I had the chance to check out Columbia Career Education center's new media panel last night, and while I was there to mine for some (ahem) new opportunities, instead, I ended up gleaning a lot of great industry info from the panelists. If you're interested in a career in new media, it's worth taking a look at their answers below.
Members included:
Maurice Matiz, Vice Executive Director of at Columbia Center for New Technology
Janet Balis, President and Founder of Digital Media Strategies
Shannon Friedrichs, Director of Programming Planning and Strategy for Nickelodeon
Karen Levine, Strategy and Marketing Consultant for Triple Play Consulting
Sean Pfitzenmaier, Co-founder of Social Sauce and www.sosauce.com
If someone were trying to break into the new media, what are some of the requisite skills they should have?
Shane: 1) A background or understanding of engineering/programming behind of how systems work, 2) an understanding of design on the frontend and 3) an understanding of how to market or communicate your product or ideas.
Shannon: A willingness to change. You have to be flexible.
Shane: A hunger for new technologies.
Janet: It would also be helpful to think in terms of big business--if you phrase things in a way to your client or boss that let's them know you have the bigger picture in mind, it helps push your ideas through.
What are some of the buzz words in the new media industry?
Karen: Engagement, monetize (as in how to make something make money), and lean in vs lean back (the interactivity of media).
Shannon: Access points and the writable web. Distribution media vs destination media, which is similar to lean in vs lean back. I think some companies have problems today letting go of their ownership over certain media products (Ed's Note: think SNL pulling episodes off YouTube).
You all mention this hunger for technology--how do you keep up with all the technology coming out? What resources do you use?
Shane: I try to keep up with certain blogs like http://www.techcrunch.com/, a blog about web 2.0 startups, http://www.mashable.com/, a blog about social media and http://www.unionsquareventures.com/, a blog about venture capitalism.
Karen: MediaPost has a ton of newsletters I subscribe to, but hardly get to read, but industry newsletters like that are helpful.
Shannon: I find Google News Product helpful, but http://www.synopsis.com/ is great for those looking to break into the TV industry. They even have a great jobs section. I sometimes check http://www.multichannel.com/, too.
Maurice: I suggest picking 1-3 topics that you love, and focusing only on them, otherwise you'll be overwhelmed.
Karen: Are we overwhelming you yet? http://www.emarketer.com/ has a wonderful newsletter that even has a daily thought. And if you are willing to pay, or if the school has an account, http://www.forrester.com/ is really good. You should also listen to NPR's On Media show on the weekend.
Janis: I find that a lot of executives in both new and traditional media read Jack Myers' newsletter (http://www.jackmyers.com/). He usually breaks stories before everyone else.
Shane, I read an article that the facebooks and MySpaces are going down. How do you feel about that?
Shane: I hope they are! But seriously, it's really interesting to see how today's trend is towards these open API systems. Facebook didn't have an open API at first and now everyone is getting spammed with user-generated applications every day. But open-source isn't the only way to go. Apple has been using a closed-system model for years very successfully--in large part because they innovate regularly on their own. SoSause.com is trying to follow that model. It many ways, it's a gamble, but we feel that this is the opportunity in the market right now so it's a gamble we're willing to take.
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