By: Spencer Derrenberger
Photo Credit: William Greenwood
Meet Ashton Greenwood, an MCS alum from the class of 2016. During her time at UMBC, she worked on UMBC’s Bartleby Creative Arts Journal and WMBC Radio. Since 2018, Ashton has been working at Diamond Comic Distributors.
In our conversation, she detailed her position at Diamond Comic Distributors, marketing in general, and her UMBC MCS experience.
Q: Could you describe your position at Diamond Comic Distributors? What are your roles and responsibilities?
I’m the Associate Marketing Manager at Diamond Comic Distributors and since we run a pretty lean marketing department, it means I wear a lot of hats. The biggest part of my job is organizing and executing the logistics and promotion of our annual outreach event, Free Comic Book Day. Free Comic Book Day is designed to engage existing comic book readers and expand readership to new fans by offering a selection of comic books, usually around 40-50, that consumers can get from their local comic shops. It takes place around the world at thousands of participating comic book shops, with an average of over 3 million comic books given away, again, for free. It’s a super fun event that generates a lot of buzz each year! My role is to build and promote the event from start to finish. First, by working with our publishing partners – companies like Marvel, Image Comics, Archie Comics, Dark Horse Comics, and more – to create that year’s list of available comic books. Each year, there’s a new set of comic books given out. Then, it’s onto promo merch (or “swag” as we like to call it): shirts, hats, lanyards, buttons, etc. After that, it’s time for my favorite part – marketing the comic books! That means interviewing the comic book creators, sharing sneak peeks inside the pages of some of the books, and keeping an active social presence. I’ll keep up with that promo until event day. On the actual day of the event, I’ll usually try to head out to a few comic book shops to get some photos and videos of the event happening in real time. Speaking of, Free Comic Book Day is coming up soon – Saturday, May 6! If you haven’t participated before, I highly recommend getting in on it!
Beyond that, I handle advertising partnerships, working with our publishing partners to build marketing
campaigns that most effectively reach the audience they’re after – comic shop owners, comic book readers, or both. I handle social media a selection of Diamond’s brands, including Free Comic Book Day, Comic Shop Locator, and Diamond Comic Distributors, among others. I also write press releases, field press inquiries, and manage our relationship with the “Comics Media” (in other words, journalists who write nearly exclusively about comics, pop culture, and all things nerdom).
Q: What qualifications or traits do you think are most important for this position?
The ability to prioritize and re-prioritize, for sure! Priorities shift pretty regularly so you need to be able to pivot and jump on something new. I want to be clear in saying this: not multitasking. I actually find that in a situation where you’re trying to juggle a lot of balls, multitasking creates more problems than it solves. In terms of qualifications, strong writing skills feel like a must.
Q: In your opinion, do you have any traits that specifically make you distinguishable from your peers?
My position relies fairly heavily on soft skills, like collaborating with publishers and building a rapport, so I’d say my generally bubbly personality has been helpful in that regard.
Q: What do you find the most exciting about marketing? Why does it interest you?
This is a great question! The thing I like most about marketing is engaging your audience and getting them excited about what you have going on. To that end, I probably like content marketing and social media marketing the most because there’s so much room to play! On the Free Comic Book Day website and socials, I always aim to keep it light and fun – we’re talking about comic books after all! We do a lot of polls and match-up brackets and make quotes and references. It’s really rewarding to see the audience get invested in certain books or characters and know I had a hand in building that hype.
Q: How do you think your experience with MCS at UMBC has prepared you for shaping your career?
I found all the different formats and opportunities for writing in the MCS program incredibly helpful! I got hired at Diamond right out of graduating from UMBC and had never actually written a press release before, but was able to pull from my experiences in MCS and make it happen. I also found the interview skills I learned as part of the internship requirement made a huge difference in my mindset and preparation during the interview process for this position.
Q: From your experience, what was the biggest or most important lesson you learned during your time as a student?
Might sound a little weird, but breaking down a big project into smaller, bite-sized chunks. There were so many times at UMBC that I would have a big project or paper and would get overwhelmed by how much would need to happen in order to finish it. Being able to break a big project down into small steps, and therefore small victories, is an approach that definitely translates to the professional world and makes a big difference.
Q: What advice would you give to a student considering a future in marketing?
First, to give some thought to what “side” of marketing you’re most interested in. Maybe it’s analytics, maybe it’s content and social, maybe it’s SEO. Marketing is an umbrella term, to some extent, and there’s a lot of ways to take it. Next, don’t take it so seriously. Marketing doesn’t have to be all “boardroom vibes.” It can be fun! I’ve had some of my best ideas and biggest successes when I let up on being stern and serious and let my creativity lead.
By: Rae Daniel
Photo Credit: Joey Scalise
Alumni and good friend of mine, Joey Scalise started his UMBC career in 2017. He graduated in 2021 and has since taken various topics he learned in MCS and applied them to his jobs and career path.
I sat down and talked to him about his journey through the MCS career and college, and what he has been doing since graduating.
The interview has been edited for clarity.
Rae: So, we’ve known each other since literally the beginning of our college careers starting in 2017, even just a bit before that. So correct me if I’m wrong, but when we first started, you were undecided in terms of your major?
Joey: Yes, I had no idea. Well, I had a couple of ideas, and MCS was one of the majors I was thinking about, but I wasn’t completely sure at the time. I was thinking about theater, for a little bit. Just because one of my teachers in high school was really pushing me to do that. But, I took an MCS class and theater class both my freshman year, and I just ended up leaning more towards MCS because I felt like it was more promising and I just enjoyed it more.
R: That was actually my next question, was “what made you want to choose MCS as your major?”
J: I think it is just more usable in day to day life, I mean, I still use a lot of stuff I learned, especially right now with a lot of issues surrounding media in the last few years, it’s been great to learn and apply as everything’s been happening. I’m thankful every day for learning media literacy, and it was actually the first class I took, was [MCS] 101, and it’s helped me a lot.
R: I’m glad it has. And you know, being in MCS comes with doing a lot of projects, do you remember any projects that were your favorites, or projects that stood out to you?
J: I think the one I’m proudest of is my capstone, just because it’s becoming more and more relevant.
R: Really? What was your capstone?
J: It was about Google and Facebook data mining, I was also talking about the thing with Cambridge Analyica and the 2016 election. It and similar topics have been talked about more and more since then. Especially right now specifically with the talk of TikTok being banned soon, and that, I think, was the moment I really realized that it’s like “oh, my degree helps me because I’ve never had anything [that I learned] in school that was this applicable to real life, other than fun facts from food chemistry classes. It took through quarantine to finish.
J: I feel like MCS is kind of like technological philosophy.
R: What do you mean by that?
J: I think we've got a lot of modern philosophy in all the classes, so that was helpful. I think a lot of the work was reading and then writing about what we read, which really helped, like Foucault. I think just critiquing and thinking about modern culture around media technology, like looking at Black Mirror, and we watched Black Mirror episodes about three different times. It was a lot of thinking, looking at, analyzing, and just discussing a lot of concepts with modern philosophy. We’re surrounded by the internet and computers and it’s interesting seeing just how humanity interacts with it now. I genuinely feel like everyone should take a media literacy class.
R: So what do you do now after your college career?
J: So right after graduation, for like, six months, I was working at Six Flags America in Bowie. I was the digital and social media coordinator. But it was a lot of physical labor. It was like 60% other duties asigned, I wasn't doing a lot of what I signed up for, the MCS stuff. Granted, on the one hand, like I was designing signs and using Adobe software, but then I had to go and put them up for like hours at a time in the dead heat. 2021. And since then, I've been working with Anne Arundel County Public libraries as a technology and video coordinator at the headquarters in Annapolis.
J: So predominantly, I'm part of the virtual services team. We run the website, we provide hotspots and Chromebooks to patrons in the libraries, but we don't fix them and address those issues. Basically anything digital that isn't hardware related, is a living through like a web service-ish kind of state. That's what we do. And then my specific niche is video; video editing and helping with social media.I also now take photos at different events, especially in the summer because there's a lot of summer programs at the branches. I use Adobe every single day. I would know how to use it if I didn’t start with MCS.
R: you’re ahead of me, that was also leading into my next question. Have you learned any new skills being in the position you’re in now?
J: I started learning [Adobe] After Effects. So that's been fun. I use it to animate the library system logo, that's a big thing. But also I've started learning about a little bit of HTML coding. We had to make portfolios at one point for one of my MCS classes and then see. I didn’t think my portfolio looked too good, but it was a good start considering it was the very first time I'd ever made a website.
R: What have you learned through searching for jobs fresh out of college, and the job hiring process as a whole? And do you have any advice for students searching for jobs?
J: First of all, there are scam jobs out there that I've almost fallen for. I've done the application process and then realized that it was fake like two or three times. So be careful. I was applying to like a couple hundred a week, I think, like right after graduation. Leading up to and right after graduation, throughout those four months that was a lot of jobs that I was applying to and I was using quick application functions through Indeed. And LinkedIn. I highly recommend doing those. Another one is, definitely make sure you have a portfolio, or a demo reel of your work.
R: So do you see yourself staying in this line of work at the library in the future?
J: Maybe not specifically in the library, but just in what I do for the library. video editing, Visual and digital production. Ideally for a non-profit. I’m going to be looking for other jobs fairly soon, actually. The hardest part of this job, is that it’s really hard to make captions for posts, actually. It’s like, trying to reach and hype up an audience without having to use seven exclamation points to get your point across, but also saying just enough that it fits in like, a hundred characters.
R: That’s understandable. So, last question then. If you were to give freshman year Joey some advice given where you are now, what would you tell yourself?
J: Don't worry. A lot of my last years in college were taken in the heat of the pandemic, and it actually helped me get better grades because I like doing work on my own time and being in my room helped me focus more, personally. But there was a lot of “what ifs” during that period, i just had to take one day at a time, and make the best of it. Also, don’t slack off too much, and you’ll be fine. The professors are very understanding. They helped me through personal and school issues when they came up. I highly recommend people try at least one MCS class, or think of it as a major if you have trouble deciding because it is such a broad topic. It gives you a lot of life skills too.
By: Ajel Balan
Photo Credit: James Parris
Meet James Parris - a senior of UMBC graduating this semester, completing his Media and Communication Studies major along with his Entrepreneurship minor. With an active mind and interest for business and marketing, Parris has started his own business in the form of a podcast, “The Jimbo Parris Show” - where he sits down with guests and have long-form conversations about their lives, the goal being to have these conversations teach and empower anyone about these topics such as marketing, business, and event things like art and spirituality.
Prior to creating this podcast, Parris used to own a reggae radio station, where he would put his focus on making episodes around music, with interviewing people occasionally. Over time, he realized his passion with interviewing and its cost effectiveness of cutting the business down into purely interviewing.
He attributes some of his success to his wonderful experience with his internship with General Electric. They would craft plans to attract a younger and authentic audience to the company. They want to work with influencers like Parris to draw people in. After the interviews, he would create snippets, ads, and reels that would display the scientist not as “a bunch of white men in stuffy suits talking about numbers”, but as a diverse group of individuals with passion for their work.
When it comes to courses in UMBC, he finds MCS 355 - Social Media: Networking and Mobility, MCS 334 - Media, Communication and Globalization, and MCS 499 - Capstone Seminar to be the most influential when trying to decide his path. It was through MCS 355, however, that he would find his direction. Taught by Dr. Donald Snyder, Parris goes into detail on how this class changed his perspective on the use of social media in marketing. He notes, “it showed me that social media was both an art and a science. I needed to see social media, not just in a purely logical standpoint of SEO promotions, et cetera, but there's people involved, there's emotions involved. When I began to understand that emotional aspect, I started to move my business in a direction focused more on inbound marketing, like content creation. It was no longer this fake, inorganic way of hunting people down. So it changed the general strategies I used.” He adds that even now, he keeps the textbooks used for the marketing class.
You would think that managing a business alongside doing university would put a strain on him, but Parris disagrees - as he notes the importance of passion when it comes to school and his business. Parris explains, “When you do something that's along what your purpose is, what you need to do, you're going to be able to perform well. And I think, maybe this is just me, but I think more people really need to focus in on the things that they're passionate about. This way, it's no longer a strain. Every Friday when I go down, sit down in my chair to do a show, or every Wednesday, I have a meeting with my team, it doesn't feel like work”.
If you’re interested, check out The Jimbo Paris Show at https://jimboparis.com/ and follow the show on Facebook, YouTube, Twitter, and Instagram. You can also watch it now on RokuTV.
By: Sophia Blackwell
Photo Credit: Louna Temsah edited by Sophia Blackwell
“Oohh, good question! Being Middle Eastern with this major has been beneficial for me because I contributed a lot by sharing my past experiences that resonated with the topics being taught and shared ideas as I believe I have come across a lot in my life so far from living in so many different places. Especially in MCS 334, learning about globalization has helped me view my culture and other cultures in a more objective way. In that class, I felt like I gave a lot of input because of my background knowledge and living the experience. As media and communications is such a broad major, and there is so much you can do with it, I feel like wherever I end up for my career it will be extremely useful and I hope to use my MCS skills to continue growing in my field.”
I’m currently taking MCS 388, a public relations class and this has made me want to focus more on PR. The skills that this class has taught me so far such as writing news releases and branding for companies are topics that I feel would be very useful when starting my career. I would love to work in a humanitarian agency like Professor Eagle. His guest speakers that work in that sector have inspired me a lot.
“To be honest, the way Lebanon is represented in the media really upsets me. It’s been portrayed as unsafe which is truly not the case, I feel safer there if anything. Lebanon is a very westernized country with so much life in it, and I always look forward to going back and visiting my family friends. In fact I’m planning on moving back there after graduation. Media sources need to focus more on the artistic scene in Beirut and how different ethnicities are reflected in the city's architecture and food. It is such a diverse country and we never let politics or religion divide our people.”
“I’m so anxious to graduate already. I came into college not knowing what I wanted to do and what career path to take. I would advise anyone going into college and feeling conflicted to not be so hard on themselves. After all, we are still young and I always tell myself that what’s meant to be for me will come for me. We have a whole life ahead of us. When it comes to international students I would tell them to never change who they are to fit in or feel ashamed of their cultures. UMBC is so diverse and I have found many friends who share a similar culture to mine and it has brought us closer. It’s always comforting to have a piece of home within yourself and always take pride in it.”
By: Spencer Derrenberger
Photo Credit: Ajel Balan
Senior MCS major Ajel Balan has been at UMBC since 2019 and is expecting to graduate in Spring 2023. Initially, Ajel started out with a different major, but later switched to Media and Communication Studies.
Recently, we sat down and talked with him about his MCS experience at UMBC, as well as his internship with the National STEM Honor Society (NSTEM).
The interview has been edited for brevity and clarity.
Q: So, why did you switch majors and choose MCS?
Surprisingly, I think I have an interesting story to tell. When I started at UMBC, I was actually a computer science major. I thought, oh man, coding stuff would be so cool, it’d be great. But then, after a while, I realized that this isn’t what I want to do for the rest of my life. And I remember looking back at some of my old hobbies, when I would make YouTube videos, edit them, and just fiddle around with digital media stuff. And so, I decided to choose MCS in order to try to learn some skills, get some understanding about it, and, hopefully, maybe, do something with social media.
Q: Looking back, as you’re a senior now, do you have any sort of pivotal moments that made you think, “Oh, this is why I do MCS” or just any favorite moments in your student career?
Actually, I would say taking MCS 370 (Making a Media Campaign). Working on a media campaign has definitely made me realize that this is something I probably want to do for the rest of my life. It’s very interesting. I’ve come to really enjoy video editing and I want to focus more on it. I have a passion for it, really. Using Adobe Premiere Pro has been exciting, too.
There was also Professor Anchor’s Making Visual Culture (MCS 377) and Dr. Snyder’s Social Media: Networking and Mobility (MCS 355). Those were really cool classes. I really just enjoy editing.
Q: Do you have any plans of what you want to do career wise after graduation?
Probably somewhere along the lines of like, something to do with social media. I would say maybe being editor, social media specialist, communication specialist– any of those roles. Again, since I only switched majors recently– I could have graduated as a comp sci major– I have had a lot spinning in my head. With MCS, you can go down a broad range of different careers and paths, which makes trying to focus on just one really hard. There are a lot of options.
Q: What about your internship? What’s that like?
I’m currently doing a remote internship with the National STEM Honor Society. Basically, they try to encourage students from K to 12 to pursue STEM and STEM careers. And they have all sorts of special little, I believe, exciting programs that will help them get into practicing it, you know, with rewarding them as well.
Q: What’s your role as an intern?
I work for the social media marketing department. I also work in another department about chapter development, where it’s basically doing research on schools and which schools would benefit the most from STEM opportunities.
Q: What skills have you learned from this position?
For the social media marketing department, I would definitely say getting a good understanding about making the posts and crafting them using stuff like Canva and, slowly, I want to try to upgrade and start using Premiere Pro as well.
In addition to that, I would say working with Excel for chapter development and working with a team. While I am still an intern and just doing basic stuff, it’s been really interesting to research. My role is to research the percentages of schools that are doing well in STEM. With this, hopefully we can give students, as well as teachers, recognition for their work.
Q: How has your experience at UMBC as an MCS student helped you during your internship?
I would say that, for starters, overall, when it comes to presenting my ideas and stuff, I believe it has definitely helped me a lot. In the past, presentations have been nightmarish, but it’s helped me. It’s helped me understand how media works, as well. I remember, as a kid, I actually didn’t really care about social media, but as I grew older, I’ve come to really enjoy it. It was kind of bizarre.
Also, it’s helped me with some skills, like editing and all that.
Q: Do you think you’d recommend this internship to other people? If so, what kind of person would you recommend this for?
When it comes to this internship, I'd recommend it. My experience personally has been a bit interesting, given that there's been a lot of changes going on. And I know that NSTEM is definitely looking for more and more interns. They’re looking for people into video editing and HR, too.
But yeah, if you want to do an internship, where you're overall free to make your own path alongside what else you want to do, or maybe even be a director and help lead a project, then I certainly recommend them for all of that. They ask you what three departments you’re interested in. Then, you can pick and choose which one you want to focus on. And from then on, you can just go crazy.
By: Ajel Balan
Photo Credit: Cassie Semyon
One of the many benefits of being a Media and Communication Studies major is the diversity of careers you can choose from. From being a copywriter to running human resources, this major allows for a broad selection of paths for you to follow. One popular choice for MCS majors is Public Relations – or PR for short. Bradley Ingram ('18) is one of those UMBC alumni who graduated with his MCS degree and chose the path of public relations. He is currently working atZeno Group as Account Supervisor in their Health and Wellness Practice. Outside of work, he loves exploring new restaurants, partaking in photography, golfing, and cheering on UMBC's sports teams.
Ingram's path is one with many turns, working for big and small agencies alike. He helped a number of clients of all business sizes. He had gained his experience outside of the classroom through working internships, one company he worked for beingLightGrid LLC. He would also develop his skills through working with UMBC's Retriever Weekly and Student Life. These roles range from media relations, crisis communications, corporate communications, to even a combination of all three.
One of the big challenges when it comes to getting into the field, according to Ingram, is getting that first internship. The field of PR is quite competitive, so it may seem very hard to have yourself stand out. Despite this, Bradley notes that your first job is not your last job, and that any experience, be it in or out of school, is a good experience. Another struggle that may happen when starting out is the pacing. “The news cycle and projects”, he comments, “are not confined to a 9-5 workday and getting used to a faster pace environment can be an adjustment”.
For current MCS students wanting to take this career path in PR, Bradley recommends using the news as your best resource. "Staying on top of national, local, and industry specific news will help you not only stay informed, but also understand how stories are written and what kinds of stories get picked up." He adds, "This doesn't mean reading the Washington Post from cover to cover, but developing a regular appetite for consuming the news will serve you throughout your career." Some newsletters he recommends subscribing to are Morning Consult and Axios – as they are bite sized ways to get your daily news that take only a few minutes. He also recommends reading industry publications like Ad Age andPR Week, as well as going to The Public Relations Society of America (PRSA) events to learn from PR professionals.
]]>By: Jadyn Spradlin
Photo Credit: Lewis Hollander
Though Lewis Hollander is only a freshman at UMBC, his videography is on scale with work produced by professionals. His instagram account “LewsFlicks” showcases his videos dating back four years, but it doesn’t even begin to truly cover this student’s expertise.
Hollander got his start in the world of videography during his sophomore year of high school. A student at local Mt. Hebron, he regularly produced fun videos with his friends and eventually built up a rather successful YouTube channel. Realizing his abilities and enjoyment of video production, he began producing content for his school’s varsity lacrosse team. Beginning with a mix of sports photography and videography, he quickly learned how to capture both emotion and action in his shoots. He developed editing skills with programs like Adobe Photoshop, Lightroom, and Premiere Pro, and eventually settled into a niche of sports videography.
While his skills and knowledge would have allowed him to pursue a career in sports media right out of high school, he elected to attend college in order to develop his academic background and professional portfolio even further. He knew that the Media and Communication Studies program at UMBC would be perfect for this, as it offered to teach him various fields of academics while still emphasizing experience-based learning.
An additional draw of UMBC was our New Media Studio. Describing themselves as “UMBC’s central hub for video production on campus,” the studio is responsible for fulfilling a variety of institutional production needs, with projects ranging from graduation and sports coverage to digital storytelling and research highlights. Though not officially associated with the MCS department, the studio’s website states that they are “actively involved in supporting UMBC’s Media and Communication program through teaching and internships.”
With that in mind, Hollander sought out an internship with the studio and began working with them shortly after. Starting first as a camera operator for live broadcasts of soccer games, he has worked in various roles and positions with the studio. He still prefers his sports videography though, and has created numerous highlight films for UMBC sports including soccer, basketball, and lacrosse. These videos are most commonly featured on social media platforms, posted by either specific teams or UMBC's own accounts. Hollander enjoys being able to see his own content put to use to grow these accounts and promote UMBC athletics, and says these first-hand experiences have made him interested in managing social media accounts in the future. So far, his internship has already allowed him many unique opportunities to do this, as he has been able to suggest, plan, and execute some of his own ideas for strategies and content to boost these accounts.
In addition to these first-hand experiences, Hollander says he has benefitted from UMBC by meeting people and making connections that he otherwise would not have had access to.
After graduation, Hollander plans to continue his work doing freelance videography and specifically hopes to join the media team at Premiere Lacrosse League (PLL). His recent internship experience at UMBC is already proving to be useful in fulfilling these career goals, as he just secured an internship with PLL for this upcoming summer.
When asked what advice he has for anyone wishing to get started in this field, Hollander kept it simple: "Shoot everything you can. Even if it's not exactly what you want to be doing or focusing on - any shooting - any time you spend behind the camera, you are becoming a better shooter."
By: Louna Temsah
Photo Credit: Sophia Blackwell
Sophia will be graduating this spring and looking forward to working close to her home and family for the government. Coming back to school after a few years out, she discusses her ways of managing her personal and academic life.
Q: Hi! Would you like to introduce yourself for those who don’t know you?
Hi, my name is Sophia Blackwell, I’m a senior here at UMBC and a transfer student from College of Southern Maryland (CSM).
Q: What made you come back to school? And why did you pick UMBC?
After I finished my two year degree at CSM, I decided I wanted to use my opportunity to finish my BA degree. As an adult learner, it was hard assimilating back into school, but I stayed strong because I wanted a better life for my children and I. I chose UMBC because initially I wanted to go to dental school at UMD, so getting my undergraduate degree at UMBC would help me get there.
Q: Outside of UMBC, who are you?
Hmmm, I would say I am a fun loving person. I enjoy nature and doing fun activities with my kids such as crafts, bike riding, going to events, and just getting out of the house. My kids are my world so everything revolves around their lives. Joseph is 9 and he’s in 4th grade, and my daughter Hannah is 7 and in 2nd grade. We also have a dog named Ivy, she’s a golden retriever. Go retrievers!
Q: You say that you are a mother of 2, what are your tips and tricks on balancing your academic and personal life? Do you catch a break?
This might sound weird, but coming to school is my break haha! I feel more focused and relaxed when I’m at school. Being at home is hard because of the many distractions, house work etc. My tips for any parent returning to school is to keep a tight schedule and know that the sacrifice is temporary. For me, my google calendar is my best friend. Between kids appointments, due dates for class work, and work schedules my calendar keeps me on track. Everything is in one place and that works best for me.
Q: If you could go back in time and change your major, would you?
Nope! I love this degree. It is so versatile and it also allows me to use my creativity.
Q: What did you choose to focus your capstone project on?
For my capstone, I chose how the media portrays immigration and its implications. A lot of our views and perceptions are based on what we see in the media and this is an important subject to explore in how it is framed and interpreted in our society.
Q: Were you always interested in that subject?
Not really, but I did always have an empathetic view on how migrants are viewed because of misinformation.
Q: Have you completed your internship requirements? Tell me about it?
Yes I have! I did two really cool internships so far. The first was last summer and I got to work at the Baltimore City Hall for the Inspector General, Isabel Cummings. I got to design and summarize the annual report which was so much fun! Also, currently, I am working for Senator Charles Sydnor as a Legislative Aide.
Q: What was the process of applying for your internship like?
Both processes were pretty easy. The only hard part was the interview process.
Q: Did any MCS classes come in handy throughout your internship ?
Yes they have! Especially for my internship at the City Hall creating the annual report.
Q: What advice would you give to freshmen coming into UMBC about to begin their MCS journey?
I would advise them to always feel brave enough to speak up in class, many will learn from you and you'll learn alot about yourself. Also the teachers will help you, never feel afraid to ask them.
Q: What are your plans after graduation?
My plans after graduation are to work close to home for the government. I live very close to the Pax River Navy base so there are plenty of opportunities for me to make a great income and put my communications degree to good use.
Q: If you could, what advice would you give your younger self?
An advice I would give my younger self would be that “It’s going to be hard, but it’s so worth it.”, “Be very careful who you chose to be close to you”, and “You ARE good enough, you ARE smart enough and you ARE worth it”.
By: Alexandra Hulett
Photo Credit: Caleb Miller
In this interview, Alexandra Hulett speaks with Mitch Case, a MCS alum from the class of 2011. In our conversation, we discuss his experiences at UMBC as a Retriever, lessons learned throughout his career, life in New York, and his current position as Director of Communications at the National Art Club.
Describe your academic life at the University of Maryland, Baltimore County (UMBC).
I earned my associate's degree at Howard Community College, then went to UMBC and majored in Media and Communications Studies (MCS).
Did you know what you wanted to study or focus on academically before you went to UMBC?
Yes, I did. I knew I wanted to study Media and Communications. My associate's degree was in that field. I took journalism, radio, and video classes at Howard Community. By the time I transferred, I had a pretty good idea of what I wanted to do.
When did your interest in journalism and communications begin?
Good question. My interest in politics and news started in college. MCS stuck out to me. That might have been the catalyst. I also got my minor in political science at UMBC too.
While studying at UMBC, you participated in the Student Government Association (SGA) and College Democrats. What was the impact of those activities on your life after graduation?
The experiences I had back then have definitely shaped my career today. I served on the public relations committee of SGA. Originally, I was a Senate blogger. At the time, I kept a Tumblr account of Senate happenings. It led to me becoming SGA's Director of Public Relations. At this time, Facebook was just getting started. I started a Facebook page and a Twitter account for SGA. Managing social media accounts is what I do in my career today. I also served as president of the College Democrats for about a year. MCS played a huge role in most of that. We made flyers to invite people to our meetings. We maintained that Facebook account and took photos when elected officials came to visit. In my role as president, I did outreach and wanted to make sure people knew what was happening because we had gone dormant at UMBC for a while, so we wanted to make sure people knew we were back. That was a lot of great social media experience, and I still use it.
During your time at UMBC, did you take any social media classes? I'm not sure what the curriculum offered concerning social media at the time.
Social media classes were not offered at UMBC at the time. Social media classes were still pretty new in colleges. It's something I learned more about during my internships. I worked in UMBC's marketing department. I also interned at the Baltimore Museum of Art (BMA). My work today is in the arts. My career passion has always been that. While my classes were primarily theory and critical thinking, most of my real-world experience came from internships and extracurriculars.
Can you recall any particular moments during your time at UMBC that were memorable?
In terms of my personal life, it was there that I met my husband. We met at the Strive Leadership retreat one winter. We will be celebrating 13 years together soon. Regarding academics, I got to take a class about sitcoms. I'm a big TV nerd, so this was really exciting for me.
Do you have a favorite sitcom at the moment?
Right now, I'm really enjoying watching the TV show Abbott Elementary.
Was there anything you would do differently if you could relive your UMBC experience?
Honestly, I wouldn't change anything. In terms of the MCS program, I'm not sure how the curriculum has changed over time, but I think it might be helpful to include a few more real-world classes.
Agreed, I would say the same thing.
There was a real push for internships, so I suppose it was understood that you needed to get that experience somewhere. I'm still on the MCS LISTSERV, and I'm happy to always see the department advertising internships and other career opportunities. Getting some of that experience before entering the job market is so useful.
Where did you land your first job after graduating from UMBC?
I graduated in December 2011 and started my first job in February or March 2012 as a Social Media and Website Coordinator at the Baltimore Office of Promotion of the Arts (BOPA). It is a nonprofit that operates as the city's art department, largely funded by the city government. They organize many great events in the city, like Artscape, the Baltimore Book Festival, and the Baltimore Farmer's Market. My position was brand new. Again, this was when social media marketing was still new, and everyone started realizing, "oh, we need to do marketing on social media; We need someone who knows how to do that." Luckily I had experience from SGA and my internships, so I applied and got the job. Also, I was able to get in touch with my references at BMA and say, "Hey, could you put in a good word for me?" That certainly helped. I updated their website and developed an app for the Artscape festival, which everyone in the office thought was a big deal. Luckily, I knew how to use WordPress. I also managed our social media accounts. Being in social media marketing during that time was a baptism-by-fire kind of experience, but it was nice to be a part of something new. As a 22-year-old, right out of college, I accomplished some really cool things, and I was able to make some really important decisions. After a while, this job helped me to leverage my next one.
My coworker left BOPA for a new opportunity. Her job was to handle press releases and media interviews. I saw an opportunity there for more experience. I asked my boss if I should apply. She said, "Go for it." I did the interview process, and they decided I was the right candidate.
That role gave me the experience for my next job at PROFILES, a local PR agency. There I worked with amazing clients, like the Reginald F. Lewis Museum of African American History and the Waterfront Partnership of Baltimore. We also were involved with neighborhood activities. I connected with local radio and TV stations. I knew everyone and who to call if we wanted something on TV. It felt pretty cool, having that sense of connection with the city. I worked at PROFILES for almost nine months.
I was in a long-distance relationship with my then-boyfriend between New York and Baltimore at this point. He studied medicine at New York University. For three years, we took three-hour bus trips every other week. We decided we'd had enough of that, so it was time for me to move to New York. I told PROFILES that I would be moving to New York. They were sad to see me go, but we decided that I could keep working remotely until someone else could take my place.
What year was this?
This was back in early 2016 before everyone was working remotely. I moved to New York without a plan or a real job, which was completely out of character for me, but I had no choice. In the end, everything worked out. Working remotely for PROFILES was enough to cover my rent for a couple of months while I looked for a new job. Within a few months, I landed a job at the AIDS Service Center of New York as a Communications Manager.
As a result of that whole experience, what was the biggest lesson you learned?
I learned that it is important to stay current, especially in communications. I subscribe to a lot of newsletters. Whenever possible, I attend training. PR, marketing, and other related things are constantly changing. In the 10 or so years that I've been working, I've grown a lot professionally. It's getting to the point in my career when it's time to mentor new professionals. Being constantly open to change and learning would be my best advice.
In your opinion, do you have any particular skills that distinguish you from your peers?
I like to think I'm really observant of trends, and know when it's time to get on board. I'm pretty decent at marketing myself and my skills. I know which accomplishments to highlight and I like to think I have a good LinkedIn profile. I'm an introvert, so I'm great with networking on LinkedIn. It is so important to network. I think the way to be considered for a job, is to be connected with someone who can put your name forward.
Could you tell me more about your current job?
I am the Director of Communications at the National Arts Club, a nonprofit organization. I still manage our social media, primarily Instagram. My time there has resulted in an increase in Instagram following of over 300%. That's something I'm really proud of. Since we're a nonprofit, we don't have a huge advertising budget, so it's been mostly organic, which you can only do by staying on top of trends and creating cool content. While we were in pandemic lockdown, we switched to virtual programming. We did more than 200 online lectures and performances. We went from having a space where about 150 people could attend in person, to our largest event where over 3000 people attended online. Suddenly, I had a worldwide audience. Adapting and managing that huge jump was another cool accomplishment for me. I have gotten to work with a lot of art magazines, art newspapers, and with TV. Also, I do email marketing, sending out weekly email blasts, and just keeping our audience up to date with what's going on.
You seem to wear a lot of hats.
Yes, that's always been my experience working for nonprofits. There's not always someone to do a specific job, so it can fall to you, and you just adapt.
Are there any tips you can offer to a student on how to handle all these responsibilities?
I'd say just be prepared for those other duties as assigned and be an advocate for yourself. In my job, Communications has always been my top priority, no matter what's being assigned to me. I signed up to handle communications, and I'll do it well. Don't forget what you're there for, and make sure you're enjoying it.
I have one more question. It's really serious. Do you miss Baltimore, and would you ever come back?
That's an excellent question. I miss Baltimore sometimes, but I'm pretty spoiled living in New York City. New York has ruined all the other cities for me. I lived in Hamden for two years after I graduated from UMBC. Maybe down the road. My brother still lives there, so I'm down to come back and visit. My parents have since moved to Delaware, so I don't get to visit Baltimore often. It's a great city, though. I'm just happy living in New York right now.
By: Zerubbabel Abiy
Photo Credit: Javier Villanueva-Diaz
Recently we got the chance to sit down and speak with Junior Javier Villanueva-Diaz about his experiences within the Media and Communication Studies department, the things he's learned and incorporating his passions within his studies.
For those of us who don't know who you are, could you tell us just a little bit about yourself?
My name is Javier. I am a junior here at UMBC, I am a media and communications major with a minor in music. I'm a dual citizen with Mexican and American citizenship and I have a fascination with pop culture in both countries and I love music.
Oh really? So you were born in Mexico and you came to America?
No, I was born here, my parents moved to a ranch in Jalisco when I was a kid to help my granddad get residency in the United States to live with my family in California.
Why did you choose MCS?
I was attracted to the media and communication department after reading Edward Bernays Propaganda book, and realized I had a liking for how things are portrayed in the media. My favorite course I’ve taken is Modern Public Relations. Public relations was one of my favorite classes because it’s a field that I am interested in after graduating. I also like the way Prof. Eagle taught the class. He made it simple and went straight to the point, teaching us to write press releases and pitch emails, and also how to execute a public relation class. My main takeaway was to write as little as possible and also as clearly as possible. I also do data collection with Dr. Talbert-Goldstein
What are some of the projects that you've worked on here at UMBC
Well it is my involvement with Catholic retrievers and the religious council and helping out any way I can and my internship with the Athletic department… I work in broadcasting but I still don't know what I'm doing outside of showing up and being ready to do anything. My personal projects are also stressing me out, no one said that the media and public relations work was super hard.
What about it is stressful? And could you explain what you do for those that don't know?
Well I am a music minor like I said before but I'm also a musician and I've been struggling to hunt down my target audience, what event venues promote indie artists, which radios I should reach out to. I can self-publish but if i don't have an audience to throw it out too it's just pointless. A lot of advice I have been getting about self-promotion has primarily focused around social media and tik tok and that's a little annoying, especially with people in the music industry giving me that advice because it seems as if they care more about following in number when actually what should matter is music. But I'm still new to making music, with only a year and a half of experience, so I still have a long way to go.
Obviously music is very important to you.
Yeah goes back to when I was a kid and my parents came back to America. My dad used to take me to karaoke bars and I entered a contest and I won and that got me a contract with a local radio station and throughout the DC area I would perform at latin festivals as a mariachi at a very young age. Now my music is influenced by Rancheros, Latin rock, Rock with RnB and Reggaeton.
Oh so your Mariachi?
Yeah I used to play Rancheras which is music from the ranch. It's technically country music for Mexicans but we played with an orchestra because we're a little bit more refined. Fun fact and official Mariachi is no less than 11 players so if you see a Mariachi with 5 players they’re cheating you because they know that Americans don't know any better.
Wow so it seems like your culture means a lot to you... Is there any Mexican media that you've been consuming lately?
Yeah there's a lot of podcasts I've been listening to but recently there's a Mexican TV show I've been watching called Belascoarán. It's this detective series set in 1970s Mexico City and this detective is basically trying to find stranglers and at the same time dealing with the corruption of the Mexican police, it's very interesting.
If you left campus today and never came back again what would be the one lesson you take away from your experience here at UMBC.
Finding out how to market myself. But no matter the promotion a good song will prevail no matter what.
]]>