By Alvina Siddiqui
Get ready. Get set. Get paid.
Ryerson grad, Gwen Elliot, is hoping to help students do just that with her upcoming media panel, which will be interactive with the audience and open for Ryerson students to attend.
“I think it’s going to provide real connections for people,” said Elliot.
Ryerson graduates from radio and television arts (RTA) and journalism will be speaking on the panel. All of the speakers are professionals in the media industry. Alex Narvaez, who works with CBC, will be present along with Jeremy Singer from Cineplex Entertainment, Nev Todorovic, who’s worked with the likes of Justin Bieber and Patrick Schwarzenegger, and Takara Small from Metro News Canada.
Elliot said the panel is meant to help teach students how to land a job – something she struggled to do after graduating from the RTA program.
“[I] was in this real state of analysis paralysis. It’s like just thinking about what actions to take and not actually knowing what to do,” said Elliot. “I’m really hoping this panel could be kind of like that way to say ‘I need some help.’”
Students who attend will be able to hear stories from young professionals in the industry, as well as ask questions. Having the opportunity to hear from these people is intended to be beneficial for students looking ahead after graduation.
“I would’ve loved as a student to be able to hear from not veterans, not people who are well into their career, but just young professionals who…still consider themselves as starting off in the industry,” said Singer.
Singer said his biggest problem wasn’t keeping a job, but getting one. He hopes to speak to students about how to veer away from job postings online and land careers that aren’t necessarily advertised.
Other panelists, like Narvaez, will touch on persistence – which, according to him, is the reason he ended up working with the George Stroumboulopoulos Tonight show.
The panel will be held in the Rogers Communication Centre in room 204 on November 30th from 2 p.m. to 4 p.m.
Leave a Reply