A 2024 Santa Monica College graduate has been selected as the first participant in a new Television Academy Foundation program designed to help emerging media professionals break into an increasingly difficult entry-level job market.
Tarelle Butts, who majored in entertainment promotion and marketing production at Santa Monica College, will begin an eight-week, full-time production apprenticeship May 11 with the 2026 Special Olympics USA Games in Minneapolis. He will work with the special events team in talent production and publicity, supporting large-scale, multi-sport production at an event that will unite 3,000 athletes, 1,500 coaches, 10,000 volunteers and 75,000 fans from all 50 states June 20-26.
Originally from San Jose, Butts came to the Television Academy Foundation in 2023 as an editing intern at Ping Pong Productions in Glendale. He learned about the apprenticeship through the Foundation Alumni Network, a LinkedIn page for program graduates, and was selected after a round of interviews with Special Olympics leadership.
"What drew me to this apprenticeship was the opportunity to contribute to storytelling that connects with people while continuing to build my career in television and live event production," Butts said. "I am excited to work alongside experienced professionals in a fast paced collaborative environment while supporting an event that represents resilience, inclusion, determination and joy on such a large scale."
He added: "Opportunities like this can truly change the trajectory of someone's career, and I do not take that lightly. I'm very grateful for the position and honored to be part of it."
Butts's placement marks the debut of the Foundation's Alumni Apprenticeships Program, announced April 23. The initiative places graduates of the Foundation's education programs into paid media jobs, an effort leaders say is meant to address a hiring landscape that has grown harder to navigate for young workers.
"This initiative is designed to bridge the gap between education and employment, providing our alumni with real, hands-on opportunities to begin building their careers in media," said Tina Perry, chair of the Television Academy Foundation. "We are especially honored to partner with the Special Olympics USA Games as our first employer collaborator — an organization whose commitment to inclusion and powerful storytelling aligns so deeply with our own values."
Anne Vasquez, executive director of the Foundation, said the program grew out of a strategic planning process the organization completed last year.
"We need to build a longer runway for the most promising individuals entering the industry," Vasquez said. "The Alumni Apprenticeships program is a workforce development initiative that operationalizes and capitalizes on the Foundation's deep industry connections to place the next generation of entertainment professionals in paying jobs."
For more than 45 years, the Foundation has placed dozens of interns annually at studios, production companies and agencies, serving as the employer of record. Vasquez described the new apprenticeship program as "the logical next step to that system."
The apprenticeship is underwritten by The Loreen Arbus Foundation. Loreen Arbus, a longtime Television Academy Foundation board member, was the first woman to head programming for a U.S. network, leading Showtime and Cable Health Network/Lifetime, and has been twice nominated for an Emmy. For 17 years she has sponsored the Loreen Arbus Focus on Disability Award at the Foundation's annual College Television Awards.
"We believe that equitable hiring must be backed by action, and that begins with giving diverse people a real chance to enter the workforce," Arbus said. "Launching this initiative with the Special Olympics USA Games is especially meaningful, as it reflects a shared commitment to expanding opportunity and advancing representation."
Christy Sovereign, president and CEO of the 2026 Special Olympics USA Games, called the collaboration "a testament to the Foundation's commitment to creating a more inclusive and equitable world."
The 2026 Special Olympics USA Games will be held across Minnesota's Twin Cities, with competitions at the University of Minnesota and the National Sports Center in Blaine.
Vasquez said the Foundation hopes to expand the apprenticeship program in coming years by partnering with other nonprofits that serve as gateways into the entertainment industry, and by working more formally with the studios and production companies that already notify the Foundation of job openings.
"We're also looking to redefine what job creation looks like in a gig economy," she said.