Last weekend I attended the On the Air: Media Careers for the Networked Generation event in Cabot auditorium and to say I was blown away
is an understatement. To meet and hear so many Tufts alumni speak about their
amazing careers in the media industry was just what I needed to remind me why
school is a thing, and how life after college does exist! Last week, overall, was an extremely exciting week for media at Tufts. I also attended Time Inc’s information session about internships. Both events reminded me why I love media, and that, yes, school is worth it! So
keep working hard people!
Time Inc. Information Session
While Katie Christiansen, an
alum, presented about the history and brand of Time, I was acutely aware of parallels with my summer internship experience at New York Life Insurance. For example, there is a
final project where interns compete and present to a board of executives. My friend, who did the New York Life internship, was on the team who won the competition. Go Jumbos! I was struck by how Time Inc. focuses its attention and relies on interns' innovative projects as potential business generators. Two of the projects created by former interns are currently
being pursued by the company as viable projects to disperse media. One project that was presented during the competition was already being structured by Time Inc. departments! It was exciting to see this opportunity is available to
those interested in media, and there is a light at the end of the tunnel!
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| "Don't forget to follow up with recruiters! Even on Twitter!" |
On the Air: Media Careers for the Networked Generation
This was one of the best career development sessions that I have attended at Tufts. Though I was unable to attend the entire program because of a basketball tournament, I was nevertheless blown away by the alumni and topics covered in the schedule. Even mingling with other students who are also looking at the media industry in their job search was exciting, as we often don't find time to share our experiences. The Communications and Media Studies program at Tufts is definitely an added attraction on some students' resumes, and the event on Saturday clearly showed that we are in the game and ready to enter the world of media, arts, and communications. I'm fired up, are you fired up? Here are the two panels that I attended and some valuable tips I learned from Tufts alums.
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| "I'm talking to you!" Source |
Television Panel
In the television panel I was able to hear career advice and information from Nancy Glass J77, A14P and Julie Schwarz A05.
Glass leads her own production company, Nancy Glass Productions, and helps to produce various programs including documentaries, reality TV shows; she is a six-time Emmy Award winning television host, writer and producer. Here is her advice:
- Work on writing, and emphasize your ability as students at Tufts to have a well rounded education
- Because you're at Tufts, you know how to think without limits
- Do your homework, and have a sense of humor!
- It's one thing to tell a story, but it's extremely important to tell it well
- Favorite Classes: Sol Gittelman's "Introduction to Yiddish Culture" and "Fiction Writing"
Schwarz graduated from Tufts with a child development major and communications minor. She started off searching for ways to get her foot in the door and accepted jobs in production, later leading her to her current job as a producer at NBC Sports. Here is some advice she mentioned about working in a corporate media environment:
- Be a team player!
- Be ready and able to plan for live events, and react quickly to problems
- Find the next groundbreaking story
- Getting along with people is a necessity in the media industry
- Favorite Class at Tufts: Producing Films for Social Change (Ex-college)
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| "Apparently The Newsroom is dramatized....I'm still going to watch it" Source |
News Panel
The news panel was the session I was most looking forward to. Tufts alumni speakers included Jonathan Adler A08, Neal Shapiro A80, and Marian Porges J82, who all spoke about the increasing technology and fast paced change of the current media landscape. Some advice they conveyed included:
- Have great writing skills! (Have writing samples for recruiters)
- Make sure you are current, reading media everyday, and examining how different stories are presented in media. Be a sophisticated reader!
- Appreciate the importance of questioning arguments, stories, and sources
- It's not WHAT the story is about, it's about HOW you tell it
- Have social media skills
- Have basic shooting and editing skills (Final Cut Pro)
- Understand the demands of news media, being on call 24/7
- Give insight into millennials consumption of media to your manager, this is the new challenge for all companies
Last week was amazing, and it reminded me of how much I love media. Gaining insight into the hard work and skills needed to "get your foot in the door" was extremely beneficial. Even though many Communications and Media Studies minors and other Tufts students interested in media are often intimidated by candidates in the job/internship search who have specialized technical/communication majors, it was reassuring to hear the liberal arts education is viewed as an advantage in a rapidly changing world. Shout out to all the Jumbos working in the media world, hopefully I'll be joining you soon!
Carpe Diem,
Nicole Brooks
Class of 2016
