It has been said that the entertainment industry is the hardest industry to tap into, but for 1985 Hawthorne High School alum, Dana Kenerson, it has been done. Kenerson is an Emmy-nominated, audience producer and talent logistics manager.
As a freshmen at HHS, Kenerson entered school very shy and timid, but after joining many extracurricular activities such as Student Council, National and Spanish Honor Society, variety shows and plays, and even managing a debate against the Board of Education in favor of senior open lunch, Kenerson became the extroverted person he is today.
Kenerson’s junior and senior year was filled with AP and Honors classes, along with two part-time jobs. At one point, Kenerson’s rigorous academic schedule with school and busyness outside of school became too much, and he even questioned if he wanted to further his education beyond high school.
However, Kenerson is glad he was swayed by his family, saying, “I am fortunate that my mom and family encouraged me to at least apply for college.” Kenerson attended Rutgers University and studied public relations, television production, English, dramatic arts, and biology. “Four years later, I was the proud recipient of a BA in Communications from Rutgers University in New Brunswick, NJ.”
While in attendance at Rutgers, Kenerson had the chance to be a part of the National Student Exchange program which gave him the opportunity to live in Southern California before making it his permanent home. During his visit, Kenerson not only fell in love with sunny California but also with the entertainment industry, and he realized that he needed to pursue a career in entertainment.
“I always had a passion and desire to enter the field of entertainment,” says Kenerson. Because of this, throughout and after college, Kenerson took acting classes but realized he needed a backup plan if his acting career did not work out.
The training he received at Rutgers helped Kenerson obtain a strong background in production. Kenerson later found his “unique niche” in audience producing and talent logistics management for award shows, sitcoms, and talk shows.
A monumental moment in both Kenerson’s life and career came during the spring of 2012. Kenerson’s work on Anderson, Anderson Cooper’s talk show, earned him a Daytime Emmy nomination.
“I was in initial shock and disbelief. I kept re-reading the nomination list to make sure I actually saw my name there and was not simply imagining it,” says Kenerson.
Unfortunately, Kenerson and the deserving team of Anderson did not win the Emmy, losing to Dr. Oz. However, Kenerson is honored by this great accomplishment, as only a few have the honor of even being nominated.
After years of working in this industry, Kenerson’s experience and knowledge leaves him with helpful and encouraging advice to anyone trying to achieve his or her goals. He says, “To anyone entering the field of entertainment or for any field, for that matter, you must search for something you truly enjoy and build a custom career around your likes…Pursue your passion. Be persistent and consistent, confident and creative, dedicated and dependable, loyal and likable… And don’t forget to have fun.”
Congratulations to Kenerson on all of his success and good luck with his future endeavors.