| |
Recent
Events
Boston
College Students Get a Taste of Working in TV and Radio in the Big
Apple
(Chestnut Hill, MA) - What do HBO, Disney, DIRECTV and NBC all have
in common besides being big players in the media industry? They all
have alumni at their helm who are extremely involved with Boston College;
alumni who recently gave their time to meet with a group of BC students
interested in exploring a career in media and entertainment. On May
21-22, a dozen students took part in the Media and Entertainment Career
Exploration Tour, which was a joint venture by the Alumni Association's
Career Services Committee, the Career Center, and the NY Chapter of
the Alumni Association. Led by Jason Moore '03, the students saw first-
hand how the ever changing media industry works from professionals
at NBC/Universal, DIRECTV, Disney/ABC, HBO, and SIRIUS Satellite Radio.
Jon Gieselman '90, senior vice president of advertising and public
relations for DIRECTV, told undergraduates and recent graduates to
"be passionate" as they embark upon their careers, and "don't be worried
about starting salaries or titles" when they begin. Shayla Stewart
'99, assistant manager of program planning at HBO, showed the students
that it's possible for a young alumna to break into such a difficult
industry. Both HBO and NBC detailed their entry-level and "page programs"
that allow students to rotate among departments and get a feel for
different jobs in the industry.
Communication major Ines Spinnato '11, left for a summer internship
in Paris shortly after the career exploration tour. "I have been using
a lot of the advice the BC alumni gave us. It was such a unique experience
and it has really motivated me to ask people at work questions about
their jobs and the communication industry," Spinnato said. Recent
graduate Megan Lynch '08, an English and theatre major, commented,
"Each person's career path varied so much; it became clear that reaching
your "goal career" was not necessarily a straight path, but one that
is discovered through exploration and trial and error."
The tour was also attended by Marie Geary, MA '97, associate director
of the career center and Christine Caswell '89, director of media
workshop and adjunct faculty member in the communication department.
Ms. Caswell, who is also a veteran news reporter in the New England
television market said, "This experience gave the students invaluable
lessons in networking. They saw that what they have been learning
in theory on campus transfers well to the practice of an evolving
and dynamic medium."
The Career Exploration Tours began when Fran Dubrowski, NC '70, chair
of the Alumni Association's Career Services Committee, wanted to connect
Boston College alumni with students studying their profession. Along
with Rita Houlihan, NC '70, Ms. Dubrowski plans more of these tours
around the country with help from the local alumni chapters.
Said communication major Maggie Rulli '10, "The tour provided a great
foundation for my internship this summer with Late Night with
Conan O'Brien. It gave me the confidence to ask certain questions,
explore certain topics, and take as much away from the experience
as I can."
Washington
DC "Perspectives in Today's Media"
Adjunct
faculty member and department counselor Christine Caswell '89 was
a special guest at a recent event "Perspectives in Today's Media"
at the University Club in Washington, DC. Panelists included Patricia
Bodnar '75 from Voice of America, Ceci Connolly '85 of the Washington
Post, Bridget DeSimone '90 of the NewsHour with Jim Lehrer,
John Greco '82 of the Science Channel/Discovery, and Deirdre Walsh
'90 of CNN. The evening was moderated by Patricia Santangelo '75 of
Boys' Life and Scouting magazines, and also featured
special guest Mary Heller '96 of OMD.
Nearly 100 alumni enjoyed an evening of networking and conversation
with fellow members of the media.
The event was orchestrated by the BC Alumni Association Career Services
Committee in conjunction with the Washington, DC, and Baltimore Chapters.
|
|
