Lights! Cameras! Action!
A career in film is pretty fascinating, whether you’re one of the performers, production crew or post-production members. As an adolescent, Diane Lucas, production sales associate for WUSF, dreamed of a career in television, production and music. She could picture herself working at MTV or alongside Steven Spielberg in Los Angeles or New York. Unfortunately, life doesn’t always work out as planned.
While Lucas was working towards an associate degree in mass communications at St. Petersburg Junior College, she wasted no time nabbing a job. After spotting an advertisement in the newspaper, Lucas became the office receptionist at CPN Television’s Clearwater station.
“I did not continue on with my bachelor’s…because I was already working in the field when I finished my AA and the hours were very long where I was working,” Lucas said. “So I really threw myself into my work and decided not to continue on[,] thinking I would go back eventually.”
Lucas did not return for further education. This decision hindered her from obtaining certain positions in the future, but because she had ambition, it did not completely stop her from continuing to climb the career ladder.
Three months later, Lucas transfered to CPN’s Tampa studio to become the production coordinator and officially kicked off her career in production. Lucas, as posted on her Linked In profile, held this job for one year and two months before moving on to Tampa Digital Studios as the office manager and production coordinator. After five years and ten months at TDS, she spent four months as associate producer for Reliant Interactive Media before finally coming across WUSF.
“There were no production jobs open,” Lucas said. “So I figured [, just] get in the door.”
Lucas began as the office manager, but used her production background to help with any productions going on.
“It wasn’t really my job, but I figured if I showed them, ‘hey, I can do this’ maybe if something opened up, I could move into that,” Lucas said.
As the saying goes, good things come to those who wait, and five years later, production sales associate becomes available. Lucas currently holds this position and it has now been more than two years.
As always, Lucas continues to look towards the future and her next goal is “to continue on at USF to get [her] bachelor’s.”
Lucas has proved that there is no standard path to success. As long as you never give up and welcome the idea that plans change, nothing can stop you.
Diane Lucas speaks about working at WUSF and provides a tip for mass communication students.