Broadcast communications student spends summer as intern at BET

By RACHEL MANGINI

“I really enjoy the work I'm doing at BET,” says broadcast communications major Corbin Grigsby. “I am glad that I get to see how a major network operates behind the scenes.”

Grigsby spent the summer interning at the television network BET on its corporate campus in Northeast Washington, D.C. Originally from Pittsburgh, he has been working with television and film production since his sophomore year of high school. Video production is his passion.

“I have completed hundreds of projects,” Grigsby says. His range is wide. School-related projects include a feature on the Eclectic Tattoo and Piercing shop in Olean, N.Y., and a commercial for Goodwill in downtown Bradford. In his free time he creates music videos and short films documenting his travel adventures with his friends.

At Pitt-Bradford, Grigsby is able to take advantage of curriculum that aligns with his passion. The broadcast communications major paired with a minor in writing is excellent preparation for his intended career in the entertainment industry. Classes such as Mass Media and Society, TV Production and Radio Production have been invaluable.

“I really enjoy the hands-on experience that I received while taking these courses at Pitt-Bradford,” Grigsby says.

Resources available to students in the broadcast communications department are top-notch. The television studios, digital radio facilities, and video and audio production and editing equipment are high quality and up-to-date. Hands-on access to the type of equipment used in today's communication industry gives students, such as Grigsby, a step-up.

It's not just the availability of these resources that empowers Pitt-Bradford students to succeed. Professors' expectations are high, and coursework is challenging.

“My rigorous coursework schedule has helped with reaching deadlines for my supervisors,” Grigsby said. “I am grateful for all the different methods of training that I have received at Pitt-Bradford because without them, I would be ignorant to every task assigned to me here at BET. Pitt-Bradford has a special program that not only prepares its students for a career after graduation, but shapes us to excel beyond our own expectation in this field of work.”

As Grigsby says, Pitt-Bradford shapes students professionally as well as academically. In fact, Grigsby so impressed Lynn Harris-Taylor, BET's vice president of special projects, at a summer barbecue last year that she personally invited him to apply to the BET internship program.

Grigsby's internship is in the Special Programs department at BET. Some of his work there includes “watching past BET Awards shows to determine how taglines, visual effects and hashtags to use on social media.” He also attends meetings for the BET Awards and works on the BET Awards social media platforms.

Another special program Grigsby is working on is the Bobby Jones Gospel, “a syndicated gospel show broadcast on Sunday mornings.” He says, “right now, we are gearing up for the next season, which will tape for two weeks.” The workload is intense; Grigsby says they are “projected to record three shows a day during that timeframe.”

At Pitt-Bradford, there are myriad extracurricular activities, which relate to or help to expand on students' academic interests. Grigsby has taken advantage of many of the activities offered on campus, including intramural sports such as flag football, basketball, soccer and hockey. He has also been a member of the improv group, the Pitt Improvers since his sophomore year.

“We have done improv workshops in both Chicago and New York City during my three years with the team,” he says, “and those trips have definitely shaped my outlook on the entertainment industry.

In addition to his other responsibilities at BET, Grigsby is pursuing an independent project.

“I am also working on a documentary focusing on the BET interns,” he says. “It will be something that I can show to my supervisors at BET and even possibly members of Viacom, which is the network that owns BET, as well as other entertainment networks like MTV, VH1 and Nickelodeon.”

With a spirit of independence and a dedication to hard work, this broadcast communications student is poised to succeed in the entertainment industry. His career goals include producing entertainment for young people. Whether behind the camera or in front of it, his passion is to “entertain and provide entertainment for my peers.”