Alexis Simmons is majoring in Journalism – Electronic Communication and Political Science. She’s recently started her very own entertainment news show, “Keeping up with Kylie & Alexis,” so I thought she’d be great to showcase as this week’s Campus Celebrity.
Her Campus: What are you involved in on campus?
Alexis Simmons: I’m currently the President of the Carolina Association of Black Journalists where we provide networking opportunities and sessions to prepare our members to enter various journalism fields. I’m a reporter for Carolina Week, the journalism school’s student produced newscast. I work at the North Carolina Scholastic Media Association in the journalism school as well. I’m also a part of the National Society of Leadership and Success.
HC: What’s a random fact about yourself?
AS: When I was in elementary school I taught myself how to pogo stick and jump rope at the same time. So I would hold the pogo stick with my legs and then hold then swing the jump rope with my hands. Looking back I’m not quite sure why I tried it or even where I got the idea from, but I never fell and hurt myself so I consider that a success.
HC: What inspired you to start your show, “Keeping up with Kylie & Alexis”?
AS: I would say it was pretty much serendipity the way it all started. Kylie overheard me talking to someone else about entertainment news and she told me she was interested in that as well. I ran into her again at a later time and we both shared our desire to create an entertainment show on campus so we made it happen! With us being broadcast journalism students we learned the foundations of shooting, editing and writing from our amazing J-school classes. Our experience with the student broadcast shows Carolina Week and Sports X-tra really helped us out a lot. UNC doesn’t offer opportunities for broadcast entertainment news, so we said we’ll make one, and that’s what we did, and it’s something we’re really passionate about!
HC: What were some challenges you faced in starting the show?
AS: We didn’t know what kind of style our show was going to have, what topics we would cover and we thought months about what would appeal to students because we not only wanted this experience, but we also wanted to create segments that students would want to watch. In addition to that, it’s just Kylie and me, we don’t have a cameraman or any editors so we always have to think about the logistics of filming differently than we would if we had a whole crew, but we’ve definitely made it work! Also another challenge was making the time because with a full school load it’s a lot to balance; however, I believe in the saying you make time for what you want to make time for.
HC: What are some goals you have for the show?
AS: Well with pretty ambitious thinking we would love for someone to discover the show, like what we have to bring to the table and turn this into something bigger than two broadcast journalist students making YouTube videos on our own. On a smaller scale, we want to continue to entertain students and really inspire people as well. Some of the music artists we’ve interviewed have some great messages to share and I think that having diverse content and people on our show is important to us. Another goal of ours is to continue to reach people beyond Chapel Hill and social media has enabled us to do that.
HC: What do you love about broadcast journalism?
AS: I just really love talking to people and hearing their stories. I feel like it’s amazing that as a journalist I have access to so many different types of people. I feel so privileged to be able to enter into their lives, whether it’s for a day or for a week, and create something at the end of it that tells their story. I also love writing and editing because it gives me creative freedom.
HC: What advice would you give to other young broadcast journalists?
AS: That’s a great question! The first piece of advice I would gives is that it’s not always about you, and what I mean by that is when you’re telling a story really think about the people involved, and how you can tell their story the best. Think about what you say about those people and think about how the people that watch your story are going to perceive it. Journalists have a lot of power in shaping public opinion, and I think it’s our duty to be thoughtful of that in our approach.
I would also tell other broadcast journalists to network and stay in contact with the people that you meet. In this industry it’s all about who know, and it’s important to be kind to everyone you meet. Although there are a lot of people in the broadcast journalism industry, many of them know one another and you never know who may recommend you based on a single encounter they’ve had with you.
Lastly, I would say step out of your comfort zone. That’s something I’m learning to push myself to do more. Whether it’s pursuing a particular story you know is going to be hard to cover or if it’s walking up to the CEO of a company you want to work for and introducing yourself or it could be as simple as asking someone for help. Do it, I’m sure you won’t regret and you’ll make yourself better that way.
HC: What’s the next thing on your Carolina bucket list?
AS: Before I graduate, I would love to interview Roy Williams for Keeping Up With Kylie and Alexis. I love Carolina Basketball and basketball in general because I played myself. I wouldn’t mind getting a basketball signed by him too.
HC: What makes you proud to be a Tar Heel?
AS: I’m proud to be a Tar Heel because there’s so much meaning in the UNC name. When I tell people I’m an out a state student and go to UNC there’s a bit of a shock factor, it’s quite funny before that I never realized how highly my school had been regarded. We’re strong in academics and athletics and despite the negative attention we’ve received in the media, we’re still ranked at the top for public universities. Coming to this school really pushed me out of my comfort zone and I’m so blessed for my experiences here and to be in an environment with other phenomenal students where I am continually pushed to make myself better through endless opportunities.
You can check out “Keeping up with Kylie & Alexis” by liking their Facebook page or by visiting their YouTube channel.