Journalists and their Journeys to Main Street Hub: Part II
By: Main Street Hub
Tags: Work, Company Culture, Careers, Journalism, Career Advice

Whether it’s creating content for the company blog or talking to local heroes every day, some of our Hubsters gained their skills by studying and working in journalism.

Have you read Part I of Journalists and their Journeys? Check it out here.

Studying journalism for some Hubsters has been a great way for them to sharpen their writing and editing skills, develop their interviewing and communication skills, and learn how to tell a good story.

Content Marketing Associate Brittany Shulman and Sales Representative Clay Blakemore reflected on how studying journalism in college and working in the field after graduation helps them succeed every day here at Main Street Hub.

Brittany Shulman

Content Marketing Associate, Brand Team

Tell us a little bit about yourself.

“I’m originally from New Jersey. I grew up there. I moved to Spring, Texas, which is right outside of Houston, right before high school. I went to the University of Texas at Austin for college, and chose to stay in Austin after graduating.”

How did you get into journalism?

“When I started college, I originally picked sociology as my major because I find people really fascinating — trying to understand why people operate the way they do, especially in groups. With journalism, I think you have to have that same curiosity for why people do certain things and why certain trends happen. Between that, my love of current events, and my love of writing, it just made sense. I literally woke up one morning at the beginning of my sophomore year and knew I wanted to study journalism.”

What type of journalism are you most interested in?

“I’m definitely more of a news writer who is geared towards writing for online. I don’t consider myself a feature writer, though I’ve done both. Mic, The Daily Dot, and The Texas Tribune are some of my favorite online publications.”

Did you work in the field after graduation?

“After I graduated, I went to KVUE News, which is the local ABC affiliate here in Austin. I was a Digital Content Producer there. I wrote stories for their website, I transformed reporters’ video stories into written stories for the web, ran their social media platforms, and any time there was breaking news, I was sending out push alerts, updating social media, and making sure we got the story correct and out as quick as possible.”

What’s your favorite story you’ve ever written?

“When I was at KVUE, I had the opportunity to interview Texas Sen. Wendy Davis. This was right before Whole Women’s Health v. Hellerstedt was about to be heard by the Supreme Court.

“She and I went out to coffee, just the two of us, and we talked for an hour about reproductive rights and access in Texas. I wrote a longform story for KVUE.com that explored the history of reproductive rights and access in Texas, not just of that specific piece of legislation, but of pretty much any piece of legislation in Texas that has dealt with those issues.”

What made you want to make a career change, and how do you think your journalism skills help you excel at Main Street Hub?

“It’s really hard to start out in a bigger news market without experience, and Austin is one of the biggest markets to be in in Texas. I got really lucky. For me to stay in Austin, working at KVUE helped me get my foot in the door. While I was there, I realized working in a television newsroom really wasn’t for me.

“Kevin Clancy [Corporate Recruiter] reached out to me on LinkedIn. He told me that Main Street Hub was looking for a Content Marketing Associate and told me what the role would entail. The more I learned about Main Street Hub, the more I realized it was a place I wanted to be. The company has values that I share. There’s a mission. All the people here are phenomenal.

“Having the ability to interview people, run social media accounts, write, and meet deadlines — all of those skills I learned as a journalist are really crucial in my job here at Main Street Hub.”

What advice would you give to journalism majors who want to work here after college or make a career switch?

“I would remind anyone who wants to make a career transition or who is studying journalism right now in school that the skills you learn as a journalist are in high demand in almost every industry. You’ll always need to know how to talk to people and write. And, in the way our world is shifting online, you need to know how to use social media and online platforms.

“Having that skillset and developing those skills and staying driven and ambitious — those are key, not only in doing well in the field but for being able to transition into a different use of your skills.”