1/9/16

Tomorrow I finally head to NYC! I am so excited about the experience and opportunities that this trip holds. The next five days will be filled with many meetings with different journalists and editors. There is lots to learn and I can't wait. Living in Ridgewood, NJ for a part of my childhood, I was able to spend lots of time in the city and always love returning. I am pretty comfortable navigating my way around as well. I will be interviewing Jane Frye, a Miami Alumni, who now works for ABC, specifically with social media for The View. I have become very intertested in her career because of the several places she has worked, and the different aspects of media that she has worked with. I am interested to know about how all of her jobs have differed and how they have come together. I am also very excited to see The Book of Mormon. It is one of my favorite shows on Broadway, and it is also the other portfolio that I did. I was able to learn more background and history about it, so I am even more excited to see it again. I am a little nervous to conduct an interview, but I am hoping that it will be both imformative and interesting. I have thought a lot about working in NYC after college, and hope that this trip will give me a sense of what it is like to live in a big and busy city. Overall I am very ready for the busy and exciting week ahead!

 

 

1/10/16

Today was a very busy day! I woke up and boarded my flight for NYC. I didn't have any traveling trouble and got a cab very easily once I got to Laguardia. The ride to the hotel was short and once I arrived we were all ready to leave for the 9/11 Memorial. We headed to the subway and I got my subway pass. We had trouble getting on the ride subway because of the construction and ended up not being able to make it. I wish we could have, but I definitely plan to make a visit to the museum in the furture. I have visited the memorial before and it is very moving. It is really an amazing thing to see and I hope that I make it to the museum in the near future. The weather was very nice today so it made walking around very enjoyable. We had a group dinner together at HB Burger which was fun because I got to know more people in the group. After dinner we went back to the hotel and relaxed before our busy day tomorrow. I can't wait to see what is in store for this week!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

1/11/16

Our first day was packed with lots of exciting meetings! We woke up early, worked out and went to get coffee which made me feel like I actually lived and worked in the city. Our first stop was at the New York Times. It was pretty amazing first walking in down the hallway with all of the type writers and seeing all of the writers and editors walking in for work. The first person that we got to meet was Jenna Pirog. Pirog recently produced the first virtual reality film, The Displaced. She explained how they set up tripods with multiple go pros and then left them in a location to get daily life footage of the refugees. I thought it was interesting that when they first started placing cameras, some of the refugees were very aware of the cameras, so they would exaggerate things that ultimately would not be able to be used in the production because it distorted reality. It took them about two and a half months to find locations and then spent 3 weeks with the families, one of the weeks actually shooting footage. Jenna explained that she believes virtual reality is a new tool, but not a replacement. Not every story can work with virtual reality so it is important to consider which stories will be better portrayed with virtual reality. In this production, Jenna found parallels between each place she filmed at. For example, in each place people had lost a loved one, etc. Jenna said that her ultimate goal would be live streaming and wants to continue on the path of virtual reality. She gave good advice about the power of sharing and that if you want to have your work seen, you just need to start writing. We then met with Gail Collins at the New York Times who I really liked. Her position is as an editorial page columnist. She was very wise and realistic. I also thought she was pretty funny (regarding subtle remarks about Donald Trump). I think that she also gave really great advice about writing, especially since it can be applied to lots of things in life. She said that in her experience to be successful in her writing she sometimes had to pick a topic that people didn't care about, and found a way to make them care. She explained that you have to do what it takes to be interesting and relevant to make your work seen. After the New York Times, we headed to NBC, which was definitely the best part of the day. When we first arrived we got a tour of all of the different studios, including the SNL studio. It was so cool to see such a well known studio and hear everything about it. We learned all about the week of dress rehearsals, setting up the studios, air time and then the turn around time right when the show ends early Sunday morning. It is pretty interesting that the since the show is aimed at the huge number of viewers watching from home rather than the very small live audience, many of the scenes are unable to be seen well by the live audience. After the tour, we got time to talk with Daniela Pierre-Bravo, a Miami alumni. I was very inspired by Daniela. She works as a booking producer, a job which I found very interesting. Her job is to get people to be on the show, so she has to maintain relationships with lots of different producers, such as talent producers. She books from around 10-15 people a day which is a huge job. To get to where she is now, Daniela worked many many jobs and had various internships. She is an incredibly hard worker and has had great promotions in such a short amount of time. She stressed that this was because she always offered to go the extra mile, stayed late and made herself useful. She was recongized for her hard work and started to move her way up in the business. I would love to have a job like hers and hope that I can be in contact with her. The last stop was to Yahoo. The building was very cool and Cassie Carothers and Gillie were definitely interesting. Although I am less interested in this area and their topic (food) they were still very engaging and informative. Their team at Yahoo is fairly small, and their job is to find different articles and food trends to put on their website. Cassie herself does not do a lot of writing but helps figure out which articles are relevant, interesting and should be used on their site. I also looked at Gillie's Instagram, and she finds creative and artsy ways to show off food trends and advertise what things/foods Yahoo is covering. They also partner with various influencers on different social media sites, and they work with various audiences on social media. Once we left Yahoo, I split off from the group to head to my interview. The interview was for Briggs Inc. and was an amazing experience. It was less formal because it was a company party/"awards show" but I still got to meet a lot of people and get a feel for the environment. The location was on the twentieth floor and looked out to the Empire State Building which was breathtaking. I am hoping to get to go in for a formal inteview this week and see their Times Square office. All in all it was an amazing day and I love NYC more and more everyday!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

1/12/16

After a good night of sleep we started the day off at Bloomberg which was so cool. The building was by far the coolest; it was very modern and had an upbeat vibe. The first person that we met there was Andy Martin, an investigative reporter. At Bloomberg, he works on various projects and investigations. Andy is a Miami alumn and at his time there wrote for the Miami student. It was interesting because he gave his advice that almost every journalist now has given us; if you want to be a writer and want your work to be seen, you just need to start writing. He and his partners are currently working on a story about third certification, and using an example about syrup (and its ingredients) he explained what makes a good story and what makes it interesting. A difficult part of his job is figuring out the questions that he needs to ask to get the most information. He then introduced us to Laura Keller, a USC graduate. Keller told us about how a lot of her job involves working "off the record" and she has to get information from people that they are not allowed to tell and could get fired for. She gave advice abouto how to approach situations like this because you are understanding the dynamic of sharing information and how it is mutually benficial. We then met Keri Grieger who works with white collar crime. Her job includes source reporting and breaking news, and she said that it is very competitive and everyone is competing for the same stories. Keri said that it is important to be fair and balanced in writing, and burning relationships will get you no where because no one will talk to you. After Bloomberg we headed to WABC news and met Saundra Thomas, the VP. Saundra was really funny and conversational. She definitely had everyone engaged and had one of the news anchors tell us stories too. They were both very passionate about their careers and said that the sacrifices they have to make are worth it. It was also really cool to hear a news reporter talk about his experiences and places he has visited to/reported from. Saundra also talked about how her work includes managing the budget of a multi million dollar company. If a big story happens, they can't just not cover it because it isn't in their budget. They have to cover it and then go back later and figure out where to take the money from. This industry is very fast moving and they never know when something big is going to happen so they always have to be ready for anything. We got a tour of the studio and got to watch two reporters being filmed live, and then the weather man do that weather. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Our last stop at ABC (in the main studio) was with Jane Frye. Jane is another Miami alumni who does social media for The View. At Miami, Jane worked at Bagel & Deli which she said actually gave her a lot of connections because people always want to talk about it. It is interesting how even such a small job can open up a network of connections and something to relate to people with. She says that they try to stick to the most popular social media platforms to reach the most audiences. Since social media is new to ABC, they are trying each one to figure out what works best. This is a big transition in her career because she did a lot of work with digital media at Hearst. She also said to never be afraid to keep emailing and asking because everyone has been in your position at some point, and generally you are not bothering them. Today was a day filled with lots of good advice and behind the scenes action. It snowed a little bit in the afternoon which was exciting and we went to a really yummy spot for dinner. I am definitely exhausted tonight but can't wait to see what is in store for tomorrow!

 

1/13/16

We are now more than halfway through our week of visits! Our morning began with a visit to Miami alumni Jessica Flint, the travel features editor at Departures Magazine. At the magazine, Jessica oversees tons of pages, more than most editors would normally oversee. Along with editing these pages, she does a lot of the traveling herself. Jessica travels to the desinations that the magazine features and works to plan the perfect trip. While these trips are aimed for those looking for a luxury experience, she explained that they are also looking for a unique experience. She picks the 5 star hotel, but also searches for the best hidden taco stand in a tiny town. She told us that with her job she must always keep in mind "how the traveler travels" and balance is important. Something that I was intrigued by about Jessica was that she started at Vanity Fair and was one of the four people to be let in a huge scandal that Vanity Fair was going to break. Jessica also worked for Marie Claire but said that she was unable to find her voice there. I think that her job sounds really interesting because I love to travel and experience new places, even though involves a lot of spur of the moment travel and time spent away from home.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Our next stop was very exciting. We arrived at Fox News to meet with Bill Hemmer. When we first got there he was on-air so his intern gave us a tour of the studios. While we had seen control rooms at other places, we had not yet actually been taken into one. We entered the room and so much was going on. In the back row we could hear the phone calls of the booker, and someone working on the teleprompter. Everyone was communicating and you could really see how much goes into making the news run smoothly. It definitely looked like a stressful situation but definitely a cool aspect to see. We then were taken into the room where Bill was actually on-air and got to watch him. When his show was over he showed us the computer that is in front of him at his desk and how he uses it. Afterwards, we got to talk to him for a few minutes. He told us that he never reads anything that he hasn't seen before, but he pretty much writes all of his own stuff because he has to be on top of the news to know what is going on. I think that this was a really good conversation because I always assumed that reporters just read what was given to them, but Bill is incredibly informed and well versed with everything he talks about. We were then introduced to Gerri Williams, a personal finance reporter for Fox. Gerri said that a big part of her job (as I've found most others have said) she consumes all the news she can, but what is most important is to be able to decide what news is important to talk about and what has value to it. Her job involves keeping up with the news, but more importantly advancing it. She hinted that she may have a show in the works as well about student debt and how to manage your money.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

After leaving Fox, we made our way to Hearst Media. At Hearst we met with Bridgett Clegg, photo editor for BestProducts.com. Her job includes being a "photo editor" and she does some photoshop work. She doesn't consider herself a designer, but told us that she is developing these new skils. The website she works for seeks find the best product (stroller, blender, whatever it may be) based on tests, prices, etc. Photography is a new skill for Bridgett so she is working to become more comfortable with it. They also told us that when they write they try to explain the product like they would to a friend because many more people will be interested in this. Since the company is just starting up their audience is more of a general audience at the moment. She told us that a perk of working at Hearst is that you are easily able to move around throughout the companies that they work with, and can see herself doing this in the future. After hearing about her job I can tell that being able to have technical skills such as photo shopping would definitely make you stand out to companies because of how digital everything is. Bridgett also said that to make herself comfortable with more skills she also keeps lots of hobbies on the side, and especially likes crafting. Hearst seems like an interesting company to work for because of how many different corportations they work with and how many different positions they offer. After Hearst, I had a little free time with my friends which was fun to be able to navigate the city on our own, and to (try) to get more comfortable with the subway system! Today was filled with lots of information that I definitely did not have before and made me start thinking even more about what kind of profession I would be interested in.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

1/14/16 

Our very windy and brisk meeting began in Times Square at Thomas Reuters where we met with senior reporter, Andrew Seamen. Andrew explained that they tell people which stocks to buy, and he is also the head of the ethics committee. An interesting part of his job is that he works as a medical reporter, which is something that he did not always know that he would be interested in. He told us that his favorite story he did was when he got something right in a medical article (even though it was small) it was nice to be right and see that his research and work mattered. As part of the Society of Professional Journalism he works to educate people about the Code of Ethics (and even gave us a pamphlet about it). He said that ideally, journalism is what makes a democracy work. He also told us that you should never give your source power over your content because you lose your voice and integrity. Although I had not considered medical writing before, it definitely seemed interesting and like the work that he does is important to a lot of people.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Everyone was definitely very excited for our next stop at Buzzfeed. We met with Miami alumni Shannon Rosenburg who is on the Buzz News team, so she works with the news at Buzzfeed. This aspect of the company is growing and they reporting serious news, rather than the other articles that they publish. Lots of people work for the company so there are lots of angles, and everyone is always on top of the news. We were also talking with Elaine Wahl, who is a junior writer for animals. This aspect of the company that she writes for is definitely less serious than the news side. She told us that she tries to produce 1-2 articles a day. All of their content is focused on getting traffic from popular social media sites, like for example people sharing articles with their friends on Facebook. They try to write articles that are relatable and entertaining because that is what people will share with their friends. A lot of their writing is done in the form of lists or quizzes, a trend that has caught on. Elaine told us that she usually comes into work with an idea of what she wants to do, but no one is forcing her to do it so she must manage her own time. The environment was very relaxed and they said this helps with creativity and helping one another with ideas. I am not sure if I would be able to focus in this environment, but it definitely seems like a very friendly and artsy one! People were even riding around the office on hooverboards, but it also seemed like they were working hard.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Next, we made our way to Brooklyn to meet with Alex Bloomberg at Gimlet Media. Alex is the CEO and co-founder of Gimlet which is a podcast media company. Alex has a large background in public radio and eventually moved into podcasts because it is new and unique. He currently has four podcasts that are up and running. He explained to us how he works to make a good podcast. First, it is the most important to engage the listener. He does this by raising a question, and then answering it and pushing it forward. He told us that while on TV people like conflict, people like self-conflict on radio. Soley audio makes it so that the listener can put themself in someone else's shoes and create them in their own mind. He always works to make sure the lengths of the podcasts are right so that the listener stays engaged. Alex thinks that podcasts definitely have the potential to be the next big thing and he hopes to do a fiction series soon. I have only ever listened to one podcast before but it will definitely be interesting to see where podcasts go from here. It is also a good industry to become skilled in because a smaller number of people have them in this field. It was definitely cool to learn about a form of media that I know nothing about. Our last stop of the day was also in Brooklyn at Vice Media. From the moment we walked in I got a very hipster and trendy vibe from the people and the place. At Vice we met with journalist Taylor Dolven. She works on the show on Vice HBO. She is journalist but also does lots of research for her projects. She was originally a print journalist, so she definitely had to expand her horizons to work in TV. She showed us some footage from her Haiti film that she worked on. The episodes are short because no one wants to watch a dragged out, hour long episode. I think this is an interesting idea because I know I would definitely watch the whole episode if it was just 15 minutes. Taylor said that to be successful in her industry you need to be an outside of the box thinker. She is very cultured as well which has helped her succeed in her job. VICE is a very cool place and I think that her job as a TV journalist would be hard work but very rewarding and that her work is powerful.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

We made it to dinner and then headed to The Book of Mormon, which is my favorite play on Broadway. Although it is pretty raunchy, it is witty and very funny. The acting, singing, and dancing are all outstanding. It was written by the same people who write for the show South Park. After our day of meetings I started thinking about all of the other roles that go into the production other than just the actors. Broadway seems like a very interesting industry that would be cool to learn more about. I highly suggest seeing a Broadway muscial any chance you get and researching the background before you see it as well. That was a great end to a packed day and I am ready for our last day meetings tomorrow!

 

 

1/15/16

Our last day is officialy over! It's been a busy, fun and informative week. Our morning started with a meeting with the senior digital director of both FitnessMagzine.com and Shape.com, Amanda Wolfe. She told us that the magazines are fairly similar, with their main topics being workouts and healthy eating, but Shape.com is the "sexier"magazine. Amanda told us that being the voice of editorial, approving story ideas, thinking of strategies and picking pictures are all big parts of her job. She said that another big part of her job is knowing the technical aspects, for example making a website. Amanda said that she does less actual editing and barely any writing, but rather these things. She said that they are always trying to reach a younger audience to stay relevant. This shows in their writing because they use popular slang and try to write like they are talking to a friend. When working online, they must think about certain stories can live online. For example, they try to think of creative things such as hashtags or a PDF to download to engage readers even more. Amanda has worked in both print and digital media. She said that working in digitial media it is very important to be well-rounded and experienced. You should know how to tweet or write a good Facebook post. She also told us that it's good to have solid writing skills as well as miscellaneous skills like photo shop and video editing. Amanda's job was interesting to me because of the specific work she does. She doesn't just have to read over things but also gets to be a part of the creative process. We then met with Melissa Knific, the associate food editor at Family Circle. Melissa's job was interesting because she gets to actually make the food and one of their offices that they spend a lot of time in is actually a kitchen. She creates recipes and is able to test of recipes that other people have contributed. She also thinks of new ideas for the season that are relevant and will get reader's attention. They really put lots of thought into their issues and plan far in advance ideas that they think will be a hit. Melissa must be up to date about what all of the food trends are, and especially in New York City. She said that what was cool is that she got to combine her writing skills with food, one of her passions.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Our final stop was at NPR to meet with Elizabeth Jensen, the ombudsman/public editor. In the late 80s she picking between foreign affairs and media, but ended up picking media because it was new and unique. She didn't know anything about radio but was intrigued by it. She explained that one part of her jobs includes responding to complaint emails from listeners. A lot of times, she has to be the judge of whether or not it is worth getting into, but she makes sure to give everyone a response. She likes how different people hear things in different ways; not everyone listens the same way, and it's not all black and white. Jensen also said that in media they are always working on attracting younger audiences because digital is a big part of the strategy. She also said that they try to make sure everyone feels like they've been heard, but in radio you cannot always please everyone.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Looking back on the week, I think that it really opened my eyes to the world of media and journalism, and what it would be like to live in New York City. I think that it is definitely somewhere that I could see myself living after college and possibly going after one of these careers. I think that I have a much better idea of the kinds of writing/editing positions, as well as kinds of media that I would be interested in, and also the kinds that I would not be interested in. I definitely took a step outside of my comfort zone to do this experience, and it definitely paid off. I am so grateful for this experience because we got to meet and see so many amazing, intelligent and creative people and places! I cannot wait to further explore what my future in this field holds for me!