Location: United States
Beth Pike
What do you do? I freelance as a producer/writer for television news and entertainment programs, working regularly for NBC News in the Midwest. Since 1992, I’ve been a regional field director for Entertainment Tonight where I’ve had the chance to work with many of our talented J-school alumni. More recently, I’ve had the privilege of … Continued
Sergio L. Piedra
What do you do? And what is most interesting about it? I’m still trying to figure out what I do. Actually, my job is pretty simple – give visitors to The Palm Beaches an authentic sense of place. By developing hotel packages, marketing our events and producing content for our website or brochures – of … Continued
W. Brent Phillips
What do you do? I am the director of marketing and advertising for Navy Recruiting Command. We support 5,300 Navy recruiters through national and local advertising and marketing campaigns. We direct the annual marketing plan in partnership with the Navy’s advertising agency (Campbell Ewald, Detroit). I am responsible for building the Navy’s brand and generating … Continued
Merrill Perlman
What do you do? My business, Merrill Perlman Consulting, offers training and consulting on everything from reporting, writing and copy editing to corporate workflow, communications and recruiting. I’m also a freelance editor, with clients including book publishers, news outlets and private companies. I’m an adjunct assistant professor at the other Columbia, at the Graduate School … Continued
Taylor Pensoneau
The year was 1965. The Vietnam War was raging; protests were rampant across the country; the civil rights movement was gathering steam; and recent graduate-turned-newspaper reporter Taylor Pensoneau was going to be writing about politics. And, not only was he going to be writing about politics, Pensoneau would be heading up the St. Louis Post-Dispatch’s … Continued
David “Scoop” Peery
What do you do? I am retired. I do participate in conservation groups, two canoe clubs, Democratic Party activities, church activities (Unitarian Universalist) and other civic groups. How did you get your job? My last (more than) full-time job was owner, editor and publisher of the Smithville (Mo.) Lake Herald, a weekly community newspaper just … Continued
Ken Paulson
What is your favorite J-School memory? The highlight for me was actually being able to work at the Columbia Missourian and compete with others for big stories. The School was very crowded in those days, and I remember being on the university beat with three other reporters. Getting that first taste of competition was invigorating. … Continued
Georgia O’Brien Patrick
What is your company like? The Communicators is the coolest place to work. We won the first national competition for the best small business in America a few years ago. In a competition of hundreds of organizations we were selected among the top 10 finalists and then got the call that we were number one. … Continued
Jim Overbay
What do you do? Retired as news manager for Meredith Broadcasting. Previously, news director at KCTV, Kansas City, communications manager at the Chamber of Commerce of Greater Kansas City, and the assistant news director at KMBC-TV, Kansas City. How did you get your job? Perseverance. Contacts. Luck. What is the best professional lesson you learned … Continued
Ron Osborne
There was little in Ron Osborne’s early years to suggest that he would become a full-time playwright. His family didn’t attend theatrical performances. Like many of his classmates, he participated as a cast member in a few high school productions. Osborne majored in advertising, and his first job was as a technical writer. But it … Continued