Scott Fersht - Communication

It was a typical Monday morning this summer and Scott Fersht '11 was riding the train from New Jersey to New York City for his internship. While checking the latest news headlines on his iPhone, he came across one in particular that made him do a double take:

"President Obama to Appear on ABC's 'The View'"

Fersht's summer internship through Curry College was working behind the scenes at 'The View,' but it was the first he had heard of Obama's secretly planned visit.

"I was so surprised and excited," he recalled. "All I was thinking was that I hope his visit would take place while I was working."

Two days later, Fersht was sitting in the studio audience watching President Obama banter with 'View' hostesses Joy Behar, Elisabeth Hasselbeck, Whoopi Goldberg, Barbara Walters and Sherri Shepherd during a live taping of the show.

"I was just happy to be in the building that day, never mind having the chance to actually sit in the audience mere feet away from one of the most powerful men in the world."

But his close encounter with the President of the United States was only one of the many terrific opportunities Fersht took advantage of at 'The View'.

"It was a great experience. They gave me a wide variety of responsibilities during my internship," he said. "Every day I came to work I was exposed to a different aspect of production."

He was tasked with making tapes for the video editors, assisting the director, sending out emails for producers, and even handling studio audiences during show tapings.

"Working at 'The View' I feel like I got a real world taste of how a quality television show is produced. It has only enhanced my passion for making a career out of it."

And he feels like the education he has received at Curry College has prepared him for that transition.

A Communication major and New Jersey native, Fersht has been involved at Curry from day one, even producing and hosting his own radio show on WMLN/91.5 FM during his first week on campus.

From there he has gone on to write, produce and edit hours of programming for CC8, Curry's campus television station.

Last spring semester, he was integral in the production of a first-of-its-kind campus event, where Curry's three major media outlets banded together for a live broadcast called, 'Curry College: Hope for Haiti.'

The student-produced program, complete with a studio audience inside Curry's Hirsh Communication Center, was simultaneously televised on CC8, broadcast on WMLN, and video-streamed on www.curry.edu.  The event went on to receive a national broadcasting award.

"The small class sizes and support that I've received from my professors, especially my advisor [COM Department co-chair] Jerry Gibbs, has allowed me to grow and experiment with different ideas," said Fersht. "I feel like this type of hands-on environment has helped me succeed, and I know I will carry over that success after graduation."

Fersht has also acquired real-world experience working on campus in the Office of Institutional Advancement. As a part-time video editor in the PR/Communications department, he was essential to helping strengthen Curry's video marketing presence on the web.

"I've gained tons of media experience working in IA. They have let me do everything from processing professional photography, to shooting video of campus athletics and events with HD cameras, to actually editing marketing videos which are published on the Curry website."

Fersht plans on returning to New York City after graduation to become a television video editor and one day hopes to direct his very own show.

Update:  Immediately after graduation in May 2011, Fersht was hired at Meredith Video Solutions, a media and marketing firm that creates and distributes content using almost every type of medium under the sun, including television, cable video on demand, web, mobile and magazines.  As an Assistant Video Editor, Fersht helps Meredith brand video material on their video network sites for each of their magazines.