Gersh Partners with Pace, Emerson and SCAD for Gersh U Educational Program (EXCLUSIVE)

Talent agency Gersh has created an educational program called Gersh U to support college students aiming to work in entertainment.

Gersh has set three initial partners: Pace University in New York, Emerson College’s Los Angeles campus and Savannah College of Art and Design’s Savannah campus. Gersh U will connect students with Gersh employees and clients.

“Given today’s climate, it’s more important than ever to invest in the next generation of our industry,” Jayson Council, Gersh’s head of culture, said in a statement. “We’re proud to partner with these universities to give students the preparation and support they need to launch their careers in entertainment.”

The partners will each present specific programming through Gersh U.

Pace is set to host Industry Insights, a speaker series that occurs every semester. It kicks off April 14 with Ilfenesh Hadera, an actor who appears in the series “Godfather of Harlem” and Spike Lee’s Cannes-premiering film, “Highest 2 Lowest.”

Emerson will host a Summer Institute running July 21-25. SCAD will hold a Fall Intensive Oct. 20-24. Details for both have yet to be announced.

The agency welcomes other universities to participate in Gersh U. Gersh previously created the Spike Fellows Program with Lee and the Atlanta University Center Consortium. The program provides HBCU students with career opportunities.

Gersh recently appointed Leslie Siebert as the agency’s president. Siebert, who became the first woman to helm a large talent agency of its kind, told Variety that “we are positioned exactly where we want to be — as a real and only alternative to the Big Three [CAA, WME and UTA] agencies.”