Kira Cooper, an Arts and Entertainment Management major at Columbia College Chicago, is one of just 23 students nationwide selected for the Gersh Externship.

For senior Arts and Entertainment Management major Kira Cooper, the Fall semester has brought an opportunity few undergraduates experience: acceptance into the Gersh Externship, a selective 6-week program run by one of the world’s top entertainment and sports agencies.  

Cooper joins a cohort of 23 students from across the country. They meet virtually twice a week for seminars with senior Gersh agents. There, they learn firsthand how a major agency operates in representing clients from the worlds of film, television, sports, theatre, digital media, and beyond by packaging their projects, securing work, and developing their brands.  

“It has been an incredible experience,” Cooper says. “This program has elevated my game in terms of how to talk to people who are so high up in the company without fear.” 

Finding the Right Lane in Film and Television 

Cooper’s path to Gersh began long before Columbia. Growing up in Sherman Oaks, California, not far from Hollywood, she spent her childhood watching movies with her dad and imagining a future on set as a director, cinematographer, or location scout. 

But during high school and the COVID-19 pandemic, fears of financial instability steered her toward a college education in pre-med. The turning point came during a sleepless night when she stumbled onto Columbia’s website and discovered the Arts and Entertainment Management major with its Film and Television Business concentration. 

“All the light bulbs went off,” she says. “I realized I didn’t want to be on set; I wanted to work on the business side of film and TV. That was what I’d been searching for this whole time.” 

She transferred to Columbia as a sophomore, later adding a Film and Television Studies minor to deepen her industry perspective. 

Building a Strong Foundation in Development 

While at Columbia, Cooper has participated in internships in film and television development, including one with Valhalla Entertainment, where she supported a slate of film, TV, comic book, and documentary projects through script coverage, research, and notes. For a current internship, at Evoke Entertainment, she provides coverage for current clients and writers seeking representation, supporting the CEO and co-founders, and joining staff and development meetings. These experiences have given Cooper insights into what it takes to move projects from script to screen. 

A Launchpad for What Comes Next 

As for the Gersh Externship, Cooper has strengthened her networking skills, met agents across multiple departments, and built connections with the HR team. The experience with Gersh, known for hiring externs for entry-level positions, has been nothing but positive and it’s left her optimistic for the future. 

“I had no idea what to expect going in, but Gersh made it clear they’d be pulling from this pool when hiring,’ she says. “It makes everything feel within reach.” 

With Semester in LA on the horizon in January and graduation in May 2026, Cooper sees the externship as a defining bridge between her Columbia experience and the LA film industry career she has dreamed of since childhood. 

“I’m so excited to go home and just do it.” 
 

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