It’s Lights, Camera, Action for a T. Howard Intern

What do Time Warner Cable, CBS Sports, 63rd Emmy Awards, BET Hip-Hop Awards, and the T. Howard Foundation have in common? Francesca Amiker!

Francesca’s relationship with the Foundation began the summer of 2010, when she landed an internship with Time Warner Cable in San Diego. “My internship in San Diego fueled me. Though it didn’t relate to my exact interest, I was liberated being in a city 37 hours away from my home, where I was able to network with those who I aspired to be,” said Francesca. What she didn’t realize then was that her Time Warner Cable experience would sharpen her skills for what was yet to come.

As a Vanderbilt University undergrad, Francesca was an active, eager student with a “can do” optimistic attitude. In front of the camera, behind the camera, and spending time on campus, in the community, or with the T. Howard family, she has excelled academically, personally, and professionally. Over the past four years, Francesca has served as a role model to many and as a source of daily motivation for those she has met along the way.

This past summer of 2011, Francesca was chosen from 1,000 applicants to be accepted to the International Radio and Television Society. There, Francesca received an all-expense-paid experience to New York City, where she interned with CBS News. Within just a month at CBS, after expressing interest in the entertainment industry, Francesca was given the opportunity to tackle hard-hitting interviews and develop her taste for entertainment news journalism.

Her first on-camera interviews were with multi-Grammy award-winning artists Alicia Keys and Kelley Rowland. It was through these interviews that Francesca caught the attention of BlackTree TV CEO Jamaal Finkley. Finkley asked her to be the BlackTree TV red carpet host for the U.S. premiere of Harry Potter: The Deathly Hallows Part 2. Francesca received rave reviews for her red carpet interviews with Daniel Radcliff, Rupert Grint and other celebrities such as Mark Sanchez of The New York Jets, America’s Next Top Model’s Jay Manuel, and former star of Sabrina the Teenage Witch Melissa Joan Hart, to name a few.

“If someone told me that I would be living out the same career as Ryan Seacrest by my senior year of college, I would have never believed it,” said Francesca.

BlackTree TV asked Francesca to conduct exclusive one-on-one interviews with James Franco, Freida Pinto, and Andy Serkis for the international release of the film Rise of the Planet of the Apes. She was then host for BlackTree TV at the 63rd Primetime Emmy Awards Live from the Nokia Theater in Los Angeles. It was here that Francesca interviewed Emmy nominees Idris Elba, Taraji Henson, Michael B. Jordan, and others.

Taking advantage of other opportunities, Francesca was contacted by BET to host and interview on the red carpet of the 2011 BET Hip-Hop Awards. There, Francesca interviewed Hip-Hop game changers LL Cool J, Nelly, Busta Rhymes, Twista, Tyrese, DJ Khaled, and many others.

“I am so happy that I am able to jump into my career at such a young age. It is truly a blessing that I will never take for granted.”

Using her education, varied experiences, professionalism, and proactive attitude, Francesca has had experiences that most seasoned multimedia professionals can only dream of. We will all be seeing a lot more of Francesca Amiker!