New leadership and enterprise concentration expands opportunities for journalism and media majors
Students interested in media promotions, sales, programming and entrepreneurship can pursue that passion as part of the School of Journalism and Media’s newest leadership and enterprise concentration.
School of Journalism and Media Professor Catherine Luther said the concentration was launched this fall based on feedback from students and faculty to offer more courses focused on the business side of the media industry. She added while the school has offered business-related courses it was never as a program of study.
“While learning about the power of good storytelling through their journalism and visual production courses, students will also develop valuable knowledge and skillsets in such areas as media sales, digital marketing, and audience analytics,” Luther said. “Students will also be exposed to the possibilities of being a media entrepreneur and taking on leadership roles.”
School of Journalism and Media Professor Stuart Brotman said journalism and media is a unique field requiring professionals to not only be competent in their content creation skills but also understand the industry. He added this knowledge will serve graduates well not only at the entry-level but also as they move up the career ladder.
“It’s a really competitive marketplace,” Brotman said. “Anything that can make our students more knowledgeable, more confident, more distinctive, that’s going to give them an advantage.”
The new concentration exposes students to media management and leadership issues and helps students understand the importance of the business side of media. Some of the things students will learn as part of the new concentration include:
- developing media marketing and promotions skills;
- understanding fundamental entrepreneurial principles, with a focus on media companies;
- understanding the theoretical concepts and analytical tools used to measure audience behaviors across digital platforms and;
- learning how to create effective media sales strategies for different mediums.
In addition, the program will expose students to unique experiential-learning opportunities geared to exercising their business acumen in the context of the media industry. This includes assisting with development plans, participating in media sales pitches and practicing audience data analysis to provide insights into how well a media entity is doing at audience engagement. Students will also be able to apply skills learned in class at student media outlets on campus, on professional development trips, and through participation in practicums and internships.
Luther said graduates from the school have found success on the business side of the industry even before the formal establishment of this concentration.
She recalled alumnus Nick Lewandowski (’17) taking the school’s business-oriented courses as a student and, upon graduation, landed his first position as a sales assistant for Food Network and the Cooking Channel. Lewandowski currently works as a Senior Business Analyst at The Walt Disney Company based in New York City and continues to encourage students to pursue a career in the media industry.
For example, Lewandowski visited Rocky Top last fall to share his experience and encourage students to sign up for the International Radio Television Society (IRTS) Summer Fellowship Program, which provides students an opportunity to gain a comprehensive understanding of the media industry, enhance their professional skills and develop their network, all while interning at a top-media companies in NYC. School of Journalism and Media students have participated in the IRTS summer fellowship since the late 1980s.
“I believe that with this new concentration we will be able to assist the media industry by preparing students to jump into various business-related positions and perform their expected duties in an impressive manner,” Luther said. “Organizations want to hire a workforce that are well-prepared from the get-go.”
To learn more about the new concentration visit jem.utk.edu/undergraduate-programs/major-concentrations.