Article by Brendan Flanagan | Owl Staff
Two of the most impactful people Brendan (left) met during his spring internship with Owl Media were Brianna Skrivanek (middle) and Claudia Brown (right).
Sometimes, the most important experiences in life are the ones you don’t expect to be. For me, it was joining the staff of Owl Media this year.
I had never taken any classes in journalism, or had any prior experience with the publication, and that made me a little nervous about coming on staff.
Almost immediately after I started there, all of those nerves went away. Some of the most welcoming, hard-working, and amazing individuals I’ve worked with are a part of Owl Media, and they welcomed me in with open arms.
Owl Media covers a wide variety of diverse and compelling topics. When I started on staff, I worked on a piece about a live music event, and right after worked on a video about a cat cafe. We don’t stick to one thing, there’s something here for everyone.
It’s a great place to learn new skills from people in the field who are passionate about their work. I got to edit videos alongside alumni who taught me how to take my own editing to a higher level. I’ve learned skills from them that I’ve been able to incorporate into other projects. I’ve also improved my writing skills and knowledge of photography.
Towards the end of my internship, I was offered the opportunity to stay on after graduation as Editor-in-Chief, and later Technical Advisor for the Fall 2023 semester. Being on the advisory staff allowed me to be more involved with the publication than ever. I got to work on the production schedule and help the students who welcomed me on staff in the first place. It was a really cool experience.
The videos I worked on throughout the year went on to win national awards at the 2022-2023 Pinnacle Awards. For me, that put into perspective how much my skills have evolved over the short time I’ve been here.
It’s almost been a year since I started working alongside the talented advisors and staff of Owl Media. This experience has been the highlight of my college career.
With the spring semester on the horizon, I’d like to encourage any students interested in writing, photography, videography and digital media to message us at harfowl@harford.edu for more information.