NBCU Next Level Summit Focuses on Tomorrow’s Leaders

A group of journalism and communication students from The City College of New York (CCNY)  recently got a chance to meet some of today’s industry leaders, who gave them tips on how to become the leaders of tomorrow. 

Organized by the NBCU Academy, a free, award-winning education program for developing new skills and advancing careers in journalism, media and tech, the April 11 NBCU Academy Next Level Summit featured several panel talks with well-known journalists from the network as well as news organizations like The New Yorker. 

2024 NBCU Academy Fellows from The City College of New York at CNBC headquarters in New Jersey. Photo by Katelyn Polanco.

“Part of being a leader is bringing your unique perspective to the table,” Rashida Jones, MSNBC president, said at the event.  “As a leader, I value hearing from employees who might have a different take, or a different understanding, or look at things through a different lens.” 

Discussions ranged from the importance of mentorship to talks on the role of artificial intelligence in journalism, as well as fine-tuning communication styles on the job. 

Among the speakers was award-winning journalist Yvette Miley, who now serves as Executive Vice President of NBCU News Group.  When she was in college, Miley told students, she couldn’t get an internship and most of her professors didn’t believe she would make it in journalism. 

“I was told that I wouldn’t go anywhere,” said Miley. That lack of support early in her career has fueled her passion for the NBCU Academy, she said. Its goal is to fix the pipeline into the journalism industry so today’s students have a real shot at becoming reporters, producers or newsroom leaders. 

While students in the New York metro area had the option of attending the event remotely or appearing in person, others around the country had to dial in. Students from Ohio State University, and the University of Florida attended remotely. And for the first time, younger participants – middle- and high-schoolers from Florida – were also included. 

During the first panel, “Leading from Where You Are,” Jones was joined by CNBC President KC Sullivan and José Cancela, Telemundo Station Group President, among others. 

Melissa Lee, KC Sullivan, Rashida Jones, José Cancela, and Frances Berwick discuss how to “Unlock Your Potential.” Photo by Sebastian Paredes.

“In a world today where we’re so surrounded by so many different challenges, all I would say is, be yourself, be true to yourself, be responsible,” said Sullivan. The panelists also told students it’s okay to not have all the answers, and shared some of their own past challenges and how they dealt with them. Don’t get distracted by the small things, the panelists said.

“I knew this was the path that I was destined to be on,” said Jones, who worked as a full-time morning show producer while she was a college student. Jones witnessed the terrorist attacks on  9/11 and said it prepared her for a lifetime of commitment to the craft. 

“I wanted to be in the newsroom. I wanted to be where action was happening,” she said. 

Each of the breakout sessions included a Q&A session with attendees, and one of the panels that sparked the most dialogue focused on the growing use of AI in newsrooms and other industries. 

Richard Robinson, chief executive and founder of Robin AI, a company that uses artificial intelligence to create contracts, said he developed his business in part because he wanted to give people access to factual legal documents and information without the expense of a lawyer. He also cited AI programs like ChatGPT that can help people learn foreign languages more easily. 

Al Ming, NBCUniversal News Group Digital Product & Design SVP, said AI’s potential for good is often misunderstood. 

“There are so many tools out there that are driven by A.I. and new ones are popping up every moment,” said Ming. “You should keep awareness out in the field.”

Not all the listeners were convinced that AI’s impact would be for the better. 

“Should we be scared to follow our dreams,” asked one student who worried that AI will mean fewer journalism and writing jobs. 

CNBC D.C. Correspondent Emily Wilkins said that continuously learning new skills and technology is the key to career longevity in any industry, and especially in journalism. 

 “There will always be new technology coming out. There already has been new technology coming out,” she said. 

Students also got a crash-course in editing during another panel that focused on the need for more digital and media literacy in U.S. middle schools and high schools. The students also got to watch an interview with the team in charge of NBC’s coverage of the upcoming Summer 2024 Olympics in Paris as part of the presentation.  

CNBC Health Care Reporter Bertha Coombs, and Adobe Global Director of Education, Learning, and Advocacy, Brian Johnsrud speaking at the Empowering Tomorrow’s Leaders with The Edit panel. Photo by Sebastian Paredes.

For the students lucky enough to attend the NBCU Next Level Summit in person, there were also discussions with NBC recruiters on ways to find entry-level jobs at the network, including through their page program, internship program, and a pipeline program meant to nurture young talent. Students got to tour a live newsroom during a broadcast and got a special “swag bag” full of NBCU Academy goodies. 

“This was my third time seeing the summit, but my first time experiencing it live. It was quite the experience seeing all the work that is put in to make it happen,” said City College student Oscar Flores. “I loved how there were different leaders from different fields giving insights and exposure.”