Mentorship And Internship - The Launch Pad to A Successful Career
I have always believed in the concept of “Each One, Teach One.” One of my lifechanging mentors in the early days of my career was Jojo Chintoh. He was the Citynews Crime Reporter and came to my Ryerson Journalism class to give a talk. Jojo invited us to give our feedback on his latest news series. I saw this as an opportunity to make a contact in mainstream media because at that point I had none.
As the only Black student in my Graduate Journalism class, I felt a little disadvantaged as some of my classmates spoke about connections through their parent’s friends and one or two even had relatives working within the media. So I took my shot and called him and gave him my feedback. I was the only one who did that...and it paid off. Jojo invited me to come down to the station and shadow him. He introduced me to everyone in the newsroom, including the news director. From there, I would go down to station whenever possible to help transcribe tapes, shadow other reporters, practice writing and just soaking in as much as I could.
One of the things Jojo told me (as my youthful exuberance, naivety and lack of patience would sometimes show when I wondered why they hadn’t offered me a reporting job as yet), is that what you want to do is make sure you are in the room with decision-makers. This was so that when there is an opportunity, you are front and centre in their mind. Of course, it’ s not just about being in the room, but also what you are doing to get their attention. Are you eager to learn? Are you open to working your way up? Do you have a positive attitude? Do you take criticism well and learn from it? Between Jojo’s words of wisdom and my perseverance to be a part of the Citynews team, I was offered a part-time writing position on Breakfast Television. Of course, it sounds amazing - a year out of J-school and writing for the number one morning show! But the hours were a killer - up at 3am and starting at 4am for a five hour shift. However, I had to think long game and it was the best learning ground for my 25 year career in television news. I will be forever grateful to Jojo for opening that door for me and guiding me in the early days of my career.
This is why I mentor. This is why I have always had a revolving door of interns. This is why I am always open to guiding a young person who truly wants to learn. One of those bright stars interned with Canada AM when I worked there as a news producer.
Stephanie Hinds was and is a hustler. She came with story pitches to the morning meeting that were equal in caliber to the veteran producers around the table. She was open to learning how to write for news and was soon having her copy read by Canada AM hosts. She networked in the CTV newsroom and let people know her career goals. I recommended Stephanie for outside freelance writing opportunities and she gladly took them. She applied for and got a position as a Digital Content Editor for CTV.ca and shortly after she set up her own media consulting biz. Three years later Stephanie was the Production Coordinator for Your Morning and moved on to become the Segment Producer and Line-up Editor for The Social. I can’t say I am surprised - as I mentioned - she is a hustler.
What I am, is extremely proud of her. It’s why I wanted to include her in my Media Gatekeepers Series. There is a lot to learn from Stephanie - I’ve given the Coles notes, and I am sure there are hurdles she encountered along the way. Aside from learning about how to pitch to the The Social or finding out how they pick their experts, I am hoping attendees will learn from her journey - especially the journalism students - as she is a product of mentorship and internship launching a successful career!
The Social’s Segment Producer Stephanie Hinds