Name: Taylor Trudon
Job Title and Description: Editor, MTV News
College Name/Major: University of Connecticut/Journalism, Women’s Studies
Website:www.mtv.com/news/author/trudont/
Twitter Handle:@taylortrudon
Instagram Handle:@taylortrudon
What does your current job entail? Is there such a thing as a typical day?
Taylor Trudon: My current role entails overseeing our awesome new Founders contributor platform, where we amplify the stories of young people. A big chunk of my time is spent editing, packaging and publishing the amazing content that our community produces. Each day, I’m on the hunt for compelling, unique first-person stories and I’m searching all corners of the Internet to find them.
I also spend a good amount of time working on longer-term projects and youth initiatives, like our recent partnership with the First Lady’s #BetterMakeRoom and #ReachHigher campaigns.
How or what inspired you to create a contributor platform for teens and millennials on MTV News?
TT: Before MTV, I ran the Teen vertical at The Huffington Post. My favorite part of my job was overseeing our teen blogger community, which consisted of hundreds of young writers across the country. It only made sense when I joined MTV — an iconic youth brand — to launch a youth contributor platform. Teens are so used to being “adultsplained” (yes, I just coined that term), but really, who better to talk about teens than teens themselves? Contrary to the stereotypes, they have so many meaningful things that they want to say and conversations they want to share, whether it’s the election, mental health, feminism or what it’s like to attend an HBCU. The secret is giving them the space and support to be heard.
What is the best part of your job?
TT: The best part of my job is engaging with our audience and reading the smart, thoughtful pieces of writing our contributors are submitting each day. It makes me smile when they take screenshots of their pieces on our Snapchat Discover channel. I’m also surrounded by the most supportive, creative and brilliant colleagues, which doesn’t hurt.
The other best part of my job is going to events like VidCon and TEDxTeen, where I get to meet awesome young creators IRL. I always walk away with a cool new Instagram account to follow or leave feeling inspired and reenergized about the kind of work I’m doing.
What is one thing you wish you knew about your industry when you first started out that you know now?
TT: You have to know how to adapt. The meaning of “content" today is so open-ended — it's video, tweets, photos, experiences — and anyone can be a creator. The industry has changed so much within the past few years and as digital journalists, we have to evolve with it. That doesn’t mean that just because a shiny, new app is available that we have to all jump on it, but you have to look at every story and every project through a multi-faceted lens. It’s asking yourself: "How is this piece going to translate on Snapchat? Is there a video component we can add? How can we make this as mobile-friendly as possible?" It’s having those questions in the back of your mind and figuring out which platforms work best for what you're trying to accomplish.
What is one mistake you made along the way and what did you learn from it?
TT: I can’t think of an earth-shattering mistake that I’ve made, but looking back when I was first starting out in my career, I wish I had been more of an advocate for myself in terms of negotiating and asking for raises. I’m the first person in my family to graduate from college, move to New York City or work in a corporate setting. No one taught me how to ask for a promotion, figure out 401Ks or request a raise — I had to figure it out on my own. I’ll never forget finding out a colleague of mine — who had the same level of experience and started working a week before me — was making significantly more than me. It was all because she had negotiated from the get-go and I had not. I didn’t think that I could and it made me angry at myself for selling myself short. The worst that can happen is that you’re told “no.” So if you’ve earned it, ask for it.
What has been the most surreal moment of your career thus far?
TT: There have been so many surreal moments. I’d say giving a TEDx talk is pretty high up there. It was equally terrifying and exhilarating to stand on a stage — in front of hundreds of people — and have the opportunity to explain why the stories of young people matter. It was definitely one of the most memorable experiences of my life.
Recently, I interviewed Valerie Jarrett, who is the senior advisor to President Obama. It was wild enough just to be invited to the White House, but to speak to Valerie was such an honor. She is the ultimate badass and was so generous with her time. On the day of our interview, she had literally landed at the White House from Cuba (where she had been traveling with the Obamas) and afterwards, she was getting back on a plane to go home to see her family for Easter. Later that night, back when I was in my hotel room, I was looking at my inbox and saw she had emailed me, thanking me for such a great conversation. If Valerie Jarrett has time to send a thank you email, there are no excuses for the rest of us. She is a boss.
What words of wisdom do you find most valuable?
TT: I think Conan O’Brien says it better than I could: “Nobody in life gets exactly what they thought they were going to get. But if you work really hard and you’re kind, amazing things will happen.” It sounds like a cheesy high school yearbook quote, but that’s what it all comes down to. You can have the best contacts and be the most connected person in the world, but if you don’t have hustle, you won’t get very far. You also should be nice to everyone from the front-desk receptionist to your interns. This industry is smaller than you think and you never know who you’ll end up working for.
What advice would you give to a 20-something with similar aspirations?
TT: Specifically, if you want to work in the teen digital space, you have to genuinely love it. And I don’t mean it in an “OMG, Harry Styles got a haircut” or “I know what ‘OTP’ stands for” type of way. It’s having respect for these communities and the young individuals who are shaping them. You can’t fake it. If I were hiring someone, I’d be looking for a person who is super tapped into social media, Internet culture, and is fascinated by the teens who are influencing it.
But above all, be hungry, but not thirsty. Take risks. Think before you tweet. Have a point of view. Surround yourself with people who are smarter than you and listen.