Vox Media Newsroom

How a Journalism Graduate Found Her Footing in the Unlikeliest of Industries

This is part of a larger series called the Vox Creative Grad Guide. RFP. KPI. CTR. More three-word acronyms floated in and out of the conference room phone’s speakers as I sweated and struggled to keep up in my notes. What would all of these acronyms and business jargon mean for me and my job? The only abbreviation I had come out of journalism school knowing was “TK,” a magazine and printing shorthand for “to come,” or words to be filled in at a later date, closer to publication. Now I was sitting on my first client kickoff call, an account director and RVP on either side of me, a team of producers infinitely more knowledgeable than myself, and my editor, who gave me an assuring nod. I’d get the hang of it, I hoped. Starting at Vox Media on its native advertising team, Vox Creative, I felt as though “TK” could have described my career up to that point. I graduated from the University of Colorado’s journalism school in 2010 with a news-editorial major. It’s not lost on me that less than a year after I graduated, the Board of Regents moved to shut down the journalism school to rebrand and restructure the entire school. (The school has since been reaccredited.) It was a less than ideal time to enter the print industry, looking for entry-level work. So to pursue my dreams of moving to New York City and to affirm my skills as a journalist and editor — as my dad always told me, “You go to college to get an education, and grad school to gain a skill set” — I entered the S.I. Newhouse School of Public Communications for an expedited MA in magazine, print, and online journalism. Surrounded by professors from New York’s glossiest publications, it was

May 29, 2018

From Reality TV to Game Day Grub Match, My Journey in Branded Content

This is part of a larger series called the Vox Creative Grad Guide. I came to Vox Media to produce branded content, whatever that is. I figured it would be more of the same of what I was used to doing: Longer-form content meant to live online with an end card of “insert brand here.” Don’t get me wrong, I was totally OK with that. In my mind (and definitely my mind only) I’m a free-spirited documentary filmmaker whose purpose in life is to tell beautifully shot stories and bring awareness to the world. If a brand wanted to get in on that action, fine by me. However, it wasn’t until I was dropped so far out of my element that I came to understand the extent of what branded content could be — and how much fun it was to make. What I was dropped into was a cooking competition with the size and scale of a proper television show, The Game Day Grub Match. It took me a while to figure out my niche in the entertainment business. I’ve been on many different types of productions and held a lot of strange jobs in the industry. I started out in China working in reality television. The show was The Amazing Race: China Rush. This was the Chinese version of the show and had everything the American version of the show had, minus the production budget and experienced crew. This was a solid month on the road visiting 12 cities across China, and shooting fifteen-hour days. Apparently my six months of professional, post-college experience was enough to land me the role of game producer. As game producers, our job was to figure out the race route, to write the clues, and to come up with all of the different

May 29, 2018

6 Content Creators on What They Wish They Knew Upon Graduation

This is part of a larger series called the Vox Creative Grad Guide. KAMRAM DRAEGER, 2015 GRADUATE Creative Strategist Back in high school, I would spend most of my time playing video games and watching countless shows and videos online. I didn’t quite know what I wanted to do with myself, but I had a passion for all these things, and I wanted to turn that into a career. Something that stuck with me was a quote by Burnie Burns I heard about 10 years ago: “If you’re going to waste your time doing something, you might as well make money off of it.” “If you’re going to waste your time doing something, you might as well make money off of it.” While I hadn’t the faintest clue about which job was right for me, I knew working in digital media was the place to be. I started viciously seeking out internships, part-time jobs, and work experience placements. With every role I took on, I gained a better appreciation for the industry, and how I could apply myself. As part-time gigs transitioned into freelance work and ultimately full-time jobs, I reached a point where I understood my strengths, and gained a critical eye for the things I am passionate about. I continued to spend most of my free time consuming digital media (and playing video games when I could), but had come to recognize why the creators and publishers I admired were not only entertaining, but distinguished from others. It’s this understanding that has brought me to a career at Vox Media. I look up to the talent I’m surrounded by, and am proud of the work we put out here. As a Creative Strategist I’ve found a job that matches my strengths, while allowing me to work on the

May 29, 2018