Students show Hoosier pride at MSNBC headquarters
The Media Living Learning Center students visited New York City on a networking and experience trip over the Martin Luther King Jr. Day weekend, Jan. 15-18. During the trip, they met with alumni and toured the offices of New York’s famous media sites.
By Eric Berger
Our trip to the MSNBC headquarters was an occasion to display some deep Hoosier pride unexpected in the Big Apple. We met with Sheara Braun, an IU alumna and director of the news and politics show All In with Chris Hayes. Braun explained how interesting behind-the-camera work could be in a busy daily show environment.
Chris Hayes then described his fast-paced job, outlining the history of his career, from his freelance writing roots to his current spot on primetime TV. This was such a valuable experience for someone looking for a career in media to hear, as it is reassuring that the first job you have may not be perfect but will be an experience that you will learn from and use as a stepping stone.
This talk was relieving, humanizing and inspiring, only to be reinforced by Steve Lucas, IU alumnus and NBC director. Lucas shared his even more dynamic trajectory, coming from Indiana roots familiar to many of the LLC members. At the end of his story, it seemed to almost be a miracle that he ended up at NBC.
It was a great way to say goodbye to the city of New York. We left the building and boarded the bus wide eyed, ready to take on the next semester and eager to find ourselves back in the city, hopefully with a job.
Read more student reports from the Media LLC’s experiences in New York.