Students will have the opportunity to participate in monthly activities lead by different Peer Group Leaders. These spaces are meant to complement students’ experiences within their host organizations by allowing them to explore other facets of finding (or securing) a job, creating and maintaining an artistic practice, and more. Each event, led by a local arts professional, supports students in meeting other interns, building their network, and learning more about the arts ecology of the region. As part of the Arts Internship Program, students are required to attend at least one of these Peer Group events during their internship. Details for each Peer Group event will be emailed out to interns at the first of each corresponding month.
The below information has been updated for the 2026 program.
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Larry Laboe
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Larry Laboe is Co-Founder and Executive Director of NewFilmmakers Los Angeles (NFMLA), an organization championing filmmakers and storytellers worldwide. Larry is a member of the Producers Guild of America and has been a Faculty Member at the San Francisco Art Institute (SFAI) and L Art University. He is a Board Member of the BRIC Foundation and Film Festival Alliance (FFA) and a Committee Member of SAGindie. Larry has produced content directed by talent such as Joseph Gordon Levitt, for some of the world’s leading brands, networks and studios, including Disney, NBC, VEVO, Dailymotion, MTV, DEFY Media, Comedy Central, Verizon, Amazon, Complex Media, Mountain Dew, Samsung, Coca-Cola, Verizon and Smuckers. These productions have been official selections at top festivals including South by Southwest (SXSW) and have won major awards including a BANFF World Media Festival Rockie Award.
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Manuel Prieto
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Manuel (Manny) Prieto (he/him) is a dynamic arts leader recognized for advancing equity, access, and cultural vitality across greater Los Angeles. He has held senior leadership roles at some of the region’s most influential arts institutions, including serving as Director of Education at the Wallis Annenberg Center for the Performing Arts and as Executive Director of the Los Angeles Music and Art School (LAMusArt), a legacy nonprofit arts education institution in East Los Angeles. Earlier in his career, Prieto worked in the Education Department at Center Theatre Group, where he led accessibility initiatives across the Ahmanson Theatre, Mark Taper Forum, and Kirk Douglas Theatre, and developed bilingual curriculum for The Shop: Theatre in Your Everyday Life, expanding pathways to theater for diverse communities. Prieto holds a B.F.A. in Theater Design from the University of Southern California and an M.A. in Nonprofit Management from Antioch University. A respected thought partner in the field, he serves on the inaugural faculty of Randolph College’s MFA in Arts Leadership. His sector leadership includes serving as co-chair of the Americans for the Arts Emerging Leaders Council, as a steering committee member of the Latinx Theatre Alliance, and as both a participant and peer mentor in the LACDAC internship program.
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Erika Newman
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Erika Newman is the Theatre Business Manager of the Wilshire Ebell Theatre. With over 10 years of experience as a theatre educator, director, and designer, she is now focusing on the arts management side and has been helping to grow the Wilshire Ebell Theatre's rentals since 2022. She works with clients and crew to put on 120+ productions a year ranging from dance recitals to the Grammy's.
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Anthony Smyers
For Anthony, art has always been a way to process the world—from doodling childhood comic books to mastering ceramics, painting and digital art. Raised by an artistic parent and formally trained at CSU Long Beach, he blends a deep appreciation for Art History with a hands-on passion for creation. When he’s not in the studio, Anthony is dedicated to empowering fellow creators through his work with the Arts Council for Long Beach.
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Elisa Bocanegra
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Dr. Elisa Bocanegra is the founder and artistic director of HERO Theatre in Los Angeles and Teatro Héroe in Bogotá, Colombia. She is a long time actor and director. Her first film won the Grand Jury Prize at Sundance and she has performed at some of the most well-known theatres in America.
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Loreto Lopez
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Loreto Lopez currently serves as the Program Coordinator for the City of Glendale’s Library, Arts & Culture Department where she works with the Arts & Culture Commission to help manage and promote the city’s public art programs and initiatives. Prior to her working with Glendale, Ms. Lopez served as an Administrator for the Culver City Education Foundation and as an Administrative Assistant in the Conservation Center at LACMA. Ms. Lopez received her B.A. in Art History with a minor in Archaeology from Loyola Marymount University and her M.A. in Arts Management through Sotheby’s Institute of Art at Claremont Graduate University.
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Omar Gerardo Ramirez
Omar G Ramirez work is rooted in art/culture, transformative engagement practices, ethnic studies frameworks, and Chicana/o art. His work is specifically living at the intersection of cultural art & aesthetics in public spaces and community transformation utilizing collaborative, participatory, and social engagement practices. It’s a process that facilitates and encourages transformation, focusing on dynamic interactions, addressing the social and emotional needs of participants and audiences while limiting object monetization. For over 30 years he has been facilitating, participating, and collaborating with community cultural spaces, educational institutions, and system impacted communities.