With this fall marking his second year at Cal State LA, Professor Josef Sawyer is a new face around the Television, Film and Media department. Coming from Howard University in Washington DC, Professor Sawyer was educated with a journalism background and spent his college years involved with the student newspaper. However, Professor Sawyer is all familiar with the California lifestyle as he received two Masters, one from University of California, Berkley in Broadcast Journalism and one from University of Southern California in Film. Between his degrees, he has had all kinds of jobs from copy writing to being a producer on “America’s Most Wanted.” With this experience, Professor Sawyer now teaches courses in Screenwriting and Journalism as well as serving as advisor for Golden Eagle Productions.
How did you become interested in journalism?
Every summer growing up in high school, my mother would bring home this book of summer camps. She would tell me “there’s no way you’re sitting around the house all day.” They had camps for engineering, pre-med, and I just had no interest in them. But way in the back of the booklet during my senior year, I saw one for journalism. I knew I was interested in writing and that English was my strong suit so I thought “oh journalism and English, probably the same thing.” I applied to the program and got in. They would bring you in for two weeks with other high school students and you’d produce a newspaper. I did really well and I didn’t know they offered a scholarship to the best student in the program, and somehow that was me! I got a scholarship to Howard University for two years with an internship attached at a major publication at the end of my sophomore year and spending money, which was more than any other college had offered me. So I went to Howard and majored in journalism, the program helped me confirm that it was the route I should go.
Right after you graduated from Howard University, you decided to go to grad school. How come?
So when I was 18 or 19, I went to a convention in Arizona for the National Association for Black Journalists through a program that let students produce a newspaper the week that they were there. But I remember there was all this talk about how print jobs were going away. To me, as a freshman in college, that meant basically, the job I’m learning in school to be a print newspaper reporter is going away. That’s not good. So I always had that in the back of my mind, that what I’m learning in school is not going to be a job and that’s going to be a problem for me when I had to get a job. And sure enough, when I graduated from college, those jobs were pretty much gone or they just weren’t giving them out. I knew I needed to learn about broadcast journalism. Going to grad school at University of California, Berkley was a chance to give me those skills.
If there is one thing you wish you could have done post grad, what would you have done?
I would have loved to teach English abroad in Korea, Japan, Thailand, any country. I had a friend do it when I was younger and I was on a hell-bent career path, like “no I’m going to journalism, I’m going to this but this age and do that” and he was like “oh, I’m moving to Japan next week.” I kept thinking, “Okay, you do that. I’ll be here making more money than you,” pushing my limits and testing my boundaries like we all do in our 20s. He was more of a statesman and could see things in a broader pictures and it took me awhile to see that was an awesome opportunity to live in another country when you aren’t tied down to marriage, kids or a job.
How did you become interested in teaching?
After grad school, I took a job in the television world and I finally worked my way to producer at “America’s Most Wanted.” It was great, I could travel, hang out in the Bronx, and do ride along with cops. I was pretty young at the time so it was amazing but it was burning me out. There was constant travel, working on holidays, trying to sleep and getting crime alerts on my phone about a triple homicide. I wasn’t sure I could continue on that pace so on a whim I called up my alma mater, Howard University, and said “Hey, I have this Masters degree in Journalism, could I be of service to you?”
This was in 2007/2008 so the recession was going on and people were getting laid off. Journalism was going through this big change where people needed to learn more skills, especially with the ability to put video online. It just so happens that they were looking for someone that could teach that to the students because most of the faculty came from the background where the reporter does reports and that’s it. A lot of them didn’t know how to shoot or edit and I was like their young upstart so they brought me on to teach students those new skills. I found working with the students for me was a better fit than navigating office politics as a young worker. Students always want what is best and I saw that constant energy and it attracted me to them. It was a lot easier to connect to them, maybe because I was closer to them in age at the time compare to my other coworkers. It helped me put a lot more energy into what I was doing.
What made you decide to go to University of Southern California for a Masters in Film?
I had been teaching for a couple of years and I liked it but I didn’t see myself going back into journalism. The recession was over and I had to think, “What do I want to do? Where do I really see myself?” I always wanted to learn the other side of the (film) business so on a whim I applied to USC. I was trying to get to New York or L.A. anyway and I had success at grad school before. Going to grad school again wasn’t necessarily what I wanted to do but I thought, why not try? Why not pick up another skill? The recession was ending but things were still not stable so it gave me kind of a soft landing into a different city with a different marking.
How was it like moving from the east coast to the west coast?
Since I lived in the Bay area the first time around, I kind of knew what to expect. What I was surprised with was that L.A. has such a big job industry compared to the bay area as far as media so that was a good surprise. You may hear about it but you get amazed with how many job opportunities L.A. actually have for people with a base resume.
How did you hear about Cal State LA?
Actually, through LinkedIn. I check it all the time and there was a job posting. I didn’t know much about it. I had a roommate when I first moved out here that was a music major at Cal State LA. Well, now that I know all about it, to be in a university in the middle of Los Angeles with all these resources is tremendous. There are a lot of students here that don’t have the background or have this or that, but they are still here and striving, it’s encouraging to see.
Do you have any advice for anyone pursuing a job in media?
One of the things I was kind of surprised by is how many seniors I meet that haven’t done internships. People move here for the summer, working for free, living in university housing, for the chance to work at whatever publication or company, and you haven’t taken advantage of growing up here? The jobs are here; this is the number one media entertainment market in the world. But just because you haven’t figured things out by your senior year, it’s not over. They don’t start calling you a loser until you are 30.
If you could teach any class, what would it be?
I don’t know, I’ve taught all the classes that I’ve wanted to teach. I like teaching writing classes and I teach writing classes now so I don’t have any specific class to create on the fly. I like teaching writing classes because A. you don’t give a lot of tests and quizzes. In writing you can see where their creativity is and teach them craft. I’m all about learning craft, like apprenticeships back in the day. So anytime I teach a writing class, I’m in heaven.
Where do you see yourself in the next five to ten years?
Well, I’m always going to be a teacher, which was always my goal. I see myself teaching in some capacity. I love teaching and I love writing and I’ll take any chance to combine the two.
Did you used to have a five year plan?
Yes, but I realized that it is fine to have that plan but it is better to outline your life in pencil than in pen.