360: How to Break Into Multimedia Journalism w/Nicki Mayo, Nicki Mayo News [Espresso Shots]

Nicki Mayo founded and operates the eponymous Nicki Mayo News, LLC. She is a self-described “multimedia maven” and is a full time communications strategist. When she’s not creating videos for clients, Nicki works as a federal contractor covering STEM stories. After earning her undergraduate degree in speech communications and African American studies with a minor in Spanish at Syracuse University, she interned at BET Nightly News and spent time teaching before working in newsrooms across the United States. She helped launch YNN Buffalo. She recently served as the first digital editor for the Philadelphia Tribune’s phillytrib.com and worked on various social media accounts. In the past, Nicki was as a political analyst and contributor on Philadelphia’s 900AM WURD Reality Check with Charles Ellison. She worked on TV One’s “News One Now,” “Fatal Attraction,” “Justice By Any Means” and “Thou Shalt Not.” For three years she covered breaking news for the Associated Press Network and is a member of the AP’s race and ethnicity team. She hosted NPR’s WAMU FM 88.5 in Washington, D.C., and anchored for 1430 WNAV radio news in Annapolis. Fill your mug and tune in to this caffeinated career conversation with Nicki if you’re interested in getting straight talk about multimedia journalism, or if you’re searching for ways to creatively tell stories. WHAT YOU’LL LEARN ABOUT IN THIS EPISODE: Why to keep your key open for entry-level digital jobs like social media management and audience engagement teams  Why learning the fundamentals of journalism are essential to nail down before jumping into this field Why knowing how to dissect content”and analyze it is more important than your undergraduate major  Why paying to get additional training from the Knight Foundation or Poynter Institute can be useful to upskill and get people management and leadership skills Why working a public facing job like waitressing and retail will make you a better, more prepared journalist Why empathy is a crucial quality to have to become a successful journalist Why to watch The Wire and Murphy Brown, a show Nicki idealized for a fictionalized but fun depiction of what it’s like to be a reporter To learn more about how Nicki started her career in journalism, built her brand and eventually became her own boss, tune in to T4C episode #255.