By Suzy Alstrin
An assignment for an English 383 Literary Editing and Publishing class, taught by Bill Walsh, resulted in two students having an incredible, and for one, a career-changing experience.
Tasked with interviewing an important person, sophomores Caitlin Brown and Caitlyn Cain (RU2026) secured interviews with two top executives at TNT Sports in Atlanta. They met with Craig Barry, the Executive Vice President and Chief Content Officer, and Chris Brown, the Vice President of Technical Operations.
While at the TNT studios, the students were thrilled to meet basketball legends Charles Barkley and Shaquille O’Neal, watch the NBA halftime show, and see the NHL newsroom and the production control room during their tour. They also observed and talked with the broadcasting staff and social media team about their careers and the pathways to their success.
Brown says learning about and observing aspects of a show production solidified her decision to change her major to Film and TV Production, “It gave me more information about both the creative and technical aspects of the industry. I loved hearing how Craig Barry sees sports television and hearing about the processes that go into both the creative and technical aspects of production.”
Witnessing how the studio operates and how everything operates amazed Cain. Her mind was eased regarding a recurring concern., “The most interesting thing the interview subjects told me was that there was not going to be a reduction in human relevancy as technology grows.”
The students agree that the opportunity to obtain first-hand career advice from successful people proved invaluable. Getting to meet a few celebrities was a bonus.
