rey, University of Southern California

Executive Leadership Track
Jessi Calidonio, Dartmouth College
Isabella Ohrt, Colgate University
Elizabeth Haberland-Ervin, New York University

Narrative Filmmaker Track
Don Ahmad, New York University
Beckett Lucas-Griffin, Yale University
Lisa Dodell, Pratt Institute
Aldo Morales, New Mexico State University
Leslie Ann Meléndez, Emerson College
Caitlyn Johnson , New York University
Alexander Prince, Illinois State University

Sidney Poitier Initiative Track for Multi-Hyphenates
Daphne Joyce Wu, Yale University
Nana Duffuor, Columbia University
Amber Rachelle Butler, University of Southern California
Juan Carlos Contreras, Columbia University
Havana Durango, Miami Dade College
Samundra Raj Ghimire, American University

New Media & Entrepreneurship Track
Sherif Ibrahim, Columbia University
Brittany Cohen, Colgate University
Minsun Kim, Feirstein Graduate School of Cinema
Shagun Kanwar, University of Southern California
Chelsea Wilson, University of Georgia
Aarushi Shrivastav, Pratt Institute

Television & Episodic Track
Pierce Whitney, New York University
Caiden Williams, Colgate University
Grace Owusu-Amoah, Colgate University
Sydnee Roberts-Crews, Ohio State University
Erika Guadalupe Luna, University of California – Davis
Jackson Heller, Northwestern University
Molly Stanfield, Northwestern University

Documentary Track
Shuhei Matsutoya, Colgate University
Sophia Abolfathi, University of Florida
Vanessa Cruz, CUNY Brooklyn College
Jean Chapiro Uziel, Columbia University
Tobias Zuniga-Shaw, Ohio State University