Over fall break, 26 College of Journalism and Mass Communications students traveled to New York City to take part in the college's annual media tour and learn about trends shaping the media and communications industries in real time.
Sophomore Izzy Lewis—who triple majors in advertising and public relations, journalism, and sports media and communication—decided to go on this year’s NYC Media Tour to learn more about how the media industry operates in a big city.
“I know I want to live in a big city one day, so having the opportunity to see what it is actually like to live and work in NYC while also connecting with alumni who can explain what it takes to get hired was invaluable,” Lewis said.
Senior advertising and public relations major Sophia Dao had been thinking about going on the tour since last April. She wasn't sure whether the tour was something she wanted to put her money into.
"I spent the summer in NYC for my internship and I told myself I would take any opportunity to return to the city," Dao said. "So, when August came around, I signed myself up."
One of Dao's favorite stops on the tour was visiting three agencies at Publicis Groupe. The morning of day one, students visited Digitas Health, the first global connected health agency; MSL, an international public relations firm and Zenith, an ROI agency that has worked with world-leading brands like Disney, TikTok, and Verizon.
"At Publicis, I could really see myself in the alumni that were hosting our panel and the environment there was the type of place I could totally see myself working at," Dao said.
In the afternoon, they went to Wieden+Kennedy New York office—the location is known for the 2017 Bud Light "Dilly Dilly" campaign—followed by a visit to arts and culture firm Resnicow and Associates, whose client list includes museums like The Met and the Louvre and higher education institutions like Stanford and Johns Hopkins.
Wieden+Kennedy was another favorite stop for Dao because while sharing some of their previous work, the Wieden+Kennedy team presented the idea of "not knowing sh*t about f*ck" and she loved that they were so unapologetic about their creative process.
"I thought this was super refreshing to hear because I think oftentimes, we get so in over our heads about having to be the best at our craft and having to know absolutely everything before we're even established in our early careers," Dao said. "It was just nice knowing that even the people we look up to don't always have the answers and they're not letting it belittle what they bring to the table."
That evening, students connected with CoJMC alumni at the NYC Connections event, where students had the opportunity to network and ask questions about living in the city.
Dao's mentor, Stacy Fuller ('99), attended the event and one of her favorite moments of the trip was introducing Fuller to her friends.
"I had spoken so highly of her to everyone I'd ever come across, so I think it was nice to not only reconnect but also let everyone put a face to the name I was talking about so often," Dao said.
Another student on this year's tour was Jodi Soptic, a CoJMC senior who double majors in advertising and public relations and journalism.
Soptic decided to go on the tour because she's always dreamt of living in New York City. She hoped that the trip would help her make more connections in the city and gain clarity on the job opportunities available to her when she graduates.
On day two of the tour, she visited Fohr, an influencer marketing firm; Merkley and Partners, an agency focused on helping brands—like Mercedes-Benz and White Castle—navigate change and her favorite stop of the entire trip, Snapchat (Snap Inc.).
"I felt a strong connection with the alum who led the tour because he used to want to work in fashion and that's what I want to do," Soptic said. "He talked about some of his experiences in fashion before he ended up at Snapchat and they inspired me to continue pushing to work in fashion."
Soptic resonated with CoJMC alum Derek Todd Hester's advice to students: "Never give up your passion once you find it, keep pushing to make your dreams come true and know that obstacles are going to hit you, but you can't let them stop you." Hester is a category team lead for client partners and account managers at Snap Inc.
"Going on the NYC Media Tour has helped prepare me for my future by providing me the opportunity to make more personal connections in the media world and I plan to reach out to build those connections," Soptic said.
For Lewis, going on the NYC Media Tour provided her an opportunity to connect with alumni that understand how the industry operates on a larger scale.
“The connections I made in NYC already led to some internship suggestions and I can't wait to utilize those connections to further my career,” Lewis said.
For Dao, who is deciding between wanting to work at an agency or in-house at a publisher, going on the tour helped her examine the pros and cons of working at a holding company like Publicis Groupe or an independent agency like Wieden+Kennedy.
"Being able to hear people speak to their experiences at such a variety of establishments has been so helpful in thinking about what I want in those next professional steps I take," Dao said.
To provide a glimpse into what a day in the life of the tour is like, students took over the college's Instagram stories. Senior advertising and public relations major Jack Hughes brought viewers along for day one and sophomore marketing and advertising and public relations double major Maggie Sweetman took viewers through day two.
The NYC Media Tour was led by the college's Career Development Specialist, Natalie Becerra. Becerra also accompanied the students to New York with CoJMC Alumni Relations and Events Coordinator Zac Franzen, who organized the NYC Connections event.
The college would like to thank our 2025 NYC Media Tour alumni and industry partners who are listed alphabetically by last name, followed by their job title and company name:
- Chas Bogatz (‘17): Group Account Supervisor; Digitas Health
- LeAnne Bugay (‘24): Account Executive; Resnicow and Associates
- Adeline Burger (‘23): Senior Associate, Client Services; Fohr
- Anna Fobair (‘18): Account Supervisor, Impact & Sustainability; MSL
- Derek Todd Hester (‘09): Category Manager, CPG | Large Customer Solutions; Snap Inc.
- Heather Medjesi: HR, Director of Employee Programs; Merkley and Partners
- Sabrina Sommer (‘21): Designer and Art Director; Wieden+Kennedy
- Maddie Stuart (‘18): Associate Director, Investment; Zenith
Interested in giving a tour/presentation at your NYC-based company next year? Contact Natalie Becerra at natalie@unl.edu.
