A lot of people have contacted me over the years for career advice so I thought it might be helpful if I explained my journey in a blog post.
Where did you go to college and what did you study?
I have four degrees – a B.A. in Public Relations, a B.A. in Broadcast Journalism, and a minor in French from Penn State University and a Masters in Journalism from Columbia University.
When I first started out at Penn State, I wanted to work in PR. I had 16 (yes, SIXTEEN!) internships by the time I left undergrad. I had at least one internship per semester. It was very important to me to get as much experience as possible before graduating. I thought of it as elevating myself above other candidates. The coolest internship I had was working as an intern for the Penn State football program. That internship translated into a marketing internship with Penn State Olympic Sports. My name got around the sports world at Penn State and I was presented with an opportunity to work as a sideline reporter for the women’s basketball team for the athletic website and also for live streams on the Big Ten Network. I had no previous journalism experience or desire to be a reporter but I thought “why not?” I wanted to be the most well-rounded candidate upon graduation so I said “Yes!” I was so nervous I can’t even remember what I said during that first live shot that was broadcasted into all those homes. I honestly think I blacked out and I hope no one has those tapes (please burn them if you do!). I got better at live hits as the season went on and fell in love with the whole journalism thing. I liked being able to shape the audience’s experience watching the game. And that’s when I picked up a second major in journalism. By the time I finished undergrad at Penn State, I had completed internships in production and reporting with the Big Ten Network, the campus broadcast network, and the Washington Redskins. I contributed to USA Today College and PR Daily, written for a campus multi-cultural blog and the official athletic website. I created my own PR company, did PR for the State College school district, United Way, and Penn State Football, among so many other things.
My biggest tip for college students – I never said “no” and was always open to new classes and internships if you’re able to do so. I also had jobs as a waitress, furniture salesperson, a personal assistant, an R.A. and at Macy’s. Have that same “can do” attitude and make sure you’re the most experienced candidate upon graduation. It’s also OK to change your major or add a second one if your schedule permits! And make sure you create a clean website to showcase your work and your brand. Creating a brand is huge as a journalist and your work should be 80% of your brand.
What did you learn in Grad School? Is it right for me?
I focused so much energy and time on sports broadcasting, I thought in order to be a better job candidate I needed to attend grad school. I ultimately chose Columbia University. To be honest, other than it being a short program and in New York City – I didn’t love Columbia. It was too focused on hard-hitting journalism and I knew almost immediately that’s not the type of reporting I wanted to do. That’s how I found my niche- I wanted to do fun and entertaining journalism and I knew I needed to create my own path. Looking back, I’m happy I chose to go there becasue the school has a great reputation and it did give me a great foundation for the field. Attending grad school isn’t necessary to become a reporter. I was still figuring out what I wanted to do in life and I had the means to go there. I’m still paying back the loan I took out but overall I thought it was worth it.
Going to Grad School has both pros and cons: you get the coveted Masters degree but it’s expensive. One of my professors once said, to choose journalism is to choose a life in poverty. You just paid for college and now you have to pay for grad school? If you can get a good job opportunity out of undergrad- take it! If you think you need more training – consider grad school.
Did you get a journalism job right out of school?
I did not. I didn’t have a real reporting gig until more than a year after I graduated from Columbia. I didn’t take the normal path – i.e. become a production assistant or a reporter in a very small town and work my way up. I wanted to stay in NYC, the number one media market in the country, and also have money to pay my bills so I took a job as a receptionist at a hedge fund. I actually gained a lot of good life and job experience at that job which came in handy later and will make more sense later in this post.
I was a little cold on the reporting thing for about a year, then I started showing agents my reel from school and freelance gigs I picked up over the years. I signed with an agency and that’s when I got my first real gig as a special features reporter on a now-defunct golf channel on DirectTV. Long story short – I quit my receptionist job, did the golf reporting for a while but I never got paid for any of my work and had to move back home to Florida. I finally got paid, the network went bankrupt, and I took some writing gigs on the side to supplement my income. During that time, I was offered a job at a local station in FL as a morning news reporter with a great salary but it just didn’t feel right. I wanted to stick to sports and entertainment. I didn’t want to be a news reporter just to be “on-air,” I wanted to be passionate about what I was doing or not do it at all. My family thought I was making a huge mistake.
I moved back to New York the next summer and worked as a temporary executive assistant for private equity firms and hedge funds. During this time, I emailed every producer/editor-in-cheif/decision-maker under the sun tailoring each email on why I should be a part of their video content. I finally got a response, from SLAM Magazine- my first real break into the NBA. I worked for exposure while holding down a full-time job until just a few years ago. At this time, I was desperate for something in the field and I wanted to pursue a passion – to me, it wasn’t about the money, I enjoyed it because it was fun! I carved out my niche (entertaining, witty, off-the-court NBA content) and put all of my energy into it. I covered the ESPYs and a few events in New York for SLAM. My temp job assignment ended around fall and I didn’t know what to do (maybe I was having a quarter life crisis) so I backpacked in Bali for a month, moved back to FL and then moved to LA on whim a few months later. I walked dogs and lived in a guest house in Beverly Hills for a few months before I found a job in real estate in Newport Beach. I was so thankful for the training from my first job out of school because I wasn’t just limited to journalism jobs. I moved to the OC and covered Lakers and Clippers games for SLAM after work (and sitting in two hours of traffic!). I covered the ESPYs once again and my content from the event went viral. Soon after, I got a DM from the Grizzlies and it’s cliche to say but… the rest is history.
I explain all of this to say my path had its ups and downs. Sometimes I was living the high life in New York City, sometimes I was writing in my pajamas at my mom’s house but I never gave up and I stayed true to what I wanted to do. Someone once told me it’s evident when people are on-air just to be “on-air” and that my passion for the type of reporting I do shows authentically in all of the content I produce. Stay true to who you are, what you want to do and your reporting.
What advice do you have for recent grads looking to break into the industry?
You have to really, really, really want this. It looks glamorous but it’s not all the time. I went to the ESPY’s this year for the fourth time… and I did my makeup at the airport, was dripping sweat from every inch of my body in the hot sun on the red carpet for three hours and got maybe five interviews in a video that didn’t even make it to the site. I do the ESPYs every year just because I absolutely love red carpets. I held down full-time jobs in other industries while finding my reporting niche, never gave up, and stayed true to my passion and now I’m doing what I love as a career 😃
My biggest tip for recent grads is to get your foot in the door whatever way possible and when you get the opportunity – make yourself stand out. That has been the biggest difference in my career. There are so many people who want to be a reporter and so few jobs that you have to set yourself apart from the crowd.
Do you have any book recommendations?
Yes! The below books will help with the fundamentals and provide helpful tips.
On Camera: How To Report, Anchor & Interview by Nancy Reardon, Tom Flynn
Do I need to hire an agent?
It’s not a bad idea if you have enough work for an agency to sign you. It provides another set of eyes for potential opportunities but there’s no one who will work harder for you than yourself. I’ve gotten most of my jobs through word of mouth and by me searching for them.
Hopefully this post helps a few people who are considering journalism as a career. If this post helped you, let me know on Twitter!
Posted By
Alexis Morgan
Categories
Inspiration, Random