School of Journalism & Media

John Jackson Miller: From Daily Beacon Editor to Star Fantasy Writer

by

John Jackson Miller Feature

After graduating from the University of Tennessee where he served as editor of The Daily Beacon, John Jackson Miller (JEM ’90) set his sights on the stars.

Specifically, the stars in a galaxy far, far away and the ones in the far-flung future where no man has gone before.

Miller turned his lifelong passion for comic books and science fiction into a career, evolving from a trade publication editor to a creator. Today, he is a New York Times bestselling novelist and comic writer for Star Wars, Star Trek, and many other fantasy licenses and original works in between. … Read more “John Jackson Miller: From Daily Beacon Editor to Star Fantasy Writer”

Successful Alumni: Sharrie Williams’ goals led her from Tennessee to Philadelphia, the number four broadcast market in America

by

 

By Lisa Byerley Gary
Instructor, JEM 414, Fall 2014

When Sharrie Williams began her first full-time job in television after graduating from UT, a news job with a small station in Jackson, Tennessee, she also waited tables to make ends meet.

“It paid that poorly,” she said.

But Williams had goals. She wanted to learn everything there was to learn about television news in exactly one year. Then she would move on to a bigger market.

Today Williams is a reporter and anchor at ABC-owned WPLY-TV in Philadelphia, the fourth largest television market in America. Her journey from a … Read more “Successful Alumni: Sharrie Williams’ goals led her from Tennessee to Philadelphia, the number four broadcast market in America”

A Message to Freshmen: Alumnus Kendall Downing Gives Advice to Journalism Students on how to Reach their Goals Post-Graduation

by

By Kelsey French
JEM 414 Fall 2018

 

Kendall Downing has worked in various markets:  WYMD-TV in Hazard, Kentucky, WPSD-TV in Paducah, Kentucky, WXIN-TV in Indianapolis, and back to his hometown of Memphis, Tennessee at WMC Action News 5.

For Downing, it was always a childhood dream to work in news. It’s no wonder he started setting himself apart from his peers as soon as he started college.

“The first thing I did was try to get myself in front of people that would get me as much experience as possible” Downing said.

Downing became heavily involved on campus, both … Read more “A Message to Freshmen: Alumnus Kendall Downing Gives Advice to Journalism Students on how to Reach their Goals Post-Graduation”

Successful Alumni: Jordan Lawson’s experience at UT led him to work as a web content editor in Atlanta

by

By John Vandergriff
Jem 414, Fall 2018

Jordan Lawson is a content editor for Discovery. Photo Courtesy of Jordan Lawson

A journalism major opens many doors, not just those to hard news. Just ask Jordan Lawson, a graduate of the University of Tennessee’s School of Journalism and Electronic Media, and an online editor for Discovery.

Lawson grew up around Knoxville, so the decision to go to the University of Tennessee was easy. There, he decided to pursue a major in journalism and got involved with The Tennessee Journalist, TNJN.com, the official news website for the School of Journalism and Electronic … Read more “Successful Alumni: Jordan Lawson’s experience at UT led him to work as a web content editor in Atlanta”

Successful Alumni: From Naps to News, Claire Dodson’s journey took her to Teen Vogue

by

By Lindsey Owen
JEM 414, Fall 2018

Claire Dodson grew up hearing the sound of The Daily Times being printed from underneath a journalist’s desk where she would sleep while her father worked.

Her father, Richard Dodson, could be found working in the Maryville, Tennessee, newsroom during late hours when the paper was printing. These late nights would later impact Dodson’s career path.

She works as an entertainment editor at Teen Vogue.

Dodson says this is because of the courses, experience, and mentors she had within UT’s Communications Building.

Her journey into journalism began during her junior year at Bearden … Read more “Successful Alumni: From Naps to News, Claire Dodson’s journey took her to Teen Vogue”

Successful Alumni: David Cobb journeyed from immature freshman to blossoming NBA beat writer

by

*David Cobb now works for CBS Sports covering college basketball and football. 

By Blake Von Hagen
JEM 414, Fall 2018

Five years ago, if someone had told David Cobb he would be leaving a job as a Tennessee football and basketball beat writer in 2018, he likely would have told them they were crazy.

If they had gone on to tell him that he would be joining his hometown paper as an NBA beat writer, he might have told them they were even crazier.

In the fall of 2018, that dream came true for Cobb, a graduate of the … Read more “Successful Alumni: David Cobb journeyed from immature freshman to blossoming NBA beat writer”

Successful Alumni: Courtney Anderson used experience, determination, to make it in TV news

by

*Courtney Anderson is now the Web Producer for WREG-TV

By Madi Bowling, JEM 414, Fall 2018

 

A day in the life of Courtney Anderson starts bright and early as she enters the office of WREG in Memphis at 5:30 a.m. Anderson organizes the calendar of events that will be televised by the station that day and focuses upon the most important events. She talks to daybreak producers about what the morning staff is covering and is sure to redirect them to any breaking news. From 10 a.m. to 2 p.m., she meets with day producers to plan shows for … Read more “Successful Alumni: Courtney Anderson used experience, determination, to make it in TV news”

Successful Alumni: Andrea Hall teaches journalism and tenacity

by

*Andrea Hall now teaches at Troy University as an Instructor. 

By Lexie Little, JEM 414, Fall 2018

 

Students in their first journalism classes find themselves daydreaming about reporting on the sidelines for ESPN, interviewing A-list stars for People magazine or co-hosting a major network’s morning talk show. But for some, the road to success is not mapped out clearly in black and white like the content they write.

Andrea Hall, an assistant professor of journalism at Auburn University, did not set out on her academic journey with intentions to teach journalism and design. In fact, academia seemed far from … Read more “Successful Alumni: Andrea Hall teaches journalism and tenacity”

Alumni Garners Regional Emmy Nomination for UT Swimming Documentary

by

AAAO Documentary

Watch Triple A, Bar None

Isaac Fowler (JEM ‘18), Tim Morris (JEM ‘18), and Patricia Forrester (Sport Management ‘17) have been nominated for a Midsouth Regional Emmy in the historical documentary category for Triple A, Bar None, a VFL Films production about legendary University of Tennessee swimming and diving coach Ray Bussard.

Bussard coached the Vols from 1968-88 and led the men’s program to its only NCAA team championship in 1978. Triple A, Bar None was created in part to celebrate the 40th anniversary reunion of the national championship team.

During the 1970s, the Vols developed a tradition … Read more “Alumni Garners Regional Emmy Nomination for UT Swimming Documentary”

Documenting Life

by

Nick Geidner suspects that if he’d asked his students several years ago if they’d ever watched a documentary, few, if any, would have raised their hands.

So when Land Grant films was born in 2016, Geidner had no idea how wildly successful his documentary program would become.

“We hit at the perfect time,” said Geidner, an associate professor in the School of Journalism and Electronic Media in the College of Communication and Information. “Netflix and cable have really changed the way people think about documentaries. All of a sudden documentary filmmaking is hip and there’s an audience for it.”

Read … Read more “Documenting Life”