University of Guelph-Humber

Four months of planning and hard work paid off this week at the University of Guelph-Humber’s 4th annual EMERGE Conference. UofGH’s graduating Media Studies students brought professionals from across the media industry to campus to share their personal stories of breaking barriers. The one-day conference had a packed roster, filled with guest speakers, breakout sessions and a keynote address by Ben Nemtin of MTV’s The Buried Life.

Organized and run by students, the conference is their final project before graduating from UofGH and entering careers in the world of media and communications.

“We learn by working outside of our comfort zone and making mistakes,” says Media Studies Program Head Jerry Chomyn. “With the EMERGE Conference, our students get a chance to take on a major project, meet leaders in the media and achieve things they didn’t think were possible.”

The conference is part of a multi-disciplinary mix of events and products created by UofGH’s Media Studies students that includes the EMERGE Media Awards, print and digital magazines, an image arts exhibit, and an Instragram-based zine.

After breakout sessions with reporters, producers and other media professionals, attendees heard from guests speakers like UofGH alum and Sportsnet Central host Jackie Redmond, and a keynote address from Ben Nemtin.

Together with three of his friends, Ben created The Buried Life, an MTV show where they embark on a mission to complete a list of “100 things to do before you die” and help others do the same. Through the show’s success, Ben has traveled across the globe, appeared on The Oprah Winfrey Show and played basketball with President Barack Obama at the White House. Adding to his accomplishments, in 2012 Ben was the co-author of the New York Times Bestseller What Do You Want To Do Before You Die? Since then, Ben has launched Four Peaks Media Group with the other creators of The Buried Life, producing and creating more shows for MTV.

At EMERGE, he shared his story and spoke about the secrets to their success. Aiming big and being endlessly persistent were two of the things that helped him get to where he is, he says, adding that because most people set modest goals for themselves, it makes being average the most competitive place to be. If you’re audacious and reach for the top, Ben says the playing field is a lot less crowded.

Justine Yang, 4th-year Media Studies student, was one of EMERGE Conference’s Executive Directors. She says that while planning the conference had its challenges, the experience was more than worth it.

“The hands-on skills you learn from planning the conference are unlike anything you could get elsewhere. Our faculty supervisor, James MacDonald, really let us take the reins,” she says. “We were given so much freedom to do as we wanted and try things out — it didn’t just feel like education, it felt like work experience.”

Watch the recording of the EMERGE Conference on their website.

Learn more about Media Studies at UofGH.