A lot of my good friends from Boston also made the move to NYC.
After graduation and one last study trip to Mexico with Mr. Nielson, I headed to Boston University. I had dreams of working in television production, and took courses for a Television Degree. I lived in a gorgeous brownstone overlooking the Charles River and MIT and Cambridge on the other side for all of my three years in Boston. Another GHS alum, Yen Tieu, coincidentally ended up at BU as well, so it was nice to start out with a friend from home. Boston is incredible – it is a big city that feels small, and it has a higher percentage of college students than any other city.
Because of my aspirations to be in tv production, I gained some practical experience by working on a school television show, Shadows, for two years. I began with the grunt work, constructing the set, running the video tape recorder, and operated the camera. I eventually moved up to role of Producer, and managed cast lists and call times, and organized shoots. In the summer of 1999, while home in Salt Lake, I interned in the newsroom at the local ABC affiliate KTVX. It was valuable experience, but in the end I determined that local news did not much appeal to me.
Yen Tieu visited me in NYC... here we're checking out the skyline view fromthe Metropolitan Museum of Art rooftop.
Immediately after graduation, my mom and I took the train to New York, where she stayed with me over the summer while I searched for a job. I got lucky and ended up with an assistant job in the regional affiliate sales office for Disney Channel. I never thought I’d work in sales, but I found a second home at my office on Park Avenue (now we’re in Times Square) and never felt compelled to go back to production. I was promoted to Sales Coordinator in 2002, and in late 2004 when we merged sales groups with ESPN, I was promoted to Account Executive for Disney/ESPN Media Networks. My clients include a number of mid-sized cable operators in the Eastern US, and I have had the opportunity to travel all over the US and to the Caribbean, also part of my territory. I am currently President of the Caribbean Chapter of CTAM, an industry organization for cable marketing.
With One Life to Live's John-Paul Lavoisier at a SOAPnet event.
Between personal and work travel, I have been to 33 states, plus Puerto Rico, Aruba, St. Kitts, and Mexico. Vacations in the past few years have also taken me to Germany, Prague, London, and Paris. I love seeing other cultures, witnessing civilizations far older than our own, and of course tasting different cuisines! I believe it’s important to venture away from what you know, as getting to know other places and people is an invaluable opportunity. Next on my list are Italy, Spain, and Egypt, to name a few.
I’ve been living on NYC’s Upper East Side since 2001. I love New York, but don’t necessarily think I’ll live here forever. We’ll see! No husband or kids yet, just my adorable, mischievous orange cat Caramelo. It has been great reading everyone’s updates here. I’m really looking forward to seeing everyone again at the reunion!
Becky Black
rebeccaroxanne@hotmail.com
6 comments:
Brandie mentioned in her post that you couldn't make her wedding because of 9/11. Were you in New York when it all happened? How scary!
I was actually at the airport trying to get to her wedding and they shut down the airport b/c of a scare. There was no way I could fly. I'd been in NYC for about a year by that time. My office was midtown so I wasn't near the WTC, and thank God I didn't know anyone in the buildings. I watched it all go down live on TV and it was an unreal experience to be here during that time. I still think about it often.
Hey I'm incharge of making sure that Yen knows about the reunion. Would let her know if she doesn't already. I bet you told her but just incase.
I just wanted to tell you I think that you sound like you have had such an exciting life. It was really neat to read what you have been up to. Thanks for your help.
Thanks Joann. Your kids are gorgeous! You must have a lot of fun with them.
Yup, I did let Yen know about the reunion. Unfortunately she won't be able to make it because she had a previously planned vacation during that time. She wishes she could join!
Tell her that we'll miss her. Thanks for your help. She should still do a blog!
Becky, it was so much fun to visit with you at the reunion, even if it was just for a moment. Keep having fun in New York!
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