How to Succeed in Journalism
Charlie Berens is an Emmy winning journalist, comedian, and creator of the “Manitowoc Minute“. The Wisconsin native visited my Journalism for the Web class to speak about his career and how to get to where he is in life. Charlie was the Editor and Chief for his college newspaper and fell into journalism. However, after being cast for MTV’s “Choose or Lose” as a representative covering elections, Charlie mentions that journalism became his passion after that experience.
Later in life, Charlie moved out to L.A. California and got a voice coach. Being from Wisconsin, some accents are not complemented well in broadcast, therefore, his coach helped him create a neutral accent that would be accepted. He recommended that each student who desires to go into broadcasting of any kind, get a coach because there are tendencies that people have that aren’t the most obvious.
There was an abundance of advice given to the class as a whole as to what is best for particular career paths. For instance, Charlie said, “You might as well spend the time being what you want to be,” when explaining to each student that now is the time to start working on the careers that each student chooses.
When Charlie started making videos of himself, he realized that he has an act for broadcasting but with a twist. Charlie can incorporate humor and he found that it was unique and a skill set that he could use to his advantage. During the Q & A, Charlie said, “I would recommend doing all the things you love to get the experience.” With that being said, Charlie has also included stand up comedy in his career path. He has always known that he wanted to be a comedian and with his comedian skills, it has helped further advance his career. In 2016, Charlie started to focus more on his acting and developing scripted material and created a platform for his comedy.
CBS Sports Network hired Charlie to host the sports game show, You’re So Money. Also, in 2014, PMC made him the host of their comedy/entertainment news brand. He has worked red carpet events and even music festivals and interviewed hundreds of celebrities, politicians, actors, and musicians. Charlie has created a name for himself and it started when he became the editor and chief for a newspaper. After Charlie’s visit to my class, I realized that it is okay for me to not know what I want to do for a career. As long as it’s in journalism, I know that there are no boundaries and my options are limitless as long as I invest in my career right now.
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Works Cited
Charlie Berens – Comedian. (2003). Retrieved October 22, 2019, from https://www.charlieberens.com/.
Vaughn, K., & Miller, J. (2018). From Wisconsin, With Humor. Retrieved October 22, 2019, from https://onwisconsin.uwalumni.com/features/from-wisconsin-with-humor/.
Mueller, M. (Ed.). (2017, October 22). 6 questions for Manitowoc Minute’s Charlie Berens. Retrieved October 22, 2019, from https://www.google.com/search?q=charlie+berens&rlz=1C1GCEJ_enUS872US872&source=lnms&tbm=isch&sa=X&ved=0ahUKEwi_xNntq7DlAhVPL6wKHfKfD_QQ_AUIFCgD&biw=929&bih=900#imgrc=AuTeSqBmtA7JxM: