Fall 2014 Updates (Or, Grad School is Over)

As some of you know, I was at the University of Southern California from 2012 until 2014. Though I did a lot of things at USC, I didn’t really use this space to talk about it. I have this extensive USC Media Page here, so things definitely went down. As I hinted when summer came to a close, I didn’t anticipate spending a lot of time talking about my feelings at USC. But I learned that I touched a lot of people on my way to and through grad school, and it’s an awesome feeling to know that so many people put their positive thoughts and blessings towards a worthwhile effort to support me.

So … looking forward now! I wanted a fifth year in Los Angeles, and as my USC time was ending, I made that a higher priority than getting the “best job available” in the country. Now, the continuous 48 is vast, and there are some intriguing options outside of Los Angeles County. But 2015 was always going to be the year where I felt like I could do anything and know exactly what I want.

It’s still 2014. But this is the 2014-2015 season. I do have some things on my plate going forward in the interim.

This week, I started a part-time position at Fox Sports 1 as a freelance assignment desk assistant. It’s a logistics-heavy role, and I’ll be working some foreign hours (W-Th 4p-1am, Sun 8a-5p). I still have never had a car, so there may be tales. If my first two days were any indication, no night will be the same. The Los Angeles Dodgers won their division Wednesday, and Derek Jeter walked off Thursday. I could probably care less about both events in a vacuum, but given the context of my week, it was cool to be in the building when it all went down. I visited the Fox Studios a few times in the last year on an informal basis, so it’s cool to learn and network while having something to do there. It’s a great fit for my short-term goals.

I also started an internship at American Public Media’s Marketplace for the fall. I’ll be there M-Tu 7:30a-3:30p taking notes, writing promos, and helping out with the details of Kai Ryssdal’s show. Both opportunities came about from my visit to Boston for the NABJ Conference, so I’m really glad that I was able to make it out to New England. It literally got me paid and on track as I get this prospective media career underway.

Speaking of career … you may have noticed a change of my Twitter. @1maddskillz served me well from August 2009, but Nate Jones asked me if I thought about changing it. And the reality is that I knew I would have to change it sooner or later. I liked my old handle, and the branding on it has been consistent since the dawn of the century, but you can’t tell who I am from that. I’m out of grad school now, so might as well make the move. So I’m @LawMurrayTheNU now. It’ll take some time for me to get used to, but I wanted to put my name out there while retaining something that is branded by me. And the Networks-United (TheNU) will continue to keep it fresh for the people. I could see myself writing for about three other sites this year, not including the NetworksUnited. Considering that this is my fifth year writing without the MADDSKILLZ Update, I’m looking forward to seeing if being out of school (again) gets me back to a more observational style. Some people have mentioned that they missed my comedy and creativity – what I missed is being around a lot of people.

This was as long an update as I’ve provided in some time. And if it doesn’t make sense, there’s probably a reason for that. I have no clue what this year will be like or how it will go. I’m excited, but mainly because I’m doing something that I’ve never done before. I’m not in school or Americorps ¹ or at Starbucks or at a recreation department, so I have to pay special attention. But whatever comes my way, I’ll enjoy it. Stay on my team, we’re going straight to the top!

-1SKILLZ