BT Media Productions

Last weekend, I had my first venture to the Big Apple. I went for the College Media Advisers Spring Convention. This was my second time going to one of these, as back in 06, I attended the Fall Convention in St. Louis. Both times, I was attending as a member of MSC-TV, the TV station at Macon State College. This means that the college paid for the plane ticket, hotel, conference registration, and even some meals. We sent a total of eight people, including our adviser.

Byron Pitts from CBS News was the opening keynote speaker. He told us about his journey in the industry and showed some of his stories. He was very humble, emphasizing that there was nothing special about how he got to where he is now. He said that most of us (the students attending) were much smarter than him. He said that he got to where he is with hard work and by claiming what he would do, which he noted was a part of the Christian faith. He said that he was not lucky, but blessed. Surprisingly, to me at least, Pitts gave his e-mail address and cell phone number to everyone in the room. He said that if there was ever anything that he could help us with, he would. This gesture, he said, was less for those in attendance or himself, but more for the people who helped him along the way.

I asked Pitts how, during an interview, he finds a balance between connecting with the person, but not getting too emotionally invested. He answered that he does not “interview” people, but rather, have a conversation with them. He added that he does not make the story about himself and tries to have minimal influence.

Charles Gibson from ABC World News was the closing keynote speaker. I was only able to make the last few mintues of his speech. He spoke a lot on the future of the industry and how the newspaper, as a medium, is changing.

I also had the honor of attending the Late Show with David Letterman. My friend Becca Edwards, who was also there with Macon State, was able to get tickets for the two of us from her friend, who is a writer on the show. Nicholas Cage and Rachel Maddow were the guests. The show itself was very fun, but I found seeing the behind-the-camera workings very exciting. I was surprised at how few people there actually were on set. The stage was also smaller than I thought it would be. And I love how much energy they put into prepping the audience. It was an awesome experience.

I also caught up with an old friend that I had met at the St. Louis convention, Lara Hanson. She now works at mtvU and College Media Network, managing their free CMS platform that now serves almost 600 college newspapers, including UGA’s Red & Black. I joined her, along with her coworkers at CMN, and the advisers of the conference, on a party bus tour of NYC. I was able to see many of the sites around NYC that I otherwise would have missed. It was a lot of fun. I just learned of an on-air job opportunity at mtvU from her and have applied for it! So, I’m waiting to see how that goes!

I had a great time in NYC and hope to be back again soon (maybe for an interview)!