Name: Jessica Smetana
Class Year: 2016
Majors and Minor: FTT, minor in Studio Art/Photography
Student Activities: Club Soccer, Fighting Irish Media, London Summer Study Abroad
Share a little bit about your current job and your company or industry. What do you like most about your current role?
After graduating from Notre Dame, I knew I wanted to work in the sports media industry, but I had no idea what I wanted to do. As it turns out, the job that I ultimately was hired for after graduation - producing sports videos for social media - did not even exist when I began my college career. The sports media industry is constantly changing and evolving, for better or for worse. What I enjoy the most about my current job as a podcast host and producer for Meadowlark Media is that I get to come into work everyday and try to make our audience laugh.
What lessons from Notre Dame do you still use in your day-to-day work life?
My Film and TV classes helped me sharpen my writing and research skills, which is important for any storytelling medium. I also learned to critically analyze texts. Being skeptical about what I read, see, or hear is a critical tool in journalism and the broader media industry. Fighting Irish Media taught me how a production comes together and those technical skills have helped me understand the parts of sports media that I may not actively work in but affect how I do my job.
What books, music, movies, television shows, podcasts or other forms of art have had a lasting impact on your life?
My favorite book and film series is The Lord of the Rings. I am also a huge fan of the You’re Wrong About podcast, which has challenged the way I think about many cultural and historical events.
