Jordan Schuman
 Multimedia Journalist
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How it Happened: Arianna Huffington 

4/18/2014

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Photo: Instagram @ariannahuff
Photo: JC Ridley
Photo: JC Ridley
The entire experience really took a toll on my feet :)
I knew Arianna Huffington was coming to campus to discuss her new book, Thrive, but I wasn't sure what it was about - or at the time, how important its message really is. I knew Arianna Huffington for the reasons you probably know her: she is the Editor-in-Chief of The Huffington Post and President of the Huffington Post Media Group. In short, a powerful and influential woman.

I wanted to cover Huffington's visit for a few reasons. I'm always really aggressively chasing the story when a big name comes to campus. Remember when Hillary Clinton came? I also have a certain amount of stories to complete for a class I'm in. The stories for that class have to be on a quick turnaround time of less than 48 hours, and will air on the weekly NewsVision show, so this was a great opportunity. Plus, it would run as our lead story.

After researching the book and Huffington herself (something I always do when a guest comes,) I learned the book was about avoiding burnout, redefining success and thriving in your own life. Politics and media aside, this is a message we all probably can afford to hear. I found it poetic and a bit ironic that Arianna's visit came right around the time I felt myself really reach burnout, which happens at a certain point each semester. I've said yes to one more thing than I can handle, I am tired, my body is broken and if you ask me how I am doing, more often than not I am just "trucking along." Oh, and sometimes I'm even naive enough to think this means I'm successful.

In her book, Huffington recalls an experience in 2007 when she collapsed from exhaustion in her NY office and broke a few bones on the way down. As she puts it, "if you're laying in a pool of blood in you're office, you are not successful."

One thing I've found in my own life is that I wear being busy (and exhausted and burnt out) as a badge of being really important, and really successful. But it's not just me; after talking to students, I learned we all do it. The logic goes, if I'm so busy that I'm not sleeping, and skipping meals for meetings and deadlines, it must mean I am just so important and so successful. In reality, being successful means not having to sacrifice those things daily. And at 20 years old, these lessons need to begin to be integrated NOW, not later. You know, before too many meals are skipped and you're laying in a pool of blood in your office. (See earlier paragraph.)

So the day arrived for Arianna Huffington's visit faster than expected. In order to cover it, I had to leave class early but since it was the class the story was for, it was no big deal. Though I was excited to cover the event, I was upset to miss class since my intimate class of 7 students was in the middle of a real life conversation with our professor about the business and adult stuff. You know, the stuff your degree can't really teach you but people can.

I brought my friend Kamrel to act as a producer for this shoot, because as you might remember from Hillary Clinton's visit, I'm much more comfortable doing my job when I have someone I trust to handle the technical aspects of it.

We arrived and started shooting external shots of the location, some close ups of Huffington's books on a table, and my standup. Shooting the standup before anything else is always a bit tricky. Your standup is the time the reporter is on camera and says something to either close the story or bridge together the beginning and the end. It can usually sum everything up or further the conversation. And when you shoot your stand up before you shoot anything else, there's always the fear that it won't make any sense.

For this story, my standup was, "In her new book, Thrive, Huffington challenges readers and questions- if you're burnt out, are you really thriving at all?" I was able to write it early because after all of my research, I decided burnout was something our students could really relate to. There is a time and place for this story: she came to campus, here's why, here's what she said, and here's what people thought. But that isn't what I wanted to do. I wanted to tell a story that started a conversation.

With the always fabulous help, guidance and assistance from the University of Miami media relations team, we filed into the student media presser. Huffington arrived in the most chic white pantsuit with these amazing lace black flats. And that's the really important part.

Just kidding but she did look amazing. She introduced herself to everyone sitting in the front row with a handshake. I've seen it a few times (Rachel Maddow did the same thing) but it is always the most humbling thing I see at an event. Always. But beyond humble, Arianna proved to be graceful, gracious, lovely, classy and more.

We each asked a question, and since Arianna was being so generous with her time in answering, we actually ran out of time and ended after each outlet asked one question. The very best part about a presser is that you are recording the whole thing, so all the outlets are really working together in a way. If I like her response to the newspaper's question, I can still use it. And I love team coverage. It's my favorite thing.

The presser closed and we took a photo with Arianna. We do this every time a guest comes, and this time Arianna asked if we could take a selfie. I knew I liked her. She was just so cool.

We wrapped up as a group and went into the main room, where Huffington was to have a conversation with Donna Shalala. We each received a signed copy of the book and a spot on the press risers. We left toward the end of the Q&A session so we could sneak outside to grab a spot to grab some student reaction pieces.

If my story was about the fact that Huffington came to campus, my questions would probably be as follows:
Why did you want to come hear Arianna Huffington speak?
Did anything Huffington said today change your opinions of her?
What was your biggest take away from today?

But my questions were more like this:
Do you burn out?
Where do you think the pressure to work until you are burnt out comes from?
Why are we proud when we burn out? 
Huffington suggested students get a solid 8 hours of sleep, and if that's not possible then to sleep a half hour longer than you do now. Do you think that's possible or is there really no way to get things done unless you stay awake?
What would our campus be like if everyone did get 8 hours of sleep?
What was the biggest takeaway from today?

After talking to students, I realized the emphasis Arianna put on mindfulness. Be mindful of your energy, be mindful when your battery runs low and stop while there is time to recharge. Be mindful of how you are spending your time. Be mindful. Be fully alive. Be fully present. I loved watching the students I interviewed reflect on this. They are so thoughtful and intelligent, it is no surprise people want them to commit to various causes and they eventually burn out because of it.

We wrapped up and my parents came to town the next morning, so I didn't get to editing until the night before deadline at 10 p.m. Burnout not intended, I had a cup of coffee, stayed up until about 2 or 3 and finished the next day.

And I only had to skip one class to make it all happen.

You can see the piece as it aired below:

You heard it here first,
Jordan

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#ClintonOnCampus

3/3/2014

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I can't remember the first time I heard Hillary Clinton would be coming to campus. I think it was earlier this year when someone said a "special guest" was coming. It was said kind of casually, probably by a professor to me and a group of my friends. We thought back to Bill Clinton, Barack Obama, Les Moonves, Mitt Romney, Andy Cohen, all of these important guests who we've been lucky enough to host. And then an official announcement was made at another point I can't quite remember, and campus buzzed.

I learned about it through a press release, to which I replied faster than any reflex I've ever had.

One camera, one producer, one reporter (me).

That's not an excerpt from the e-mail I wrote back to media relations; that's the whole thing.

At work, my Bureau Chief told me Hillary Clinton was giving remarks at UM. I said, "I know, I'm covering it!" She was happy for me, obviously, and said if I wasn't covering it for UMTV, she would've credentialed me through NBC. That was too cool.

And then the night finally arrived.

I left work early because I had this awful feeling in my belly regarding the unknown traffic situation on the roads due to her appearance. When Joe Biden was nearby, the main road I take from work to home was closed off. I didn't realize initially the road was closed because of Biden until I saw what looked like a presidential car drive past me. Until that point, I thought something absolutely horrible had happened in Coral Gables. Dramatic, yes, but there were police officers at literally every single intersection.

Anyway, on the day Clinton came to campus, it took me a half hour to get back to campus. I curled my hair, decided what to wear and ended up with exactly what I initially planned on after trying on many outfits and not being satisfied. I made throat coat tea because my throat was scratchy and I had a long night ahead of me. I watched The Bachelor.

I arrived at the event and met up with my friend and producer for this shoot and the other reporter working for NewsVision with me. She was going to be on the media risers shooting the remarks and Q&A with President Donna Shalala. I would be in the press room to watch the speech, and my story would be on the student reaction.

University of Miami President Shalala and Hillary Clinton are great friends since Shalala served as U.S. President Bill Clinton's Secretary of Health and Human Services. 

Because former First Lady Hillary Clinton is still protected by Secret Service, all of the camera equipment gets sniffed by a bomb dog. After the sweep, my producer and I shot some exterior shots of the event and location, shot my stand up and also did 3 interviews with students who were waiting in line.

I was having genuine fun. 

Usually on shoots, I am by myself to deal with equipment and being a reporter all at once. So while I'm asking a person questions for the story, I'm also trying to look through the lens and make sure the shot is framed, the lighting is correct and the audio is working. It's a lot to think about, so I owe a huge thanks to my producer on this shoot, Carlee Rasner, who is largely the reason that on this night, I was able to do my job and enjoy myself all at once. 

So I was in the press room for the very first time. I love the press room. I want to live my whole life in the press room. There was free coffee, tea, water, cookies, etc. And I heard there was sushi although I missed it. Press rooms look just like they do in the movies: long tables with folding chairs, and reporters with laptops. 

We found "Reserved UMTV" and sat down. In case you're lost, it's the one directly behind, "Reserved NY Times."

I grabbed my laptop and opened TweetDeck, also known as the greatest program to ever exist. TweetDeck makes it insanely easy for you to keep tabs on way too many things at once (which is what we were all doing in the press room). My TweetDeck is set up with columns: my personal Twitter feed, my TV/media Twitter feed, news, news about the media, and mentions to me. I was glad to see so many other laptops with TweetDeck open too. I tweeted, "Does @HillaryClinton have butterflies?" 

At a point, the playlist that had been on in the press room played Fleetwood Mac's "Don't Stop." This was Bill Clinton's campaign song in the 90s and as soon as it came on I, for lack of a better description, freaked out.

Me: This was Clinton's campaign song in the 90s, are you dying? I'm dying.
Everyone else: **keyboards typing, Twitters tweeting, free coffee pouring**

Alright, well. That happened.

I went into the event room where 6,000 people were waiting for Hillary Clinton and I waited too. I'd spend the rest of the evening in the press room, but I wanted to see her come out. She did. I teared up. Put your politics aside for just a moment and understand and consider that this woman is among the most powerful women in the world… and potentially the next POTUS. Just think about the doors that have been closed so she could have a conversation. Or the times she's sat in the situation room more aware of how a decision she made would impact us than we could probably ever be.

The magnitude of the night was not lost on me. I felt very lucky to be exactly where I was at that exact moment doing what I was doing.

After Clinton's speech, I headed outside with Carlee to conduct some more student reaction interviews.

We finished up and I felt like we definitely had more than enough to make a great story. I met up with the other reporter to share and swap footage. Afterward, Taco Bell. Because dinner. 

I started editing my story and went to sleep around 3 a.m. with it mostly done. I woke up at 8 a.m to finish other things and get on with my day. After so little sleep, I felt like a zombie re-incarnate for most of the day. 

I went to my first class to hand in a paper and stayed, but I skipped my next two classes so I could eat lunch and take a shower before anchoring NewsVision that night. 

We opened the show with teases relating to Hillary's visit. We aired the packages back to back, and I said, "THE ONE QUESTION STILL ON EVERYONE'S MIND- WILL SHE COME BACK AS A PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE?" 

I breathed a big sigh. And I slept really well that night.

Sometimes the former Secretary of State comes to campus and just throws everything off… or reminds you that your priorities are just where they should be.

You heard it here first,
Jordan

See the package here.


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February 13th - Fear of Missing Out is Nothing to Fear

2/13/2014

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This morning I left my room with a backpack for school, a tote bag with hair and makeup and high heels, a mug for coffee, and a hanger with a dress for an interview I'm doing later today. But not the dress I'm wearing on air tonight. Oh, and I was still wearing my slippers. I quickly opened my door and changed once I realized my mistake.

On the way to class today, I called my mom and she asked me a question that related to Thursday and for some reason I automatically assumed she meant tomorrow which meant today had to be Wednesday which meant, did I wake up and prepare every single thing to be ready to go on the air tonight if that's not happening until tomorrow???

I am 20 years old. I really genuinely thought this losing-your-mind was supposed to happen 40 years from now.

Is my Fear of Missing Out so bad that I've just decided to mentally skip days to avoid the reality that I can't actually do it all? Freud, help a sister out here. I do have Fear of Missing Out. I love crossing things off of my to-do list, but I hate crossing things out just because they won't get done. I really really hate that most of all. More on my to-do list here.
Picture
A very close friend told me recently that he thinks I'll be successful someday because of what I'm doing now. I appreciated how direct he made Point A and Point B seem. I think he was referring to the no-finish-line-in-sight marathon of busy that is my life, and the package-deal Fear of Missing Out that accompanies it. He is the very same type of busy. You should see how long it takes us to make dinner plans.

I stayed at work yesterday 2 hours past 5 p.m. I was logging the Michael Dunn trial closing statements. I didn't tell anyone I had plans to shoot a story last night. Phi Mu Alpha Sinfonia is a fraternity on our campus based in music, and they provide Singing Valentines on campus for 3 days around Valentine's Day. I love Valentine's Day and I wanted to shoot the story. I crossed "Singing Valentines" off of my to-do list in the worst kind of way. The just not gonna happen way.

I could've left work at 5 and let someone else finish the logging, but I truly believe a task is not over when you are done, the task is over when it is finished. I stayed.

That's my Fear of Missing Out. Some college students' Fear of Missing Out refers to missing a frat party or a trip to the beach, but mine requires missing work for more work. I do not mind it that way, but I fear it just the same.

Some days it's hard. Today. I go to class, class, class, food?, (outfit 1) hair, makeup, interview, (outfit 2) NewsVision, (outfit 3) and then I have 3 plans for 8 p.m. Which requires saying no to two of them.

Some days I really miss the pool. And Fridays are hard too because they play country music at the campus restaurant and if I am anywhere near it, it's a magnetic force that I lose all control over.

Yes I keep a physical to-do list, but I also keep a mental one. It has personal career goals of mine, big big dreams and some tasks that wouldn't even seem possible today. It has the serious stuff. I appreciated hearing from my friend that he thinks I will accomplish all of that, because I try to tell that to myself too.

Even if you don't verbally tell yourself or even mentally tell yourself, you have to, have to, have to believe in, understand and subscribe to the idea that the big list, the really important list, the list that actually matters, will only get done if you get up and do what's on the list today.

So my alarm went off at 8 a.m. today. And I got up and got to it.

You heard it here first,
Jordan

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The Day Al Roker Rocked Twitter

1/28/2013

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In a moment of unity, on a day when partisanship was obvious yet ignored, Al Roker was trending on Twitter.

For out of all of the people waiting on Pennsylvania Avenue one week ago today for the 57th Presidential Inauguration, hoping for just a glimpse of the newly re-inaugurated President of the United States, Al Roker was the one who yelled after Mr. Obama and asked about the weather.

I couldn't help but smile while watching it, and hearing the rest of the Today Show cast giggling into their mics at the fact that it was even happening filled my heart with joy and was a big slice of humble pie... that yes, even Today Show anchors get interviews they never dreamed of or planned on.

To me, that moment gave every aspiring journalist and meteorologist a glimmer of hope. And a large slice of insight.

When I covered the President's visit to the BankUnited Center on the University of Miami campus, I submitted my request for media credentials like many other local journalists and networks did, and I waited for a response. It came, and I sent it to everyone I know, with something resembling the fact that not only was I going to be in the same room as the POTUS, but I'd be filming it for use on our very own evening newscast! I was working on deadline, and it was awesome.

When Al Roker got the "interview," as Brian Williams calls it, with President Obama I realized that someone requested media credentials for him to stand exactly where he stood, too. And someone got a confirmation email, and Al Roker probably told his family about it at the dinner table that night. And I'm sure his kids thought it was pretty cool. In a way, I guess I realized that Today Show anchors are just like us. The POTUS is a big freaking deal to them, too.

I still have my "White House Press Pool" press pass from that day, and I probably will forever. Not only was it my first press pass, but it was from the White House. The White House! To see the President!

And though I can't say for sure, I have a feeling when Al Roker actually caught President Obama's attention and exchanged words with him, he had similar thoughts. "That's the president!!" ... "From the White House!!"

I liked it. Because it doesn't matter who you voted for, and it doesn't matter what you believe. This is the President of the United States. (Isn't that what inaugurations are really all about anyway?) And something a Today Show anchor did made the entire country look, and not so long after, he was trending on Twitter.

And if that wasn't enough, after a year full of shootings, debates, crime scenes, accidents and natural disasters, Joe Biden did something that made me forget about the laundry list above. The actual Vice President of the United States broke format and shook Al Roker's hand. It unified America, and for a short minute, the news personality made the news.

And while all of the Secret Service had a momentary freak out, it was great television. ( <-- See it here!)

And you can't beat that.

You heard it here first,
Jordan

There he is! Follow the "O" in Florida down to a white spot... right before the guy in striped polo.
A screenshot of my confirmation e-mail for media credentials.
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