Joann Park, who graduated from Annenberg's Print & Digital Journalism program in May 2014, talks about her current job at Viacom and discusses how her M{2e} coursework prepared her for the media industry.
What have you been up to since you graduated in May?
Many undergrads worry about finding a great job after graduation. Do you have any advice for current upperclassmen?
I think that especially in the media industry it's all about connections. When you interview for different jobs, it's amazing to see how small the media world really is once you mention whom you know. My advice would be to always put your best foot forward. It's not really enough to just grow your network--500 connections on LinkedIn doesn't mean anything if you're not maintaining them. Update your contacts around what you're doing every couple months and really take care of that relationship. If you're about to graduate and looking for a job, it also helps to be direct about what you want and how you can contribute.
How did your experience at USC prepare you for your position at Viacom?
Our professors, especially in M{2e}, are really good at understanding that they're preparing us for real careers. We need skills coming out of college, and my professors tailored the classes to that. At Viacom, pretty much everyone in the summer training program had a background in finance; they'd worked at a major bank or had MBAs. I was a Communications major, but M{2e} helped prepare me in a really relevant way so I never felt like I couldn't keep up.
How did you get involved during your time at Annenberg?
I was a research assistant at one point for Prof. Stacy Smith, which was a rewarding experience. But, more than being involved in any particular organization, what really enriched my time at Annenberg was getting to know my professors. I think that's the most important thing. Even at meetings for Viacom, I hear my supervisors mentioning professors from USC. My boss was blown away when he learned I'd taken a class with Prof. Henry Jenkins. We're really lucky to have such renowned professors, so it's definitely worth it to get to know them one on one.
M{2e} deals with the economic forces that are changing landscape of media. How do these phenomena shape your work as an analyst?
Viacom creates content. We make shows and try to sell them. But we're seeing now that it's not enough to just create compelling content if it's lost in the delivery. Everyone is pulling news from their social media feeds, so we need to stand out among the noise. We're learning about algorithms of online filtering to make sure our content is seen and shared. We're looking at where our revenues are coming from and a lot of it is mobile. In a lot of ways, it's making sure that our audience can connect with us so it's a networked exchange.
