Since graduating from UVM with a B.S. in Public Communication in 2013, John Moses has worked in the publishing division of Red Bull Records, in music licensing for blockbuster movies through Format Entertainment, hosted a late-night radio show for Los Angeles NPR affiliate KCRW, and is now working for PBS.
Moses explained how his education in the Department of Community Development and Applied Economics (CDAE) helped prepare him for his career in music, media, and radio, and how Burlington and UVM served as a great starting point for his work.
“In CDAE, there are a lot of examples of real-world application,” Moses reflected, highlighting the hands-on education he received in his classes. “You’re doing stuff that you end up being asked to do later on in your career.”
He gave the example of the CDAE 224: Public Communication Capstone class, which every public communication major takes during their senior year, and other service-learning courses in the department where students work directly with community partners on a project for the public good.
“You get to go out in the field you're in,” Moses said of these classes. For his project, he worked with a team of students to produce a promotional video and radio spot for a local educational non-profit.
Moses emphasized how it is helpful for PCOM students to meet real-world challenges in such projects to prepare them for work beyond college. “Those situations where you're getting out there and you have to work with the community to get your grade – it's the same thing you're doing after college,” he explained.
While at UVM, Moses also worked at WRUV, UVM’s on-campus radio station, where developed his love for radio.
At WRUV, Moses recalled, “You get to be yourself and present what you're interested in the way that you hope is the most compelling to an audience, but also to nobody because you’re sitting in a room alone. I imagine nobody's listening to me, that's where I find the most comfort.”
Burlington’s music scene provided an ideal complement to Moses’ education at UVM own. Its smaller size allowed him to explore different types of event planning, like hosting events at Higher Ground, a popular music venue, and network with musicians. Moses says he valued the ability to be able to talk with and befriend different musicians around town and learn about what they do.
After graduating from UVM, Moses went on to earn a master’s degree at the Berklee College of Music. “I came in with a pretty well-rounded knowledge of what I needed to know, and the determination of what I wanted to know,” he said of how UVM prepared him for his graduate studies.
After Berklee, he moved to Los Angeles for a job with Format Entertainment which provides music for major movies, TV shows, and brands. His current work as senior manager for station products and innovation at PBS continues to draw on his public communication education.
“Being part of that program gave me the building blocks to help me find my path,” Moses said. “If I were to give some advice to somebody in the program now: get to know your teachers, take advantage of what they know because this stuff is really valuable.”
Tyler Clayton is a sophomore public communication major at UVM with a concentration in communication design. This article originally appeared in the CDAE Fall 2022 newsletter.