Breaking into the entertainment industry can prove to be extremely challenging, especially without the proper resources and experience to push you in the right direction. Fortunately, here at Temple, there are plenty of outlets to reach out to for help, but there are always news ways to provide other students with ways to get involved on campus, learn about a prospective career and build their resumes.
According to Temple’s website, there are hundreds of clubs and organizations here on campus that students can get involved with that “provide wonderful opportunities for you to join, lead and expand your horizons, make friends and have fun.”
Students Marissa Giletto and Luke Frey created Temple Talk, Temple’s first and only entertainment talk show that airs on TUTV, in 2014. Temple Talk proves students with an outlet to encourage, educate and inspire other students through their love of television. Since its creation, the show has developed over its three seasons into a fun combination of entertainment news and Philly-centric interviewees and segments.
Giletto and Frey met at their freshman orientation in 2013 and instantly connected over their shared love for Live! With Kelli and Michael, “We started talking about our career goals and dreams, and they were both the same, to be a talk show host or entertainment reporter. We realized TUTV didn’t have any entertainment shows or a talk show, so we thought, ‘Why not start one ourselves?’” Giletto stated.
After getting in touch with the general manager of TUTV, Paul Gluck, Giletto and Frey began brainstorming in order to develop a descriptive pitch for the show. Once given a pilot filming date, a general meeting was set in order to recruit a cast and crew, “There ended up being a room full of people packed into the meeting and we didn’t even start filming yet, so we grabbed two people we liked as hosts, had a director and camera person, and started from there with our pilot episode,” Giletto stated, “I guess he liked what we did because we are in season three, on episode eleven, and now have our episodes replayed on TUTV.”
Giletto, a journalism major herself with a specialization in broadcasting, has an ultimate goal of being a producer, on-air as an entertainment journalist or talk show host. She attributes her outstanding interview skills to what she has learned from the show, “Interviewing the awesome people we’ve had on the show has been such an amazing experience,” she states, “Everything I’ve learned about interviewing people has come from Temple Talk.”
While getting each episode done is hectic and a lot of work as an executive producer, Giletto states the student volunteers help to keep things moving, “We get a lot of help from the student volunteers for the show too,” she states, “We have six producers, so they help with content and ideas as well and there are events we go to for our correspondents to cover that require booking.”
Providing students with opportunities to be on-air as a host or correspondent, book talent, coordinate shoots, produce segments and be present in a studio once a month is highly beneficial to not only students’ grades, but also their future careers by providing them with access to a space where they can develop their passion.
An article by US News and World Report attributes getting involved to possibly bettering the lives of students, “More free time does not always equal better grades,” it states, “Being involved will require some organization and time management on the part of the student—and that’s a good thing.”
Furthermore, an article done by StateUniversity.com states, “Extracurricular involvement allows students to link academic knowledge with practical experience, thereby leading to a better understanding of their own abilities, talents, and career goals.” It expands on this by stating that employers are in search of applicants who have obtained these skill sets, “Participation in extracurricular activities and leadership roles in these activities are positively linked to attainment of one’s first job and to managerial potential.”
Now, let’s talk about their guests. These students have come together to book guests such as Cody Calafiore (Big Brother), Tamron Hall (Today Show), Kunaal Nayyar from The Big Bang Theory, Kevin Negandhi (ESPN), Wolf Blitzer (CNN), Audra McLaughlin (The Voice), Clay Aiken (American Idol), Cory Wade (America’s Next Top Model), Bex (96.5 AMP Radio) and Cedric the Entertainer (Actor/Comedian).
Having the ability to interact with high profile guests and guests involved in the entertainment industry provides Giletto and Frey and their fellow students with a space to further their careers and networking skills.
Giletto speaks about some of her favorite guests and segments so far on the show, “Something I’m really proud of was booking Cody Calafiore, the runner-up from CBS’s Big Brother, and a Temple alumni,” she states, “We didn’t have our amazing set yet, we were still in the stages of figuring out how to be a successful talk show, but he still agreed to coming on the show and it ended up being one of our best episodes.” With over 200 people in attendance at his meet and greet and 80 people present for the interview in the studio, the success of this episode was through the roof.
That same success is predicted to duplicate itself when the singer, ROZES, who is featured on The Chainsmokers’ track entitled Roses, will be a guest on Temple Talk for their upcoming episode set to shoot in Annenberg Hall here on campus on March 22 at 5 p.m. with a meet and greet to follow at 7:30 p.m.
Students are encouraged to attend to be present in the studio during the live performance and interview.
As Giletto and Frey prepare for their graduation following the upcoming fall semester, some may be wondering, what is the future of Temple Talk? Giletto talks of her and Frey’s dreams that the show would go on for years after they had graduated, and it looks like those dreams are coming true, “We have very passionate and hardworking students working on the show who are underclassmen, so when Luke and I graduate in December, I’m confident the show will continue and be in great hands.”
For the students who are interested in this opportunity, Giletto talks about how easy it is to get involved, “All we need is your email address, and for you to be free on Tuesday nights,” she states, “We have two meetings before each episode, the episode filming night, once a month and people always ask if you need experience, but you don’t because that is what Temple Talk is for; to learn how to produce a talk show.”
Auditions for host and correspondent positions are being held on March 29 and the location and time are still to be determined.
To find out more about the auditions, this student run organization, how to get involved and what they are up to, you can follow them on their social media sites, which are listed below.
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Twitter: @Temple_Talk
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Instagram: TempleTalkTV
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Facebook: Temple Talk
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Snapchat: TempleTalkTV