Thursday June 28: Meeting Micheal Jack

“You want to play the odds, if the odds are in your favor you will be successful.” That’s how President and General Manager of NBC New York, Michael Jack described surviving in the mass media industry.

            The Reid Group and I were able to get an inside look on the hiring process for NBC Universal Studios.  As Mr. Jack smoothly strolled through the doors of the conference room, I begin to get anxious as I kept thinking about what question I wanted to ask. But with his charming personality, he greeted us and the tension in the room was released. He handed us manila folders, to crease in half and use as name plates.  Mr. Jack was the first guest speaker to curiously want to know and call us by our names. This created a very intimate setting. He gave us a very brief bio about his life because he wanted to make sure that his time was valuable to us by asking questions.

            “We can choose a topic and talk or we can talk about my life or we can answer all questions,” Mr. Jack said. Everyone had insightful questions prepared, because we all understood that meeting Mr. Jack was a once in lifetime experience, unless you’re sitting in his office for an interview.

             I started off the discussion by asking the first question, “When hiring for a news anchor or reporter, what certain qualities do you look for?” Instead of answering my question directly, Mr. Jack went around the room and asked us what we thought. Some people mentioned, loyalty, confidence, and skills while Mr. Jack nodded in agreement.  He stressed the importance of writing, referring to it as the core of everything. Writing is a skill that is needed in the mass media industry and being fresh with your writing is essential.  He also mentioned how he receives 10 different news reels a week and it only takes 10-15 seconds to determine if he/she is a good on air talent.  I reflected back on last Saturday, and thought about my live shot performance and my first 10 seconds were horrible. I knew that I had a lot of improving to do.

            Having a conversation with Mr. Jack was motivation to help me work harder and progress in mastering the needed skills to be the best.

            “Think like and act like you’re at your next job,” said, Mr. Jack.

✌ ❤☺-Demeshia Jackson