Name: Aubrey Henken
Year in School: Junior
Major: Double Major in Broadcast Reporting/Broadcast Production and Media Management, Minor in Journalism.
Activities and School Involvement: President of the Point Park Broadcasters’ Organization, Co-Producer of the entertainment news show ‘Entertainment On Point,’ Assistant News Director of WPPJ 670 AM.
Hometown: Valley Forge, PA
HC: When did you first want to be a broadcaster?
AH: I actually started college at Kutztown University with a Psychology major and quickly realized that wasn’t for me. So I switched in to Speech Communication where I realized I was good at talking to people and being in front of crowds. Then later that year, I was watching the E! Oscars Red Carpet Behind the Scenes Special and I found myself not watching the performance, but instead watching the crew and how everything was put together to create the show. It was then that I knew I wanted to be a broadcaster.
HC: What is your dream job?
AH: On-Camera Correspondent for E! News.
HC: What made you want to join the Point Park Broadcasters’ Organization
AH: My first year at Point Park, the leaders of the organization set up tours at the local TV stations and I thought that would be an amazing experience. When the school year started this year, there wasn’t a leader of the club and I felt that would be a waste of so many potential experiences for the students so I decided to become more involved and make sure that students had even more opportunities this year.
HC: What do you hope to bring to the club this year?
AH: Whatever the members want. I want this club to be helpful to the members involved. I want them to be able to learn anything they want to through the workshops, and to have any and every opportunity that I can provide for them.
HC: What makes your club unique?
AH: I hold different workshops for people to learn things such as Adobe Premiere and Photoshop outside of the classroom. I also hold TV studio and radio station workshops where students can work on their production skills and get that much more experience. I also arrange different tours of local TV stations as well as set up networking events for the members all in hopes that they can land an internship or a job once they graduate.
HC: What is the most challenging part of being a broadcaster?
AH: Definitely creating all of the news packages. It’s a lot of work going out all over the city to find stories and interviews, and then come back and edit it all together, but it’s also very rewarding and one of my favorites parts of being a broadcaster as well.
HC: What advice do you have to others who want to get involved with broadcasting in the future?
AH: U-View, WPPJ, and the Point Park Broadcasters’ Organization are all very welcoming. We want everyone to become involved, regardless of grade or major! We’re not discriminatory, and we will teach you everything you need to know.
HC: What do you hope to gain from this opportunity?
AH: I hope to gain hands on experience. One of the best parts about Point Park is that it is so easy to get the experience that you’ll need once you’re out in the real world. I want to use my position to learn everything there is to know about broadcasting so I’ll be even more prepared when I graduate.
HC: Anything else you’d like to add?
AH: Check out our YouTube channel, youtube.com/EntertainmentOnPoint!