For Ben Otte, KLN ’18, there’s nothing like the “rush” of working in live television because “you only have one shot to get it right.”
 
Otte, a photojournalist for WGAL-TV in Lancaster, is among several Klein College graduates who worked on the multimedia show Temple Update, an experience that led to a full-time position in broadcasting within a month following graduation.
 
Peter Jaroff, the assistant chair of the Department of Media Studies and Production and the executive producer of Temple Update, says at least seven new alumni found work soon after earning their degrees.
 
For Freixys Casado working for several student-run news programs like Temple Update, the Spanish-language Update Ahora and Lo Ultimo, equipped her to combine her bilingual communication skills and her passion for broadcasting. Today, she’s a production assistant at Telemundo in Philadelphia. In an email, she said the Klein instructors “played a major part in my college journey. They were some of the toughest instructors I had, but thanks to their teaching I had to learn how to get out of my comfort zone and push myself in order to succeed.”
 
Otte worked the past two high school football seasons as a freelancer for WGAL, his hometown area TV station, and stayed in touch with the NBC network affiliate while continuing his studies at Temple.
 
He said he earned experience plus a respect for deadlines while working as a director, producer and videographer for Temple University Television, Temple Update, Owls TV and the weekly OwlSports Update. He said the Klein faculty taught him well about the media industries and the importance of improving one’s craft.
 
“Caring about the overall product makes a big difference and everyone will be better off for it,” he said in an email. “These are the things I began learning at Temple.”
 
Viewers of the ABC network affiliate in the Lynchburg, Virginia, area are starting to know Hannah Lea McComsey, KLN ’18, a multimedia journalist for WSET-TV working out of the station’s Danville, Virginia, bureau.
 
Her beat is a bit of everything, she said in an email, “from breaking news to community events,” crediting her versatility to working for TUTV.
 
“Attending the Klein College of Media and Communication was one of the best decisions I’ve ever made because it prepared me for the ever-evolving worlds of journalism and broadcasting,” said McComsey, whose Temple experience helped her secure internships with Fox 29, NBC 10 and “Good Morning America.”
 
She joined her fellow graduates in acknowledging Klein College faculty for its support. “They are industry professionals who know what it takes to succeed, and they readily share that information with students.”
 
In addition to TUTV, Rebecca Rosenblatt, KLN ’18, said her internship at 6 ABC (WPVI-TV) in Philadelphia also helped prepare her for her new job as a newscast director and editor for WKOW-TV in Madison, Wisconsin.
 
Rosenblatt, who now directs the “Wake Up Wisconsin Weekend” morning show for the ABC network affiliate, says the Klein program gave her “an edge” over others who had interviewed for the job.
 
She pointed to her Klein experience, coupled with faculty support, for instilling her with more confidence going into the interview. “Plus, the volunteers at Temple Update always pushed me to be my best in every way, so they were very helpful when I began and concluded my job search,” she added.
 
Spencer Trabbold, KLN ’18, said Temple played a “huge” part in his new career as a TV news producer at WBBH-TV in Fort Myers, Florida.
 
As a freshman, Trabbold got involved with Temple Update and worked his way up to the role of senior producer. He said he had the privilege of covering big news events in Philadelphia over the years, including the Pope Francis visit in 2015—“one of seven students in the world that had credentials for both days,” he wrote in an email—the Democratic National Convention in 2016 and NFL Draft in 2017. While a student, he also worked as a broadcast technician at NBC-10.
 
“With all of this experience, I was very marketable to employers when I began looking for jobs, “Trabbold said. “I got multiple offers from stations all across the country, even one as an executive producer! However, I went with the station in Fort Myers for two reasons: one, they told me they would focus on teaching me everything they could and two, it was closest to the beach … [The Klein College faculty] had so much experience working in the Philadelphia market and I would not be where I am today without their guidance, advice, and the opportunities that they have provided me,” he added.
 
Jaroff identified three other graduates who landed jobs this summer:   Kelly Antonacci is a reporter for WSAV-TV in Savannah; Nydja Hood works as a desk assistant for WABC-TV in New York City; and Dan Ray works as a producer and editor for WLVT-TV in Allentown.