JMC student earns production credit on Paramount+ docuseries after ‘game-changing’ internship
LAWRENCE, Kan. – Most students are satisfied if they get one internship before they graduate. For School of Journalism and Mass Communication senior Emma Noble, it seems the more the better.
Two years ago she worked part-time as a reporter for KSNT in Topeka. Last year, she secured an internship with FOX4 Kansas City. This summer, she helped cover the World Cup for KCUR as part of a summer capstone course. Then another opportunity came knocking.
Micah Brown, a KU alumnus and owner of the Lawrence-based production company Second Wind Creative, reached out to JMC Professor Steve Bien-Aime in search of a student intern. Bien-Aime connected him to Noble. Brown began working on The Program: Texas Tech, a new docuseries. The four-episode Paramount+ series followed the offseason of the Texas Tech football program. He contacted Noble with an offer.
"I said, 'Hey, if you would like some extended experience, I can fly you out to Lubbock, Texas, and you can work with our crew for a week and get a more immersive experience and see what it's like to work on a documentary series crew,’” said Brown. “She got on as a production assistant and helped with a bunch of different things. She was very valuable to our team.”
As production assistant, Noble ran down cameras, flagged players and coaches for interviews and drove crew members around campus. Most importantly, she got to shadow the production staff as they worked. The experience opened a new world of career opportunities for Noble.
“This job really changed the game for me and opened up my eyes as to what the entire media industry has to offer in general,” shared Noble. “I was under the impression that I could dabble in a different role in broadcast, but I didn’t even think about the different roles in media.”
Brown says he was impressed by Noble’s initiative and work ethic. He expects her to go far in her chosen career.
“Emma is a unique person because she is so great with people,” added Brown. “There’s a lot of different young people I have worked with who are a little bit more cautious and they are not as personable. She’s a person that is a self-starter. She’s a person that looks for things to be done instead of waiting to be told. She also takes instructions well, and I think that’s going to be really good for her as she goes through and builds her own career.”
With less than a year until graduation, Noble encourages fellow students to pursue as many internship opportunities as possible.
“The journalism school does an excellent job of providing media opportunities. But a school can only do so much,” explained Noble. “It’s important for students to try new things and say yes to different opportunities and to not put themselves in a bubble. Because this industry is so massive. It is so vast and diverse, that if you are just sticking to one subcategory or one little corner, you will be missing out on a whole world of opportunities that are right in front of your face.”
The Program: Texas Tech wrapped up production over the summer. It premiered on Paramount+ on Sept. 4. Noble received a production assistant credit for her efforts.