Messages from Alumni
We want to hear from our alumni. To post a message, go to our Alumni Form.
- Messages from 2007
- Messages from 2006
- Messages from 2005
- Messages from 2004 (September - December)
- Messages from 2004 (Prior to September)
- Messages from 2003
- Messages from 2002
- Messages from 2001
| Date Posted: April 26, 2008 Name: Rachel Brodrick Year Graduated: 2005 Location: Falls Church, VA 22041 United States Email Address: RBrodrick@gmail.com Employer: Bates Creative Group Message: Hi all! I left Harrisonburg when I graduated in 2005 and moved to Denver, CO. Unfortunately, life handed me some lemons and I had to move back to the East coast so I've been working as a Creative Writer for the past year at a graphic design firm in Silver Spring, MD. While I absolutely love my job, I would really like to get back to CO. I know that Crispin, Porter + Bogusky just opened a Boulder office in 2006...any chance someone has a contact with the agency? I'm going out there in June and would LOVE to get my portfolio in front of them. Thanks to whoever reads this and good luck to you! GO DUKES!! |
| Date Posted: April 8, 2008 Name: Scott Brody Year Graduated: 2007 Location: Burbank, CA 91502 USA Email Address: brodysn@gmail.com Employer: Avalon Management/Avalon Television Message: Hi All! So after nearly a year away from JMU, I finally feel worthy of posting on the Alumni Message Board. I graduated last year as a DV-Producing and Directing concentration, and quickly packed up and moved to Los Angeles to try to make it in Hollywood. Since September I've been working at a company called Avalon. Avalon is a huge management and TV production company in the UK, and I work for the LA office, where we do quite well also. We manage comedians (if you are wondering what a Manager does think "E" in "Entourage"), and some of our big clients right now include Paul F. Tompkins (Best Week Ever), Kristen Schaal (Flight of the Conchords), John Oliver (The Daily Show with Jon Stewart), and Greg Behrendt (He's Just Not That Into You). There is also a lot going on on the TV side of the business as well, but this post is getting long so I won't get into it. Anyway, we have 2 8-week internships available for this summer, May-June and then July-August. Internship are unpaid, but we offer credit and a great educational experience. PLEASE shoot me an email if you think you might be interested or if you just want to talk about LA. Good luck to the '08 graduates! Enjoy your last few weeks. |
| Date Posted: April 2, 2008 Name: Carrie Muhleman Year Graduated: 2007 Location: Virginia Beach, VA 23455 United States of America Email Address: cem2170@email.vccs.edu Employer: Bayville Golf Club Message: Hi. I graduated in May with a SMAD degree in Print Journalism, a little burnt-out with the writing thing. So, I'm currently working as an assistant superintendant at Bayville Golf Club in Virginia Beach where I manage a 265+ acre area. The club is paying for my masters degree from Virginia Tech (there's an extension center here at the Beach) which will be in horticulture. It's cool to learn new things, and I'm surprised how interested I am in it. Botony is verrrry different from journalism and science has never really been my forte. Additionally, I got back into music and served as the woodwind instructor for Bayside High School's marching band this past fall. They didn't pay me much, but refamiliarizing myself with music (after having played flute, oboe and percussion for nearly 12 years and abandoning it all upon coming to JMU) was totally worth it. Once I start loving to write again, I'll be dabbling my fingers in some free-lance work. |
| Date Posted: February 29, 2008 Name: Lizzi Jenkins Year Graduated: 2004 Location: New York, NY 10012 USA Email Address: ejenkins@rogersandcowan.com Employer: Rogers and Cowan Message: Hi! As a former SMAD major, I wanted to introduce myself to any Communications majors who will be in the NYC-area this summer and are looking for an entertainment/luxury lifestyle PR internship (sorry - it's unpaid!). Rogers and Cowan is a leading entertainment/lifestyle firm, with US hubs in LA and NYC. In Manhattan we work with a number of premier clients in the fashion, music, skincare, and accessories spaces. We're looking for very dedicated interns who are enthusiastic, hardworking, and looking to gain invaluable experience in the world of PR. Feel free to contact me if interested! Thanks, Lizzie |
| Date Posted: February 19, 2008 Name: Donna Sizemore Hale Year Graduated: 1981 Location: Burke, VA 22015 Email Address: donna@astaweb.com Employer: American String Teachers Association Message: It is so amazing to see how far Communication Arts has come at JMU. I was a student there when the Breeze was still produced in the old nursing building and we used to be up until sunrise to get the paper out. Those were the days! I would like to encourage students to also think about careers in the nonprofit world. Public Relations and Journalism provide great training for leadership roles in the nonprofit sector. The skills I developed working on the Breeze helped me to eventually rise to being a CEO of a membership association. JMU is a great place! |
| Date Posted: February 18, 2008 Name: Christine Chin Year Graduated: 2004 Location: Hampton, VA 23669 USA Email Address: christinechin04@yahoo.com Employer: Anheuser-Busch Message: After working for 3 years as a TV News Producer for the CBS affiliate out in Omaha, I finally moved back to VA this year with my fiance. I am now doing Public Relations/Media Relations for Anheuser-Busch, specifically Busch Entertainment Corporation, which owns Busch Gardens and Water Country USA in Williamsburg, VA. It truly is a dream job as I get to pitch to the media all the fun and exciting rides, attractions and events happening at our parks. Where else can you help a reporter do a liveshot while riding the world's tallest and first floorless dive coaster? I will also be traveling with our animals and our zoological team on the Busch Gardens & SeaWorld Animal Adventures Tour Vehicle through Philly, Baltimore and DC the first week of March. We will be on various AM and Noon shows at the local TV stations in those markets, so if you live in any of those cities, be sure to check us out :) |
| Date Posted: February 15, 2008 Name: Katrina Purcell Year Graduated: 04 Location: New York, NY 10021 USA Email Address: jmusmad04@yahoo.com Employer: Bloomberg LP Message: Thought I should finally get around to updating this about my current whereabouts. I moved up to Manhattan in June 07 and I work for Bloomberg Financial News as a broadcast technician. I'm working behind the scenes for the live news production. I started in master control and I am now also technical directing the afternoon affiliate reports. If anyone is up in the City and wants to catch up just let me know. |
| Date Posted: February 5, 2008 Name: Joe Ciarallo Year Graduated: 2004 Location: New York, NY 10009 USA Email Address: joe.ciarallo@gmail.com Employer: Horn Group Message: Hi All, It's great to see all of the cool stuff we're up to. Myself, I've been working at Horn Group, a tech pr and digital marketing agency in NYC. This past September I also started editing mediabistro.com's PR industry blog, PRNewser. For all those SMADies in the PR industry, definitely send me company news, cool pitches/projects, client wins, etc. We're always looking for stuff! |
| Date Posted: February 1, 2008 Name: Tracey Neale Year Graduated: 1989 Location: Washington, DC 20007 Email Address: veronicasstory@yahoo.com Employer: www.veronicasstory.org Message: Wow Guys, It's been a long time since I've looked at the site and what's happening with the department. It looks fabulous! Keep up the good work. Cheers, Tracey Neale Former News Anchor (Fox 5 and Ch. 9 CBS/Washington) |
| Date Posted: January 17, 2008 Name: Greg Surber Year Graduated: 2005 Location: New York, NY 10011 Email Address: greg.surber@gmail.com Employer: Porter Novelli Message: I was beginning to think I was never going to have something decent to post here. After graduating in 05, sticking around JMU to work the following year and then grad school at Boston University, I finally have a full-time pr job. I recently started working at Porter Novelli's HQ in New York in its Corporate Practice group. I have a wide range of tasks from media monitoring and pitching to, hopefully, some new business development for its crisis department. Overall, it's a huge office with some great people. Aside from corporate affairs, the NY office also offers consumer and healthcare services. Days are very busy, but if anyone has any questions, feel free to shoot me a message and I'll hopefully get back to you within a week's time. |
| Date Posted: January 4, 2008 Name: Selcuk Koruturk Year Graduated: 2007 Location: New York, NY Email Address: skoruturk@gmail.com Employer: NBC Message: Hey! Now that I'm pretty settled, I decided it's about time to post a message. I got in to NBC Page Program last November after a few interview stages and some waiting. It's been great so far, I'm really enjoying it. My primary duties are to give NBC studio tours here at 30 Rock and also usher shows. However just my luck, the day I started was the day the WGA went on strike! So none of the shows have been taping. In the program, you apply to and work on different assignments for different NBC shows such as Today, Late Night, SNL, MSNBC, CNBC etc... Right now I'm on assignment at what's called the "News Nook" where we have 4 small one camera studios where mostly CNBC and MSNBC talent come by and do 15-30min live feeds. I sit at the front desk and schedule the studios, also deal with the talent that comes by, prep them for their live feed and help out in the control room as well. It's pretty hands on, I'm meeting a lot of people and learning a lot. I'm also on the same floor as Conan O'Brien's studio so I see that tall guy with the red hair almost every day which is pretty cool. This assignment'll last another 7-8 weeks, then it's back to touring and applying for new assignments (SNL would be awesome!). I'm living with two SMAD alum, Alex Graber and Erik Pitzer in an apartment in the East Village and we have exposed brick so life is pretty good! I would recommend the program to everyone, shoot me an email if you're thinking of coming to New York and you're interested in the page program! |
The JMU Journalism Alumni site is for JMU alumni who studied journalism, broadcasting or public relations or related areas at JMU, or who worked in these fields at JMU or after graduation. It is open to alums regardless of JMU major or current occupation.
MACRoCkumentary was produced by SMAD Digital Video students in support of the SMAD Scholarship Fund and MacRock. It recreates the chaos of hosting a grassroots Indie-Rock conference in a rural Virginia college town.
