Featured Alum: Jared Lynch

Melodrama seems to follow some people. It concentrates around them in the form of  tempestuous relationships, backstabbings, and existential fugue. Nowhere is this more true than in the worlds created for daytime television.

Jared Lynch, a recent E-Media graduate, is one of these fated souls. But it’s not as woeful as it sounds. He found his home at one of television’s oldest institutions: As the World Turns.

Oakdale, the setting for this venerable soap opera, is housed in a large studio in southern Brooklyn. There, Jared is a production associate, working as part of a large team of creative and industrious television professionals.

Jared was the recipient of an E-Media scholarship in 2006, which allowed him to begin his internship with As the World Turns immediately after graduating that same year. During this time he worked in the hub of the studio, the production office, distributing scripts and assisting the senior production staff.

This internship afforded Jared many opportunities to learn the craft. “One of the best things about the internship was the freedom that the interns had to observe on set, in the control room, and in edit during our free time,” Jared says.

After completing his internship, Jared moved into an open position in the production office. In March 2008 he was asked to be a part of the newly formed Digital Department. There, he ran camera on the show’s many location shoots in New York and New Jersey. He also created original content for astheworldturns.net and cbs.com.

Jared assumed the role of production associate in early 2009. “As a PA, I work closely with the directors and producers, dealing with many aspects of each day’s episode. This includes timing the show, creating a list of all the props in a given episode, and taking cuts if the show is running long,” Jared explains.

Electronic Media was a natural fit for Jared, who always wanted to work in television production. Lessons learned in courses like Uptown with Professor Marjorie Fox, and Videography (now known as Single Camera Production) with Professor Kevin Burke,  help Jared to succeed on a daily basis.

Jared, reflecting on his young career, says “I never imagined I’d be working in daytime television, but the experience has been nothing but positive for me. We work year round at a very fast pace... It’s great to see something that you helped produce air on television every day.”

Jared’s current home in Astoria, Queens is worlds away from UC, but he fondly recalls the words that helped him make it so far. “The best advice I’ve received, and I’m sure all E-Media students have been told this as well, is to make contacts with professionals and peers alike. Most of the jobs in this industry come from knowing the right people at the right time.”

Jared stands as proof that versatility and dedication can open many doors for a student in E-Media. For Jared, this means contributing to television history by working on the longest running soap opera currently on the air.

Written by Kole Ross, October 2009