Her Campus Bentley: Where did you attend college and tell me a little bit about your past experiences working in public speaking.
Zachary Snider: Mostly New York University. I actually attended five schools in four states, and I was originally a theatre major. I then went on to receive my PhD at London Metropolitan University.
I was a producer for Entertainment Tonight in London, New York and LA. I was on the red carpet asking silly questions like “So who are you wearing?”
HCB: Who were some of your favorite celebrities to interview?
ZS: Molly Shannon from Saturday Night Live was so much fun, she held my hand the whole interview because she was so nervous! Renee Zellweger was really sweet. Quenton Tarantino and Uma Thurman were great when I talked to them during the Kill Bill movies. I spent a whole week with Madonna once. Anthony Hopkins was so sweet as well.
HCB: What courses do you teach at Bentley University?
ZS: EXPOS 101, 201, Effective Speaking, and various lit/fiction/film classes.
HCB: What is your favorite course to teach and why?
ZS: Probably the expos 201 class I’m currently teaching that is focused on hedonism, which is the pursuit of pleasure. We get to talk about a bunch of naughty things, so that’s fun!
HCB: How did you become interested in your field?
ZS: I interned for Entertainment Tonight when I was in college and that’s how I got my job; I also wrote for my newspaper in college.
Later, I decided to go back for my masters and PhD to do more creative stuff than just journalism.
HCB: Where else have you taught?
ZS: I’ve taught at Babson, Mass Art, NYU, full time at Manhattan College, Manhattan Community College, Pace University, FIT, and London Metropolitan University.
HCB: What are the biggest differences between teaching in New York and teaching in Waltham?
ZS: It’s far more conservative here. New York City is full of hipsters who want to be as weird as possible, which is pretty fun. In New York City – especially NYU – you can use the whole city as your campus, which was really cool. I would say also that Bentley students are more focused and seem a lot less distracted.
HCB: What’s the most common mistake students (or professional) public speakers make?
ZS: Not talking to people, but talking at them. Also failure to connect to an audience is a big one.
HCB: Have you ever been to any of the following Bentley hot spots: Seasons, Mein Bowl, Einstein’s or Skell/GB’s?
ZS: Seasons: No. Mein Bowl: No, but I have heard several weekend stories from students about it. Einstein’s: No. Skell/GB’s: No.