Emerging talent land production roles on Emmy®-recognized Euphoria, Queer Eye, Welcome to Wrexham, Dancing with the Stars & more, building sustainable careers.
VAN NUYS, CA, UNITED STATES, September 14, 2026 /EINPresswire.com/ — As the television industry celebrates the programs and professionals recognized during the 2026 Emmy® season, the Handy Foundation is highlighting a group of apprentices and alumni whose growing careers have placed them behind the scenes of some of television’s most acclaimed productions.
Founded by veteran television producer Ri-Karlo Handy (The Braxtons, Harlem Globetrotters: Secrets of the City) who also serves as CEO, the Handy Foundation develops pathways into skilled film, television and digital-media careers through career exploration, specialized training, pre-apprenticeship, registered apprenticeship and employer engagement. The nonprofit workforce development initiative focuses heavily on behind-the-camera occupations that are essential to professional production but frequently overlooked in traditional entertainment-career conversations.
Handy Foundation talent contributed to seven Emmy®-nominated productions this season, including Euphoria, Queer Eye, Dancing with the Stars, Welcome to Wrexham, Solo Traveling with Tracee Ellis Ross, With Love, Meghan and Sean Combs: The Reckoning. Two of those productions have since earned Creative Arts Emmy® Awards: Welcome to Wrexham for Outstanding Sound Mixing for a Reality Program and Sean Combs: The Reckoning for Outstanding Picture Editing for a Nonfiction Program. Across these acclaimed productions, Handy Foundation apprentices and alumni have served in assistant editing, post-production, makeup, production coordination and production management roles.
These nominations, and now two Creative Arts Emmy-winning productions, offer tangible evidence of the Handy Foundation’s success in preparing talent to contribute to television at the industry’s highest level.
Handy Foundation apprentices and alumni working across the recognized productions include:
-Stephanie Ledezma, Assistant Editor/Additional Editor, Euphoria
-Adelina Beisenalina, Assistant Editor/Jr. Editor, Queer Eye
-Andrea Joy Tucker, Assistant Production Office Coordinator, Queer Eye, and Associate Producer, Dancing with the Stars
-Cortney Taborn, Assistant Editor, Creative Arts Emmy-winning Welcome to Wrexham
-Brooke Nicholas, Production Coordinator, With Love, Meghan
-Ricole Handy and Claire Yang, Assistant Editors, Solo Traveling with Tracee Ellis Ross
-Arielle Green, Makeup Artist, Creative Arts Emmy-winning Sean Combs: The Reckoning
“It took me 25 years in this business to become an Emmy nominee, so seeing our alumni contributing to Emmy-nominated work means a lot,” said Handy, who served as showrunner and executive producer of previous Daytime Emmy® nominee Harlem Globetrotters: Play It Again. “We’re not training people to stand on the sidelines; we’re preparing them to make meaningful contributions to some of the best work in our industry. It shows that with the right training, opportunity and support, emerging talent can contribute at the highest level.”
Employer partners whose celebrated series employed Handy Foundation apprentices include HBO, A24, Scout Productions, Netflix, BBC Studios Los Angeles Productions, ABC, Boardwalk Pictures, Maximum Effort, FX and Archewell Productions, part of the Handy Foundation’s broader network of industry partners.
Since 2020, the Handy Foundation has trained 233 apprentices and placed 113 graduates on industry productions. Its training pathways include assistant editing, story editing, production coordination, post-production, hair and makeup, audio production and virtual production roles. The organization’s approach is designed to address persistent gaps between completing a short-term training opportunity, securing the first professional credits required to enter the industry, and the ongoing support needed to build a long-term career.
“Talent is everywhere, but access to professional training, mentors and employer relationships is not,” Handy added. “Our responsibility is to make the pathway more visible and ensure participants are prepared to contribute when opportunity arrives.”
The Emmy®-season milestone comes as the Handy Foundation continues expanding its youth, pre-apprenticeship and registered apprenticeship initiatives, while developing new relationships with employers, educational organizations, industry stakeholders and corporate partners. The Foundation is also preparing its next generation of participants for a television and digital-media landscape being reshaped by streaming, virtual production, artificial intelligence and evolving content-creation models.
For more information about the Handy Foundation, its workforce programs or employer partnerships, visit HandyFoundation.org.
Editor’s Note: Assets are available for use HERE.
About The Handy Foundation
The Handy Foundation is a nonprofit workforce-development organization connecting emerging talent to careers in film, television, digital media and emerging production technologies. Founded by veteran producer and showrunner Ri-Karlo Handy, the organization works with employers, educators and community partners to provide career exploration, technical training, mentorship, registered apprenticeship and professional opportunities. Learn more at handyfoundation.org.
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Video: The Handy Foundation transforms industry training into real-world opportunity, preparing emerging professionals to contribute to acclaimed productions.
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