On the Air: Media Careers for the Networked Generation

Saturday, November 15, 2014

On the Air: Media Careers for the Networked Generation

During this annual half-day conference, Tufts alumni who have found success in this competitive and rapidly changing field share their knowledge and advice with current undergraduates. Through structured panel discussions and informal networking, students gain real-world advice on careers in the media and how to best to position themselves for internships and full-time employment.

8:30am - 9:15am - Registration/Breakfast

9:20am - 9:35am - Nancy Glass Presentation

9:45am -12:35pm - Break Out Sessions
(Choose 3 of 5 listed below)

12:45pm - 1:45pm - Lunch

1:45pm - 3:00pm - Young Alumni Panel

Cabot Intercultural Center

Breakout Sessions: Offered at 9:45am, 10:45am, and 11:45am

“News today, News tomorrow” In a world that demands 24/7 access to breaking news, along with constantly evolving and increasingly digital ways of delivering that news, how is the industry adapting? Perspectives from public broadcasting and corporate giants will be offered along with their thoughts on what the future holds.

- “That’s entertainment – the shifting forms of unscripted television” TV isn't what it once was. Platforms are changing, the demographics of the audience are changing, but how does content change to attract younger viewers?

- “Sparking creativity” What does it take to get a tv pilot or film green-lighted? How are scripted tv and film changing to meet the new demands of 21st century entertainment?

"Beyond Mad Men: Changes in Contemporary Advertising" The world of advertising has moved a long way from the male-dominated, print and tv-dominated world of Don Draper. The business and creative scope of advertising, as well as its multi-platform and global reach, have transformed advertising as an industry and career in the 21st century.

- “Beyond the script” A successful media project requires among other things, financing and sound legal advice. Where does this come from and how can the right partner provide these crucial needs?

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On the Air: Media Careers for the Networked Generation

Alumni Biographies

Jonathan Adler, A08

Associate Director of Program Development, CNN

Adler’s work includes the development of show concepts for CNN Original Series. Previously, in his role as Manager of Talent and Program Development at CNN, he worked with Talent Recruitment and Development to identify and interview on-air talent for CNN across platforms. Before coming to CNN, Adler assisted in representing broadcast and non-scripted on air-personalities and producers at the Creative Artists Agency from 2009 to 2012.

Rick Ambros, A81, A17P

International Film & Television Executive

Ambros has held senior level positions in the entertainment industry as an executive, producer and GM/COO. He has also held long-term international consulting assignments in the U.S., Canada, Germany and India. Currently, he works primarily with China. He has been actively engaged in creative content development, production and programming, international co-production, localized production/adaptations, marketing and distribution, business development and strategy, financing, operations and general management.

Ambros has worked with major studios and broadcasters including Disney, Fox, Universal, Warner Bros., Paramount and Sony, along with ProSiebenSat.1 and StarvTV. He has also teamed with independent production companies and helped launch several start-ups.

He has an M.B.A. from the Tuck School of Business at Dartmouth College and a B.A. in Political Science and International Relations from Tufts University. He speaks fluent English and German, conversational French and recently started studying Mandarin

Belle Frank, J76, A07

Executive Vice President, Global Director of Strategy & Research at Young & Rubicam

Frank is an Executive Vice President, Global Director of Strategy & Research at Y&R. She directs communications strategies for the agency and co-manages the Brand Planning Department and teaches Awareness, Measurement and Research as part of the CCNY master’s degree in Branding & Integrated Communications. Frank has worked with all the Y&R proprietary strategic tools and is responsible for agency perspectives on key brand, consumer and communication development and measurement issues. Beginning in 1993, she was part of the small team assigned to develop Y&R's BrandAsset® Valuator (BAV) model. Frank is the author of The Advertising On-Ramp (Paramount Books), a readable practical guide for young people entering the business. She co-authored "Reinventing Qualitative Research", published in the February, 2007 issue of Admap. She received an Advertising Women of New York, Trailblazing Working Mother of the Year award.

Nancy Glass, J77, A14P

Television Producer, Nancy Glass Productions

Glass is a six-time Emmy award winning television host, writer, and producer. She is one of the most creative and credible names in the industry and has held a variety of high-profile, on-air positions in television and radio. She currently hosts HGTV on the Radio, a program that airs daily on XM satellite’s women’s channel.

When not overseeing her thriving company, Glass is still a sought-after guest or guest-host, having appeared on: The Daily Show, The Big Idea with Donny Deutsch, Larry King Live, Conan O’Brien, CBS Morning News, Hollywood Squares, Court TV, MSNBC, and as a host on WOR-radio in New York City. She has been featured in: People Magazine, Entertainment Weekly, TV Guide, Redbook, Ladies Home Journal, Bazaar, Vogue, Fitness, Glamour, Time magazine, The New York Times, The Los Angeles Times, The Chicago Tribune, The Philadelphia Inquirer, and hundreds more publications.

Brian Koppelman, A88

Screenwriter, Director, Producer, Podcaster

Best known as the co-writer of Ocean's Thirteen, and Rounders, Koppelman has also produced films such as The Illusionist and The Lucky Ones as well as directed films such as Solitary Man. He was an A&R (Artist & Repertoire) representative from 1988-1997 for such companies as Elektra Records, Giant Records, SBK Records and EMI Records, during which time he discovered singer songwriter (and Tufts alumna) Tracy Chapman and produced her first album.

Mark Morrill, A69

Independent Arbitrator and Mediator

Morrill managed Viacom's outside counsel relationships, including all law firm conflict waiver requests, over a twelve year period. He is currently a Vice President of the New York City Bar and Chair of its Task Force on New Lawyers in a Changing Profession. From 2011-12, Morrill served as Chair of the New York City Bar Executive Committee. He is also a member of the Dispute Resolution Sections of the New York State Bar Association and the American Bar Association and a member of the Federal Bar Council. He taught Professional Responsibility as an adjunct at Columbia Law School for several years and also served as Chair of the New York City Bar Committee on Professional and Judicial Ethics.

Marian Porges, J82

Senior Director of New Standards and Practices for NBC News

Porges is responsible for dealing with accuracy, fairness, and ethics for NBC News. She previously spent 18 years as a senior producer/producer for NBC News as well as directing a journalism program that was developed in conjunction with the New York Film Academy. Porges has covered a variety of stories including the Challenger and Columbia disasters, Hurricane Katrina, the World Trade center bombings, the Olympics, and presidential elections. She received an Emmy award for her coverage of all events surrounding the funeral of former President Ronald Regan. Porges graduated from Tufts in 1982 with a degree in political science and took a semester off in 1980 to jumpstart her career by working for ABC News.

Julie Schwarz, A05

Producer for NBC Sports

Schwarz is a five-time Emmy Award winning feature producer for NBC Sports. Honing her sports production skills, she has worked on three Olympics, two seasons on Sunday Night Football, Superbowl XLII, Wimbledon, the French Open, the Triple Crown and is currently producing a 30-minute series for NBC Sports Network’s Premier League soccer coverage.

Neal Shapiro, A80

President and CEO of WNET

Shapiro is the president/CEO of the largest public media enterprise in the U.S. Reaching 4 million viewers per week, WNET presents the highest quality arts, education, history, and news and public affairs programming on three broadcast stations—Thirteen, WLIW21, and NJTV—as well as digital broadcast stations Create and World. Before joining WNET, Shapiro was president of NBC News, leading its top-rated programs Today, Nightly News, Meet the Press, and Dateline. Shapiro was executive producer of Dateline for nine years. He previously spent 13 years at ABC News, where he was a writer and producer for Nightline, Primetime Live, and World News Tonight.

Eric Tannenbaum, A85

Producer

Tannenbaum is a 3 time Emmy nominee who is has produced a variety of television and film projects. Best known as the executive producer of “Two and a Half Men” for 11 years, he also produced “Notes from the Underbelly”, “You Again”, along with “Young and Hungry”. For many years, Tannenbaum ran Columbia TriStar Television, which produced hit shows such as "The Nanny" and "Mad About You”; he has also partnered with CBS and Sony on projects as well running his own firms. His wife, Kim Tannenbaum, with whom he has partnered on a variety of projects is also a successful Emmy nominee.

Lisa Tobin, A11

Senior Producer of Innovation, WBUR

In her current role, Tobin is developing new programs at the station and experimenting with audio and its delivery on digital platforms. She oversees the iLab, the space for incubating new ideas at WBUR, and its fellowship program. Her background is in both radio and digital – having started her public radio career working as a news writer at WBUR before becoming the station’s first dedicated web producer. Tobin helped in the station’s transition to a digital news operation before returning to radio as a field producer for Morning Edition. She is also the founder of Audiofiles, a site that curates the best of public radio storytelling.

Terence Tran, A12

Senior Analyst at DigitasLBi

Tran is a member of the Strategy & Analysis team at DigitasLBi, where his role involves working with social media and digital analytics. Tran graduated in the Class of 2012, majoring in Sociology with a minor in Communications & Media Studies. His interests include advertising/marketing, urban planning and new tech.

Meredith Turits, A09

Senior Culture Editor at Bustle.com

Turits is a founding editor of Bustle.com, where she currently runs the Books vertical and works on special projects. She is also the fiction editor at The Brooklyn Quarterly. Turits was a former associate online editor at Glamour magazine, where she oversaw lifestyle content and the inspiring women/current events vertical. Her writing has appeared or is forthcoming in publications including The New Republic, The Rumpus, Blackbook, and The Writer, and her stories have been in Joyland, Five Quarterly, Vol 1. Brooklyn, Corium, and more. Turits tweets at @meredithturits, and lives in Brooklyn.