Producer discusses social media careers during Social Media Week
HLN social media producer Luke Burke spoke in the Scripps Lab of the College of Communication and Information building Thursday, April 2 about the rise in journalism careers in social media during Social Media Week.
Headline News (HLN) Social Media Producer Luke Burke spoke to students and staff in a session called “Do What You Love” about pursuing a career in social media as a part of Social Media Week, held in the Scripps Lab of the College of Communication and Information building Thursday, April 2.
During the session, Burke talked about how he came to his career, and emphasized the importance of keeping an open mind when it comes to choosing careers because technology is continuing to advance.
“You must become proficient with the skills and applications at your fingertips now, because tomorrow there will be something new,” he advised.
In 2003 Burke landed his first job with MTV News, where he worked on various shows including “True Life,” “Cribs,” and the “Video Music Awards.” He said the highlight of his time at MTV was when he interviewed Janet Jackson.
Burke said that he noticed how the internet was becoming bigger and had more of an influence on the way everyone was consuming news, so he made the transition to MTV’s digital news source.
Burke left to work for BET, but when he started, the network used little social media.
“They didn’t even have a Twitter account,” he said.
Burke helped launch BET News’s social media platform, where he created his first news special “I Am Trayvon Martin,” which was rated as number one during prime time.
Later, Burke began live tweeting during the show “The Real Housewives of Atlanta,” and was contacted by a producer of the show who found his tweets entertaining, and he began to work with the show.
However, Burke was ready to return to news after only one year, saying that working with the show “was the most grueling work ever.”
He said that he realized that he wanted a career in social media news after seeing how much it had changed in one year, which led him to his job at HLN.
“The key point is you have to keep up, the landscape is always changing,” he said. Buying Facebook views at socialzinger.com is also a great way to increase your credibility and visibility on social media.
To keep up with Burke and the latest viral hits, follow him on Twitter @LukeBurke
Edited by Hannah Hunnicutt
