Wow! You graduated in 2019 and already landed a job at South Carolina Educational Television (SCETV). Tell us how that came about!
My time with ETV started as an intern in the spring semester of my sophomore year at USC. A staff member of ETV visited my FAMS 308 Global Media Industries class and I later contacted her about internship opportunities. She connected me with a content producer who I interned with for about 10 hours a week. After this first internship, I completed the full time ETV Endowment internship in 2018, the summer between my Junior and Senior year. Throughout my senior year I kept in contact with my supervisors and told them I would be very interested in any opportunities that might become available at ETV. When a position was opened, my previous supervisor recommended me for it. In June after a few interviews, I was offered and accepted a part time job. I moved up to a full-time employee in October of 2019. Today my office is just around the corner from my first supervisor’s!
What are someof the responsibilities of your new position and what kinds of projects are you working on?
I work as a Production Manager in the Communications Department. May main responsibilities include creating short promos for our regularly scheduled programming and putting together underwriting spots to be aired on our television channels. I also create videos for in-house events as needed. These might include promotion of a contest, providing information about our website, celebrating awards, etc. Most of the content I create is used as interstitial material and broadcast throughout the state.
What's something you've learned about media production or management in your few short months on the job?
As far as media production goes, I’ve learned that it is important to be able to create quality content, but it is more important to be able to create quality content quickly. The importance of reaching a deadline is often discussed in school but once you see that deadlines impact entire departments of people, it becomes clearer.
What advice do you have for Film and Media Studies majors who might be nervous about starting a career after college?
First, make as many contacts as you can and stay in touch with those contacts. Secondly, when you are job searching, if you don’t see a posting for your dream job or you don’t even see the exact field you want to be in- don’t panic. Consider taking positions that would allow you to focus on and develop one skillset for a while. Or find an organization you trust and take a role there. You may be able to gain relevant experience and even incorporate other responsibilities that you are interested in into your role. In general, just be open to more options than you might initially think.