Things I learned at Mass Comm Week

Mass Comm Week is an annual event hosted by the School of Journalism and Mass Communication at Texas State University. Media professionals from all over come and talk about their professions, how the mass media industries are changing and what to expect after graduation.

Great advice was given this year and though a majority of my time was helping with the event, I was still about to sit in on sessions and soak in what the speakers were saying.

The most important things I learned

1. Have a passion: When Gary Vaynerchuk came to speak to students, he didn't hold back from expressing how important it was to have a passion and go for it. His new book "Crush It!" tells how he made his passion (Wine Library TV) a profitable passion.

2. Be positive: Laura Lorek told students that people are attracted to others who are charming, genuine, and positive.

3. Stand up for what you believe in: When Brian Cuban came to talk about the "First Amendment, Hate Speech and the Internet," I'm not going to lie, it made me come out a lot more patriot. The power has so much influence on people to spread love and hate that it is our duty to protect the "incubation of hate" from exploding. Cuban told students to report obscene and hateful material to the Web site and take a stand against hate speech.

4. Get creative: Burnie Burns, founder of Rooster Teeth Productions, makes a living off on using the internet platform to distribute his online video. It made me want to learn how to use video to fuel my passion to reach a larger audience.

5. Dress to impress: I learned that in the business world, they do judge a book by its cover. At the PRSSA fashion show, Dress For Success, the host told the audience that a person has a perception of you in a matter of seconds. You don't even have to say hello and they can tell whether they will hire you or not. Dressing well is key when trying to make a good first impression.

Over a month of planning, four days of great advice, 70+ speakers and hundreds of happy students made Mass Comm Week a great success. I narrowed my favorites down to five, but there was so much more. The opportunity to help with the event was a great learning experience itself.

Many thanks to Carly Smith, Jamie Anderson, Chris Simpson, and Dara Quackenbush.