Whether they’ve lost their job or are in danger of getting laid off, many individuals are reevaluating their careers just like a college student considers all options before graduating and leaping into the working world. ThinkTalk, a web site geared towards college students that consists of an online career community and interactive programming, is helping college students maximize their career paths by allowing them to take part in interviews with high-profile guests who have achieved success in their careers.
Although the site involves students, many of the articles and interviews are relevant to anyone who is thinking of a career change. Want to listen to why Danny Boyle, Director Slumdog Millionaire, thinks movies stars are dying out? Or maybe you want to hear how CNN anchor Lou Dobbs got his big break? ThinkTalk’s archives are packed with interviews from actors, writers, journalists, CEOs, and entreprenuers, so there’s something for everyone.
The site began about four years ago under the guidance of Stephen Clark, President. At the time Clark was working for MSNBC and would encounter many high-profile guests like Richard Branson and Harrison Ford who always took the time to chat with him about how they got their start. Clark thought this advice would be perfect to supplement a college student’s career. Thus ThinkTalk was founded.
Zack Sherwood, host and Executive Producer of the Washington-based company, said that the show now distributes their content directly (and for free) to about 150 universities and colleges across the country, including Stanford, NYU, and Vanderbilt.
“A student can learn the philosophies, strategies and practices behind a given career, but there is still no substitute for first hand advice from those who are living your dream,” Sherwood said. “What we try to do is allow students access to these professionals and give them an opportunity to get answers to very real questions that a text book cannot answer.”
In the fall of 2007 Sherwood said the decision was made to begin streaming all of their shows for free on the web site, including the archives, to make the interviews accessible to anyone with a computer.
Sherwood said that they mainly focus on booking guests in the D.C. area who either live/work there or are promoting a book or movie. “This aspect has really been our bread and butter as it allows us access to successful individuals.”
Currently ThinkTalk is working on a new show called Recruitville, which allows students to engage with recruiters from top companies. Also in the works is a nation-wide Campus Reporter program where students will report from their campuses on their peers concerns about landing that first job. ThinkTalk is focusing on driving greater student participation via SMS, Twitter, and Facebook for these new projects.
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January 29th, 2009 at 4:06 pm
The Danny Boyle interview was great- He did a remarkable job with Slumdog Millionaire. This site is a winner because it does two things: entertains and informs. Keep producing great shows, I’ll be watching.
January 29th, 2009 at 5:07 pm
Great post. This is my first time to cheezhead, and I am loving what your saying. Will definitely be back.
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January 29th, 2009 at 7:05 pm
I agree with Ted. Great idea and probably the best one I have seen in a long time. I, too, will be watching.
Good job to the folks at ThinkTalk, I hope you’ll do well.
January 31st, 2009 at 7:23 am
This is a great resource and one that I will definately pass on. It is gratifiying to see so many people reaching out to help others during these difficult times.
Thank you for being one of them.
January 31st, 2009 at 7:22 pm
Excelled post Vanessa. I checked out the site and I was really impressed. As a recent college grad, I found their videos to be very entertaining and engaging. Most career videos tend to be a little boring and the themes covered are usually repetitive.
Overall, great concept for a career TV network. I’m glad they offer the embed code so I can share a few of these with friends.