Jodie Martinson graduated from UBC’s School of Journalism in 2010. Since then she has split her time between producing radio documentaries for CBC and producing documentary films.
Martinson reflected on her time at UBC and how it has prepared her for a career in journalism:
About her internship:
For my J-school internship, I went to CBC Radio’s The Current in Toronto. I spent about five or six weeks there. That was really a thrill for me because The Current was the show that I listened to for years thinking, “Man, one day I’d love to have that job that Anna Maria Tremonti gets to do,” which is speaking about the news of the day and trying to figure out why it matters, how it’s going to change the world we live in. It’s just a thrill!
Going behind the scenes there and watching the show go to air — and also watching the work that the producers do — really opened my eyes to the rigours of daily journalism. It also made me more convinced than ever that this is the job for me.
The great thing from that internship was that I felt like I had a foundation to come back to Vancouver. During my second year at the J-school, I started working at CBC Radio here in Vancouver as a casual associate producer, coming in for a day here and there — or a week during the Olympics — and producing pieces for the local radio show. All of a sudden, I had complete control over five minutes of radio. It was up to me to make sure that we had a really entertaining, important, informative, and interesting conversation that was going to go to air.
About her experience as part of the International Reporting Program:
One of the most valuable experiences I had at the J-school was being part of the first International Reporting class. We went to Ghana, India, and China tracking electronic waste that leaves our shores and goes abroad, where it’s recycled or broken down into parts in ways that are unsafe for workers and can be very damaging for local environments. The piece we produced aired on PBS FRONTLINE/World and went on to win an Emmy.
About the J-school:
I really think that UBC’s J-school is a great program. It helped me get my foot in the door of all the places I wanted to go. I can’t say enough good things about the team of professors that you will get to work with — people who really live to create stories that change the world.
