On Monday, November 16, 2015 the UConn Communication Society attended a live taping of the Meredith Vieira Show at NBC Studios in New York City. Meredith Vieira is known for her roles as a host on The Today Show, The View, and Who Wants to Be a Millionaire.
The set of ‘The Meredith Vieira Show’
Meredith and her panel members, Lilliana Vazquez, Megan Colarossi, Yamaneika Saunders, and Lance Bass, began the show by discussing current events including the terror attacks in Paris. The audience then watched as Meredith interviewed Kelly Osbourne about her new show Project Runway Junior. The final segment of the show included a game called “Mystery Celebrity Getaway” where a blind-folded audience member had to guess what celebrity she was standing next to. After correctly guessing that the celebrity was model Tyson Beckford, the woman was awarded with a vacation to the Dominican Republic.
Lance Bass and Yamaneika Saunders speaking to the audience before the show began.
After the show, the students were able to speak with one of the shows’ producers, Chris McLoughlin, who answered the group members’ questions and gave them some valuable advice. Chris’ top three tips included:
1. Internships, Internships, Internships
The producer emphasized the importance of internship experience for college students. He said that connections are extremely vital to landing a good job after a college, and internships are the best way to make those connections.
2. Be Likeable in an Interview
Chris encouraged asking the interviewer about his or her self. Because who doesn’t love talking about themselves? He also noted that it never hurts to make them laugh.
3. Put Yourself Out There
When Chris began searching for a career in the television industry, he wrote hundreds of letters to everyone he knew, just to get his name out there. He stressed that you need to go out and get the job, the job is not going to come to you.
After one of the Communication Society’s members asked what it takes to be the next Meredith Vieira, the producer responded: “Lots of luck. And being nice. She is just as nice in person as she appears on TV”.
Meredith was kind enough to take pictures with UConn’s Communication Society after the show.