Philadelphia boasts the reputation of being the fourth largest media market in the country, and Temple reaps the benefits of that status by giving students the opportunity to hear from guest speakers directly immersed in the industry.
Her Campus Temple’s talented writers and editors seized this advantage at the September 28, 2011 “Panel of Women: Learn from the Best in the Industry” event. The panel’s main objective may have been to gain different perspectives from diverse women who hold various occupations in the journalism world, but anyone who was privileged enough to attend could tell you that each of the speakers doled out inspiration and words to live by, as well.
The panelists come from divergent backgrounds, both culturally and professionally. They included Becca Lane, owner of Becca Lane Media, a company which offers brand development, press relations and event coordination services with an emphasis on art; Ashley Beecher, a production coordinator at Sprout, a children’s television station and Naoko Masuda, a Senior Web Developer for the School of Communications and Theater.
All three women can agree on one thing: where they started their education is not the same place they are currently launching their careers. Lane attended American University in Washington, D.C. and studied abroad in Oxford, England and Rome, Italy before working a PR job in New York City and ultimately returning to Philadelphia to complete her Journalism degree at Temple. Beecher studied Communications and Creative Writing, with a focus on documentaries, at the University of Miami. She held various internships and freelanced in Miami until she accepted her current position at Sprout. Masuda, on the other hand, did not cross state lines but flew over oceans. Her roots are in Japan, where she left to pursue a degree in Film & Media Arts and Asian Studies at Temple.
Clearly, all three women hold successful, influential positions, but different incentives give them the drive to improve themselves professionally each day. For Masuda, it’s her passion for animation, whereas Beecher and Lane were on one accord; both agreed that setting higher standards for themselves on a daily basis causes self-inspiration.
This dynamic trio also touched upon the importance of racking up internships, establishing connections, gender dynamics within the industry and creating ambitious yet realistic benchmarks for self- improvement.
Although the communications field was once seen as an “all boys club,” the three panelists agree that the most competition can be found between multiple women, and especially within oneself.
“I had to be the best because it was assumed I was the worst,” Beecher said. “I still feel like I need to give 110% or 150%, even with female workers. It’s about self-proof.”
Coming to terms with self-improvement, we learned, is often achieved by keeping feelings of disappointment and inferiority (the rage you feel when you don’t meet your goals) masked.
As Beecher says, “don’t take it [rejection] personally. It only matters if you believe what they’re saying.”
By listening to these three outstanding panelists, Her Campus Temple truly gained a taste of both the glamorous and the cutthroat sides of having a career in the communications world. Some days are less productive and less rewarding than others, but the ultimate incentive, as all three panelists would agree, is the motivation each downfall gives you to improve.
With perseverance, discipline, and confidence (and if you follow in Lane’s footsteps, some coffee in a water bottle when necessary), not only is overcoming your professional obstacles possible, but it brings you closer to the goals you wish to achieve.