Annalise Iraola

A positive moment from the talk for all eager UM journalism students, was the discussion on the many different pathways that people can now find success in through different media formats.

Some key takeaways from tonights conversation with @ChrisSobel 1. Keep your options open, don't talk your self out of apply for things 2. Be patient with your career journey, sometimes these things take time 3. Market yourself, & make sure the job is a mutually good fit

By your resume and reel directors can that you can do the work. It’s up to you to sell yourself and make sure you bring your best self to the table.

When interviewing at companies they’re looking at several things: are you mutually a good fit, are you good with people, and mostly they’re looking to see what kind of person you are.

When speaking about his own career path Sobel was a free lancer, line producer, a senior producer, and many more before his current position.

Fun fact: A news director from Sobel’s company hired a girl just from watching her Game of Thrones reviews on YouTube. Shows one of the ways people are discovered now.

A positive note from this session is that there are more job paths than ever. With social media and streaming opportunities there are many ways one can be discovered by news directors.

“You’re not going to get hired if you can’t do both,” said Sobel. Most jobs require you to be able to edit, report and pretty much do it all.

One main take away from this conversation has. Don’t be afraid to take small market jobs. It’s a year or two in a small market job, not a long time in the grand scheme of things.

Tons of great questions coming from UM students eager to learn more before they go into their careers.

Career advice has been one of the main focuses of this events. When asked about, “What turns you off to a candidate?” Sobel said among other things the main turn off for them is arrogance.

More advice from Sobel, “Have an open dialogue with your boss. Don’t assume. So when something comes along they’re looking at you.”

When asked about the beginning of his career and moving up in the industry Sobel said, “be patient, what becomes harder when going to the next step is patience.”

To start Sobel has explained the transition that his job had to switch to to keep things running during covid. Such as plexiglass, 6 ft distance, and editorial meetings that were remote over Zoom.

Tonight at 5 p.m. EST, Chris Sobel will be give UM students a first hand look at what working in the journalism industry is really like.

Tonight’s event for the University of Miami will give students the opportunity to speak with and ask questions to a successful producer in journalism.

Chris Sobel has had an impressive career in the industry and has worked for several years as a producer. For companies like CBS, Sun Sentinel Media Group and currently FOX.