A leader is someone who utilizes their strengths to make a difference in the lives of others. Marla Friedson, a junior majoring in Communication and Journalism with a film certificate, demonstrates what is means to be a leader in the Communication department and beyond. After taking classes and gaining insight through her internship and travel experiences, Marla has gotten a feel for what her greatest strengths and passions are. She has a gift for producing and editing film, as well as communicating to the masses through social media. Even though Friedson does not have a set-in-stone pathway about what she wants her career to be specifically, she acknowledges that media is a powerful tool to provoke emotion, and she would like to use this power to make the world a better place.
In high school, Marla was exposed to her first film production class. This class led her to a potential interest in film production, so she tested the waters with her classes at UMass. She had taken a production class with the Communication department and found her niche. The combination of majoring in both Communication and Journalism provides a complementary overlap with production, says Friedson. Her Communication classes gave her tips about filming, like the importance of blank space in a shot for example. Journalism gave her some of her first experiences with a camera, and taught her how to use one.
Once Marla discovered her strong appeal for film production, she got an internship with the distribution and sales department for Prudential Financial Life Insurance. She was concentrated within the sales training department, in which she was responsible for making videos of the company’s top performers that would help train and recruit new salespeople. This experience was influential in the development of Marla’s potential career path; she got to see what it was like to work for a corporate company, as well as what it was like to travel for work. During her time with Prudential Financial Life Insurance, the company flew her to Chicago and Florida to create her training videos. Marla’s experience with this internship helped her realize that she might be more interested in media with the entertainment industry, and a job like this would be more of a backup plan than a lifetime passion.
Traveling has made an impact on Marla’s experiences beyond just the workforce; She got the chance to go on her birthright trip to Israel this summer. During her time there, she took videos, and made a captivating short film to highlight the incredible trip she had. It was the first “real” video she made on her own. Click here to view her video.
Within the UMass community, she has impacted multiple organizations with her outreach skills. She does public relations work for her sorority, Alpha Epsilon Phi, and she served as Vice President of Communication on the PanHellenic Council for Greek Life at UMass. Friedson works for the e-board of UMass For The Kids, a chapter under “Children’s Miracle Network Hospitals,” which is an organization that raises funds for children’s hospitals. She has also run the social media for UMass SAFI, the Student Alliance For Israel. During her first year at UMass, Marla got involved in a popular television show here on campus, Boys to Men. She believes Boys to Men represents how a small idea can turn into something big.
Looking forward, Friedson wants to apply for an internship with NBC this summer to continue to get a sense of what different career paths may be like. With NBC, she is hoping to gain more experience with broadcast news, film production and television production. Internships and other work experience are so valuable with a degree in Communication, or any degree in general. Her dream job would be to work for a big time television show, or make movies on her own. Although Marla has a general idea of her best interests and strengths, she continues to try new positions, companies, and roles to get a better idea about what is out there. With her strengths for positivity and opening new doors, Marla demonstrates what it means to be a leader in the Communication community.
Written by Emma Tavolieri