Herbert School of Communication

Network of Success

The profiles below highlight just a handful of the Hofstra graduates who are achieving success in every facet of the media industry – from coast to coast and around the globe. Alumni who would like to be added to this page, or those who would like to update their information, should email Adria Marlowe.

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Allison Lanyon

Ali Lanyon ’00 is the morning anchor at abc27 in Harrisburg, PA. Lanyon has earned four Emmy Awards since joining abc27 and teaches journalism at Elizabethtown College’s School of Public Service. She previously worked at WITN-TV in Greenville, NC. See more at Ali Lanyon | ABC27.

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Katerina Belales

Katerina Belales ’21 is a full-time anchor and senior multimedia journalist for News 12 Westchester/Hudson Valley. She was previously morning news anchor and producer for WENY-TV in Elmira, NY. Belales graduated from Hofstra with BA degrees in Journalism and Drama, and a minor in Musical Theater.

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Crystal Bermudez

Crystal Bermudez ’23 joined the WENY News team in July 2023 as an anchor and producer for Good Morning Twin Tiers. As a Hofstra student, Bermudez won a 2022 Gracie Award from the Alliance for Women in Media for her work with WRHU 88.7 FM.

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Michael Fuller

Michael Fuller ’16, ‘17, co-anchors WGAL News on NBC affiliate WGAL 8 TV, Lancaster PA, at 4 p.m., and reports for the 10 and 11 p.m. newscasts. Fuller previously worked at NBC Connecticut as a general assignment reporter, and WLTX-TV CBS affiliate team in Columbia, SC, as a multimedia journalist.

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Briana Smith

Briana Smith ’16, ’17, is a general assignment reporter for 6 ABC, WPVI-TV in Philadelphia, PA. Smith previously worked as an anchor and reporter for KDKA-TV in Pittsburg, PA, and as a reporter and part-time anchor at Spectrum News 1 in Syracuse and Binghamton, NY.

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Lisa Tangredi and members of her crew from the Catholic Faith Network at the 65th Annual NY Emmy Awards.  L-R Front Row: Jonathan Grand ‘06 (Producer), Lisa Tangredi ’08 (Director), Nathan Rucci ’07 (Editor/Technical Director).  L-R Back Row: Nick Hintz ’16 (Production Specialist), TJ Katsoulas ‘05 (Lighting Director)

Lisa Tangredi and members of her crew from the Catholic Faith Network at the 65th Annual NY Emmy Awards. L-R Front Row: Jonathan Grand ‘06 (Producer), Lisa Tangredi ’08 (Director), Nathan Rucci ’07 (Editor/Technical Director). L-R Back Row: Nick Hintz ’16 (Production Specialist), TJ Katsoulas ‘05 (Lighting Director)

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Scott Aharoni

Leylak, a short film by Scott Ahahoni ’16 made its world premiere at the 2021 Tribeca Film Festival where it won the Special Jury Prize. The film was also included in Variety’s predictions for the 2022 Oscars.

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Bryan Diperstein

Bryan Diperstein ’09, an agent at ICM, was selected for The Hollywood Reporter’s Next Gen 2021: 35 Rising Executives 35 and Under.

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Kristen Carter

Kristen V. Carter ’06 - showrunner, executive producer, and head writer - is currently serving as executive producer of the four-part documentary series for OWN/Discovery+ about addressing stereotypes that Black men face in this country. Kristen graduated with a major in television production and studies with a minor in dance.

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Bracco

Mark Bracco ’92 is president of Silent House Productions, a full-service production company, creating premium unscripted and live event content across all media platforms.

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Carey

Beth Carey ’94 is senior editorial producer for HLN Investigations.

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pieper

Matt Pieper '05 is an Emmy Award-winning news anchor/reporter. As a CBS news correspondent in New York City, he anchors CBS News Radio for affiliates around the world and also reports for TV, as well as for CBSN, the digital streaming news service.

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manning

Samantha Manning '09 joined KIRO 7/Cox Media Group's Washington D.C. bureau in October 2019. She's responsible for covering important developments from Capitol Hill, federal agencies, and the White House that impact local viewers.

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Krall

Sophie Krall '13 (public relations) is assistant manager, field publicity and targeted marketing, for Paramount Pictures.

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goldberg

David Goldberg '89 is president and CVO of Digital Waterworx, which produces radio and television commercials, corporate videos, post-production, live events, and a host of other creative media services. Since its inception, the company has worked with an international client base that exceeds 4,000. David can personally be heard as the voice on hundreds of radio and TV commercials including the U.S. Army, Activision, Coors, General Motors, and Eli Lilly, and is a prominent voice on one of the leading streaming music services.

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alomar

Shannon Nia Alomar '15 is a kindergarten science teacher at Neighborhood Science Charter Schools. Previously, Shannon was a production assistant for CNN Tonight with Don Lemon.
 

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notarile

Michael Notarile ’07 is a TV writer and producer on Fox’s crime drama The Cleaning Lady. His previous television credits include Fox’s The Resident and WWE’s SmackDown! vs. RAW.  Notarile’s debut film script was featured on the 2019 Black List. He is represented by UTA, Kaplan Perrone, and Gregg Gellman at Yorn Levine. 

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rea

Andrew Rea `09 is a bestselling author and host of Binging with Babish, a YouTube series with more than 9 million subscribers, where he recreates TV and film recipes.

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molina

Gabriela Molina '16 is a news writer/associate producer at Fox 61 News in Hartford, Connecticut.

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kenney

Amanda Kenney '09 is an Emmy Award-winning news anchor at WTAJ News in Central Pennsylvania.

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pantorno

Joe Pantorno '13 is sports editor at Metro New York. As a Journalism major at Hofstra, Joe was a member of The Hofstra Chronicle
for four years and had internships at the New York Post and Newsday.

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seriki

Faridah Demola Seriki '13 (Kah-Lo) is nominated for a 2017 Grammy Award, Best Dance Recording for “Rinse & Repeat” (Riton Featuring Kah-Lo).

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ringel

David Ringel '02 won an Emmy for his work on Super Bowl 50.

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wolfe

Lauren Wolfe graduated from Hofstra with a BA in Journalism in 2016, and is a news reporter at WEAR-TV on ABC Channel 3 in Pensacola, Florida.

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Raffaele

Film Studies and Production alumnus Anthony Raffaele ‘01 is senior colorist at Harbor Picture Company.

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Melfi

Ashley Melfi graduated from Hofstra with a BA in Journalism in 2013, and is a general editor of ESPN's The Undefeated.

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Sensenbrenner

Kurt Sensenbrenner is a 2015 Hofstra MFA graduate, and his latest film, From Mass to Mountain, was named an official selection of the 2016 Harlem International Film Festival.

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Morris

Jamie Morris '07 is co-host of The WALK Breakfast Club with Mark and Jamie on WALK 97.5.

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Williams

Leah Williams '10 is a writer for Marvel Comics and BOOM! Studios. She was named the number one pick for breakout writer by Multiversity Comics in 2019.

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haviland

Michael Haviland '08 is a senior producer for Sarah Colt Productions in New York City.

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allicot

Shirleen Allicot graduated from Hofstra in 2004 with a BA in Journalism, and is currently the co-anchor of Eyewitness News at Noon, on ABC 7 NY.

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Hepkins

Andre Hepkins is a news anchor/reporter for WBAL-TV11 in Baltimore, Maryland.

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Houston

Gillie Houston graduated with a BA in Journalism, and is a freelance writer, editor, and social media consultant with over 100k followers on Instagram @gilliehouston.

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Cohen

Heather Cohen `98 is president of The Weiss Agency, a broadcast talent agency that represents and develops the careers of many of the industry's most successful local and syndicated personalities. She serves on the national board of directors of the Alliance for Women in Media, is a member of the Herbert School's Dean's Council, and has served as president of the school's Alumni Association.

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Concurrance

Concurrence by Class of 2015 alumni Tom Cassese, Erik Freitas, Evan Crochet, Jenna Scardino, and Joseph Rocco Plescia was screened at the 2016 Cannes Film Festival as part of the Campus MovieFest Short Film Corner.

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spencer

Annik Spencer '14 serves is a media strategist at Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center in New York City.

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Guaraldi

Pete Guaraldi '11 is a special projects coordinator for the Suffolk County Police Department.

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formoso

Jessica Formoso '11 is a full-time bilingual general assignment reporter at Fox 5 News NY, and was recently recognized for a NY Impact Award for Excellence in Broadcast Journalism.

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Knoblauch

Max Knoblauch, a journalist, illustrator, and comedian based in NYC, is a daily writer for Morning Brew.

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Chichester

Sammi Chichester is the executive editor of Revolver, the bimonthly rock and heavy metal magazine published by NewBay Media. Sammi graduated from Hofstra with a BA in Journalism in 2014.

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Manzoni

Mike Manzoni ‘11 is an Emmy Award-winning journalist and freelance reporter at NBC10 Boston/NECN.

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Zablinski

Rachel Zabinski '08 is executive director for Connectivity Communications at Comcast.

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wilson

Stevland Wilson ’00 is vice president of post production at Monumental Sports and Entertainment, founder and CEO of Landmind Productions, and the immediate past chair of the Herbert School’s Dean’s Advisory Board.

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lubrano

Christine Lubrano ’96 is senior vice president for creative writing operations at WWE. Previously, Christine was SVP for original programming at IFC, where she was integral to the success of Portlandia and was the lead creative force behind Documentary Now!, a mockumentary television series.

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wickramanayake

Priya Wickramanayake '10 is on-air operations manager at NBCUniversal.

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finlayson

Ariana Finlayson '08 is vice president of digital at Marina Maher Communications in New York City.

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Ulanoff

Lance Ulanoff ’86 is a tech and social media expert, consultant, content strategist, and public speaker.

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koch

Kara Koch '07 is a producer for international social impact at Sesame Workshop in New York City.

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Carlone

"Hungry," a short film by David Carlone '15, is currently in the festival circuit. It won Best Short Film at the October Film Festival, was an Official Selection at the Big Apple Film Festival, and will be screened at the New York Independent Film Festival.

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Sorgini

Jillian E. Sorgini ’08 is senior manager of digital content at Hair.com, L’Oréal.

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billings

Jeff Billings '08 is a Los Angeles-based director of photography for films, television, commercials, and music videos. He is also a graduate of the American Film Institute Conservatory.

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Brookmeyer

Lauren Brookmeyer '09, '14 currently serves as director of government relations for Stony Brook University, and is based in Washington, D.C.

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preval

Jeff Preval earned his Hofstra degree in broadcast journalism and is a news reporter at WGRZ - Channel 2, Buffalo, New York.

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powers

Alycia Powers earned her MA in Journalism at Hofstra and is currently a reporter and associate producer for Inside Edition in New York City.

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mccarthy

Pete McCarthy is host of Sports Zone and Mets On Deck at WOR Radio in New York City.

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Nolan

Katie Nolan is an Emmy Award-winning sports television and podcast host.  She most recently created short-form content at NBC Sports throughout the 2022 Winter Olympics.  Previously, Nolan hosted a weekly ESPN podcast, Sports? with Katie NolanAlways Late with Katie Nolan on ESPN2, and Garbage Time with Katie Nolan on Fox Sports

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langlois

Christopher Langlois '14 is a morning anchor for Eyewitness News on WBRE/WYOU in Scranton/Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania.

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boehm

Brittney Boehm '09 is the associate director of marketing and public relations at Rutgers University.

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Berkman

Fran Berkman '12, a graduate of Hofstra's MA in Journalism program, is the newsroom and engagement manager at Taboola.

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Foresto

Alessandra Foresto '08 is the founding editor of POPSUGAR Latina, a vertical of POPSUGAR, the largest independent publisher of women's lifestyle content. Her writing for O, the Oprah Magazine's "Hair Extravaganza" won a 2014 National Magazine Award for Leisure Interests.

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Valla

Kieran Valla '06 is a co-creator of Little Demon, an animated horror comedy series featuring Danny DeVito, Aubrey Plaza, and Lucy DeVito, which was picked up by FXX in 2021.  He is also known for Delinquent (2016), Disturbia (2007) and Lift (2013). After graduating from Hofstra, Kieran went on to become a distinguished Directing Fellow at the American Film Institute.

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Smaddin

Sidney Madden ‘14 is a reporter and editor for NPR Music. In September 2020, Sidney became the co-host of Louder than a Riot, NPR Music’s first narrative investigative podcast.

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Rieger

Michael Rieger '09 is associate director and video on demand technician at CBS Corporation in New York City.

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brueno

Rachel Brueno '12 earned her degree in public relations and is associate director, social and influencer strategy, at 360i, an integrated creative and media agency.

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carozza

As executive vice president of media at Republic Records, Joseph Carozza orchestrates and executes PR campaigns for some of music's top artists like Ariana Grande, The Weeknd, Enrique Iglesias, Nicki Minaj, and more, as well as leading the media department.

 

Delia Paunescu '09 is is an entertainment journalist and social media expert who has worked for VOX, NowThis, Newsday, and the New York Post.

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bonett

Bobby Bonett '09 is senior director of digital content and audience at Sirius XM in New York City.

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delillo

Brit DeLillo ’10 is a first assistant editor at Marvel Studios. She has also worked at Sony Pictures Entertainment, Warner Bros. Entertainment, MGM, DreamWorks Animation, 20th Century Fox, Tone-Deaf, and Brave New Films.

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sada

Abdul Sada ‘13 earned his MA in Journalism at Hofstra, and is currently vice president for corporate and public affairs at Edelman in New York City.

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ferry

Shannan Ferry '14 is an Emmy-nominated anchor and reporter for NY1 News.

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Cohen

James Cohen, PhD, '04, '10 is an assistant professor in the Media Studies program at CUNY Queens College in the undergraduate and graduate programs. He is the co-host and founder of Digital Void and has been writing about digital culture, memes, and visual media trends for Forbes.com as a freelance contributor since 2020.

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broderick

Ryan Broderick ’11 is a writer, producer, and community manager who has reported from over 22 countries.

Jo Sharon '98 is co-CEO of Magical Elves, the production company behind Top Chef, Nailed It!, and Project Runway.

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Malik

In 2008, Priti Malik ‘07 moved to Dubai to work as a news presenter for Virgin Radio. She's currently the co-host on The Kris Fade Show.
 

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kadison

Cameron Kadison '03 is a founding partner of Beverly Hills-based Mortar Media, a management and production company specializing in nonscripted TV, branded content, on-camera talent, and nontraditional business development. Cameron is the executive producer of Hollywood Medium for E!, Nicole & Jionni's Shore Flip for FYI, Curve Appeal for Centric, and Transcendent for Fuse.

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Ackerman

Sarabeth Ackerman ‘12 is an Emmy Award-winning morning news anchor at NBC5 Burlington, Vermont. Prior to joining NBC5 in February 2021, Sarabeth worked as a news reporter and fill-in traffic anchor at WFTZ in Orlando, FL; a news reporter and multimedia journalist at CNY Central in Syracuse, NY; and as a news director/news reporter in Minot, ND. Photo credit: NBC5.

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Vanderberg

Marcus Vanderberg '08 is senior NBA editor at ESPN in Los Angeles, CA. Prior to joining ESPN, Marcus worked at Yahoo! Sports, Hearst Digital, FishbowlLA, TheGrio.com, and BET Networks.

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Veronia de Souza

Veronica de Souza '11 is director for Digital News and Audience at WNYC New York Public Radio.

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ernay

Marc Ernay '88 is sports director/morning anchor at 1010 WINS and sports director at 24/7 News Source NYC.

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Hegy

Emmy-nominated Shannon Hegy '07 is the main co-anchor at WPRI-TV CBS12/WNAC-TV Fox 64 in Providence, Rhode Island.

Hofstra has more than 128,000 alumni, who are spread throughout all 50 states and more than 100 countries.

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greenberg

Jared Greenberg '05 is an NBA TV on-air host/reporter for Turner Sports in Atlanta.

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detore

Jackie De Tore '12 is a news anchor/reporter for WPMT-Fox43 in Pennsylvania.

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Rubel

Steve Rubel is chief media ecologist for Edelman, a leading global communications marketing firm with more than 5,500 employees in 65 cities worldwide. He is considered one of the leading experts on the evolving media landscape and the blurring lines between traditional and emerging channels.

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Werner

Celia Werner '16 is lead videographer and head of New York video operations at Metramedia Broadcasting and the owner of Celia Warner Productions, a freelance producing, social media marketing, photography, videography, and editing company.

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Bellamy

Janeita Bellamy ’08 is an award-winning production manager with over 10 years of professional experience successfully managing high-profile linear and digital campaigns. While at BET, she led promotional efforts for "Reclaim Your Vote" featuring Tip “T.I.” Harris, BET Awards ‘20, Lena Waithe’s series Boomerang, and the launch of BET+. Janeita joined Netflix in October 2021 as a production executive with the editorial and publishing department.

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linden

Daniel Linden '05 is director of publishing strategy (audience development) for ABC News.

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stanchina

Based in Los Angeles, Olivia Stanchina '07 is an Emmy-winning producer, writer, and editor. She is a digital producer and host of original video content for The Insider and Entertainment Tonight.

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Weitz

Jonathan Weitz earned his degree in audio/radio and currently serves as senior manager of internal communications for Apple.

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Pena

Emmy Award-winning reporter Luz Peña '12 is a general assignment reporter for ABC News in San Francisco.

WRHU-88.7 FM Radio Hofstra University won its third prestigious Marconi Award from the National Association of Broadcasters as the 2019 College Radio Station of the Year.

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Itkowitz

Colby Itkowitz ’05 is a reporter for The Washington Post, covering Congress, campaigns, health policy, and Pennsylvania politics.

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thompson

Jordan Thompson '09 earned her degree in broadcast journalism at Hofstra before going onto law school. She currently serves as senior counsel and assistant vice president at JPMorgan Chase & Co. in New York City.

Jennifer Joas '10 is a reporter for NBC Connecticut. She can be seen weekday mornings from 4:30 to 7 a.m. and 11 a.m. on NBC Connecticut Today.

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Hofstra in LA

In January 2015, the Herbert School launched its Hofstra in LA program – a weeklong career immersion experience designed to connect students to internship and career opportunities on the West Coast, through a series of meetings and activities with alumni and media industry leaders.

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kunzig

Since graduating from Hofstra, Christi Kunzig, JD, '01, 14 has become an attorney, a radio personality on 94.3 The Shark, and frequently appears on Fox News and Fox Business Channel.

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Wescott

Rondell Wescott ’03 is vice president, executive producer at ConcentricLife. He is a Cannes-winning expert producer with 20+ years of domestic and international production, including print, digital, social and film content, music videos and global television ad campaigns for such brands as Volvo, Procter & Gamble, Discover, Chobani, and Gillette.

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Vaccaro

Chris Vaccaro '07 is vice president of digital news at Altice USA and director of the graduate journalism program at Hofstra University. Chris was named to Long Island Business News' list of "40 Under 40"
honorees in 2016..

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Watson

Maryann Watson ’00 is vice president for client success at Maven Clinic. In 2015, Maryann was named to PRWeek's “40 Under 40” list.

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Leslie

Mike Leslie '10 is a sports reporter at WFAA-TV in Dallas, Texas.

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hlavenka

Jacqueline Hlavenka ‘09 is associate vice president at Rubenstein Associates in New York City.

Hofstra is the second best school in the nation for media professionals, according to a new LinkedIn ranking system that measures alumni career outcomes.

Film Republic has acquired Adrian Saba's (Class of 2010) second feature El Soñador (The Dreamer), which premiered at the 2016 Berlin Film Festival.

Several national news programs have been broadcast from Hofstra, including CNN's Anderson Cooper 360. Hofstra alumnus Eli Lazar '91, is director of AC360.

The Autumn Balloon by Kenny Porpora '08 of Mesa, Arizona, was released by Hachette Book Group in February 2015. Reviews and excerpts of Porpora's first book have been published by such notable outlets as USA Today, Kirkus, and the New York Daily News.

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Satenstein

Liana Satenstein '12 is senior fashion writer for Vogue.com. She covers general fashion news, as well as the development of fashion in Eastern Europe and Central Asia.

John Santucci '11 is an Emmy Award-winning producer with ABC News having served in multiple roles with Good Morning America and This Week with George Stephanopoulos. Currently, Santucci is the senior editorial producer at ABC News.

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rossi

Victoria Rossi '05 serves as current events producer for ABC's The View in New York City.

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Sorrentino

Michael Sorrentino ’05 is a veteran broadcast producer, having worked for more than a decade in national TV. He is currently president of Sorrentino Media, LLC, a full-service video production, consulting, and training firm in NYC. Michael also serves as president of the Herbert School’s Alumni Association.

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Morgan

Melaine Morgan '14 earned her BA in Radio Production and Studies and is a freelance voice-over actress, producer, and board operator.

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Matthew Lee

Matthew Lee ’11 graduated with a degree in film studies and production and is supervising producer of Deadliest Catch.

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Yanique Woodall

Yanique Woodall '99 is senior director for corporate communications and external affairs for The Home Depot. In this role, she leads brand communications, which plays a key role in The Home Depot’s messaging strategy to support social impact programs, marketing, merchandising, product innovation, and technology goals.