Alumni Spotlight: Alex Wunrow, '14

Wednesday, July 22, 2020 - 10:00am

Alex Wunrow

Grad Year: 2014
Major: Advertising and Public Relations
Current Position: Digital Media Manager, New York City Comptroller
Current Location: Brooklyn, NY

Name a person who helped you be successful at Nebraska and how: 

Don Walton at the Journal Star was the advisor to the Dailyer—which I worked at my whole time at UNL—and he served as a terrific mentor to me who taught me a lot about media, journalism, and politics.

He was supportive of the students who made up the Dailyer, and was an invaluable resource to all of us. 

Where are you currently working and what are you doing? 

I currently work for the New York City Comptroller—Scott M. Stringer—in the press office where I am in charge of all of their social media and digital content production. My title is Digital Media Manager.

I write all of the tweets and social copy, as well as collaborate with our designers, photographers, and audio specialists to produce press conferences, as well as a wide range of online content. 

Are you currently working on any special projects? 

I am trying to flesh out an idea for a news organization that would be dedicated to covering state and local governments—while turning a profit. 

Any funky talents or hobbies? Life-changing experiences? 

Other than politics I'm a huge sports fan. Particularly the NBA and college football.

A life-changing experience I had was working on a state senate race in Nebraska in 2012 while I was in college. It made me realize how much I love working on campaigns, and how rewarding I find the world of politics. 

What would you say is the most important skill or quality to have "out in the real world"?

Be adaptable. The current media environment is changing rapidly. Make sure you never stop learning about your field. When something gets assigned to you but you aren't sure how to do it, have confidence that you can do the research (and lean on your coworkers) and teach yourself how to fill in the gaps.  

What advice do you have for current students, prospective students? 

No failure is too big to come back from. Things may seem dark at times, but as long as you maintain faith in yourself and work relentlessly to take advantage of opportunities as they arise, the universe has a way of making the stars align. 

Alex Wunrow
Alex Wunrow