One of the biggest selling points of college when you’re a teenager is the incredible alumni network you’ll inherit upon graduation. As it turns out, WSU alums really are some of the most loyal out there. Most of us will go out of our way to yell “Go Cougs!” from across a parking lot or airport terminal just to get the customary “Go Cougs!” enthusiastically echoed right back. In fact, an entire organization—Cougs First—is built around the concept of hiring fellow alumni for your business needs, whether you’re looking for an accountant or an architect. (Shameless plug: I hosted a fun little series with Cougs First a couple of years ago, and all three episodes are available here.)
Admittedly, though, I haven’t done a great job of keeping up with what my fellow Murrow College alums have been doing since graduation. So, imagine my delight when a non-Coug (but now honorary Coug) Chris King, show runner for Beat Bobby Flay, connected me to Doneen Arquines.
The Coug Connection
Doneen was a few years behind me in school and just so happens to be the showrunner for Top Chef and the VP of Current at Magical Elves, the production company behind the Bravo culinary juggernaut, which is now in its 23rd season. Her story is a textbook example of the Coug network in action: a fellow alum made the connection that landed her a temporary production assistant job on Season 1. But it was that signature Cable 8 work ethic that propelled her all the way up the ranks to Executive Producer.
She is also part of the Murrow Professional Advisory Board, as well as a dedicated group of L.A.-based alumni trying to stay connected to the next generation of students coming out of Murrow College, specifically through Cable 8. While technically a student club separate from the college curriculum, Cable 8 gives students a chance to cut their teeth in television production before they even reach their upper-level classes. Long before I was doing the news in Glenn Johnson’s Comm 465 class, I was co-hosting a movie review show and practicing my highlight reads on Cougar Sports Tonight.
So when Doneen asked if I’d be attending this year’s Murrow Symposium (the 50th anniversary!), I realized it was the perfect opportunity to reengage with a place that provided me with so much. I booked my flight(s) a few days later.
The Solo Trek West
That said, getting to Pullman from the North Fork is no small feat. It starts with an 80-minute, 4:30 a.m. drive to the airport, two flights with a connection in MSP en route to Spokane, and finally, another slow, two-lane drive down into the Palouse. I am incredibly thankful for my family in Spokane, who graciously lent me a car and fed me home-cooked meals on either side of the trip. Between the travel costs and Justin having an overlapping gig shooting with The Barnstorm at The Masters last week, this was destined to be a solo adventure.
Because I get anxiety going to even a local event by myself, the prospect of a three-day collegiate reunion made me a little nervous. People often assume that because I work in television, I am incredibly extroverted and constantly crave social interaction. The truth is, I’m more of an extroverted introvert. Once I settle in, I really enjoy myself—it’s just getting over that initial hurdle of awkwardness that I am constantly working on. (And a full social battery recharge afterward is absolutely non-negotiable.)
A Sweet Return to Campus
After arriving in my borrowed truck and grabbing an old college staple—Taco Bell, whose CEO, Sean Tresvant, happens to be a Coug!—I checked into the Courtyard Marriott and got ready for the welcome dinner. It was a stunning spring day on campus, so I decided to walk to the CUB, making a highly strategic pit stop at Ferdinand’s Ice Cream Shoppe before they closed. My giant single scoop of Huckleberry Ripple (just $3, by the way) perfectly matched the spring blossoms exploding everywhere, and the sugar rush helped calm my nerves.
Unlike my ice cream, which I took down in record time, any reservations I had about flying solo melted away the second I walked into the CUB Senior Ballroom. Doneen was seated next to me at a table with my old professor and mentor, Glenn Johnson. Within minutes, I bumped into Nick Allard, who was a year behind me and now does the morning weather in Seattle at KIRO 7. Marvin Marcelo—the professor who once dropped everything to give my mom and me a personalized tour of the Communications school—even gave me a ride back to my hotel at the end of the night.
One by one, I reconnected with fellow Murrow and Cable 8 alums who have not only found success in this business but are actively kicking ass doing it. Marcus Blakely has a show coming out on Apple; Ian Kennedy has designed the motion graphics for virtually every major award show you’ve ever seen; Scott Hallock is the executive producer behind massive hits like Scare Tactics and Betty White’s Off Their Rockers. The list goes on and on. Some of these people I was meeting for the first time; others I hadn’t seen in two decades, but there was an immediate, lovely sense of camaraderie. It was a shared “we made it” pride among those of us who have weathered the industry—even if none of us will ever fully admit it because we are all wired to keep striving for the next thing.
Defining the Future
On Day 2 of the Symposium, I had the distinct honor of speaking on a panel with Doneen about the future of food media. I also sat in on other panels and capped off the day with Ana Cabrera’s keynote speech and a casual dinner with some of the students. Day 3 shifted focus entirely to Cable 8, with sessions tailored specifically to the students’ questions and anxieties. Looking out at them, I couldn’t help but feel excited about what their futures hold. There was one undeniable throughline across every panel I attended or spoke on: Cable 8 was the key that opened so many of our doors, and it continues to do so long after the cameras in Studios A and B are turned off.
A final gathering back at the Courtyard kicked off a parade of alumni taking turns on the mic, reminiscing about “back in my day”—a living time capsule proving just how far this little student club has come over the last 40 years. Because of an early morning flight out of Spokane to begin my all-day journey back to New York, I had to duck out early. But looking back at that room, filled with four decades of broadcasting history, left me with a renewed sense of inspiration.
How We Can Help the Next Generation
The current students are incredibly driven, but they need our help—specifically when it comes to updating their aging equipment.
If you want to support this amazing pipeline of talent, Wednesday, April 15 is “Cougs Give,” WSU’s big annual fundraising push. Here is how you can get involved:
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Donate Directly: Make sure you select the Cable 8 Productions Development Fund. Note: The only way funds go directly to the students is if you give specifically to Cable 8. Donations to general “Murrow” categories only do not trickle down to the club.
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Matching Funds: Double check to see if your employer participates in fund matching! (This was an option when I worked at ESPN for Disney.)
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Merch: You can also buy T-shirts and gear directly from the Cable 8 Store, where 100% of the profits go back to the students.
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Grants & Connections: If anyone has leads on corporate sponsorships, equipment donations, or broadcasting grants, please reach out. We are all ears!
Oh… and GO COUGS!
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