Last spring, I met the General Manager of Inferno Brick Oven & Bar, an establishment in downtown State College. Her name is Meghan Shaw and she graduated from Penn State as a broadcast journalism major just a few years ago. It’s tough to make it in this field and I think people would be interested in seeing a first hand example of someone who had to find employment elsewhere after months of searching for a job in journalism.
The Axle: Thousands of students across America graduate with a degree in journalism each year, but there are only so many jobs to go around. This feature story on Shaw will hopefully show viewers how – depending on what you major in – life after college doesn’t always go as planned.
The Riders: I didn’t speak to her for all that long when I met her, but I got the idea that Shaw never imagined she’d be the GM of a bar in State College after graduating. I would like to hear her story and maybe find out something interesting about her past that will add an emotional dynamic to the story. I’m not sure how serious she was about journalism, but it was her major so I would assume she had some interest in working in the industry. If I can speak with a few of her journalism professors who are willing to talk about the kind of student she was and whether or not they felt she was cut out to be a journalist, that would be a nice touch to add to the story. And of course, you always want to include friends and family. They can talk about the type of person Shaw is and her parents can share stories about what she was like growing up, whether or not she always wanted to do journalism. If not, what did they see her doing career-wise long-term?
The Spokes: As far as B Roll goes, I’d have some footage of her working at the bar and also away from the job, spending time with friends and family, doing whatever it is she usually does on her free time.
Then I’d have interviews with the riders I listed above. I’d ask questions along the lines of whether or not they think she’s happy as the GM of the bar and if they still see her doing this years down the road. Was college worth it for her?
Beginning: I would open up with a clip of a hectic night at the bar – probably a Friday or Saturday – with Shaw working her tail off to show the viewers the kind of life she lives and what her job is like when things are busy.
Middle: Eventually I would get into the fact that she graduated with a degree in broadcast journalism and for whatever reason (she will say why at some point) things didn’t pan out. Shaw will talk about what happened after college in terms of finding employment and touch on how she ended up doing what she does now. Friends, family and professors will chime in.
End: The point I want to get across in my video is that a college degree doesn’t guarantee anything. There’s no telling what’s next for students after receiving their diplomas. To cap things off, I would ask Shaw if she has any regrets about college or her post-college decisions. She will probably mention how great her Penn State experience was and that’s where I would have a shot of students near Old Maine, hustling to class. Hopefully the last thing says is powerful enough to convey the message.