LSITEN: Atlanta pop star Usher’s nonprofit is partnering with the Atlanta Boys and Girls Club to offer paid internships for young adults interested in the entertainment industry. GPB’s Amanda Andrews has more.

This is Usher’s New Look Cofounder Shawn Wilson talking to students at the opening of the Atlanta Spark Labs Studio on December 9, 2024. Amanda Andrews/GPB News

Shawn Wilson (center), co-founder of the nonprofit Usher’s New Look, talks to students at the opening of the Atlanta Spark Labs Studio on Dec. 9, 2024.

Credit: Amanda Andrews/GPB News

A cohort of 10 interns aged 18 to 24 will join Atlanta music star Usher’s nationwide tour for the summer. 

They will be divided into three learning tracks: tour production, wardrobe and multimedia.

Interns must live in Atlanta or Detroit, where the nonprofit Usher’s New Look opened Spark Labs, state-of-the-art content studios, in both cities.

Co-founder Shawn Wilson said Spark Lab will offer additional entertainment training.

"Studios offer everything from wardrobe, special effects, makeup, full-blown production. We teach Unreal Engine, in-camera visual effects." he said.

Wilson said the internships is an opportunity to give young professionals interested in the entertainment industry access to build a career.

"I think that that's a gap," he said. "There's often a gap in understanding how to get these kinds of opportunities. You have to kind of know someone who knows someone in order to be able to take advantage of it. So we're going to be giving 10 interns an opportunity, from Atlanta and Detroit, giving them an opportunity to get paid and work in probably one of the most highly anticipated tours you can think of for the summer."

Interns will train for about three weeks before they start the tour, beginning in Denver and ending in New Jersey.

Applications are open now through 11:59 p.m. Friday, May 7 on the Usher’s New Look website.

Tags: Georgia  Atlanta  music  Usher  concerts  entertainment industry  internships  GPB News