Garrison Wilson COM’19 has given back to SC&I in many ways this spring. First he participated in the interactive career conversations with current Communication majors at the third annual COMMchella Music Festival, and most recently served as a guest lecturer for a Media, Marketing and Communication course taught by SC&I Assistant Professor of Practice, Communication Mark Beal, the same course Wilson took as an undergraduate in 2019.

These acts of leadership and dedication exemplify the advice Wilson gave to the students in Beal’s class, when he told them, “Grow your network, create relationships, because those are the people who are going to be your employers or co-workers later on in life.”

As a guest lecturer in Beal’s class, Wilson described his journey from a Rutgers student on the search for internships to his current career as an Assistant Manager for Promotion Planning & Scheduling for HBO/ Warner Bros Discovery. He handles promotion for Subscription Video on Demand (SVOD) and Ad-Lite for all of HBO, including Max, HBO, CNN, etc. He’s worked on promotion for shows such as “House of the Dragon” and “90 Day Fiancé.”

As a guest lecturer in Beal’s class, Wilson described his journey from a Rutgers student on the search for internships to his current career as an Assistant Manager for Promotion Planning & Scheduling for HBO/ Warner Bros Discovery.

Wilson told the students he began his career journey by researching companies to try to land internships, and immediately set his sights on HBO as he was always interested in pop culture and entertainment. Although he was unfamiliar with the business world, he applied for a business legal internship and got the position. While in this role, he said he worked hard and utilized his networking skills to get where he is today, and was able to learn a multitude of skills he still uses in his position now.

Wilson described one of the most rewarding aspect of his career at HBO as serving as president/co-chair of the HBO Business Resource Group, for young professionals, named ASCEND. In this role he creates initiatives for and discusses successful career advancement strategies with employees.

Wilson said he has always felt a strong connection to Rutgers as someone who is a proud New Jersey native, which is a part of the reason he decided to study there.

“’Jersey-Strong is something that resonates with me,” he said.

He described Rutgers as an amazing institution and loves the large and diverse population which enables him to meet and network with so many different people. In fact, Wilson said that at HBO, most of the Public Relations Department is staffed with Rutgers alumni.

“You’re able to find your own place,” Wilson said about Rutgers.

While a communication major at SC&I, he minored in Digital Communication, Information, and Media (DCIM) minor, and he said the minor provided him with as much educational value as a major.

Wilson said he was able to gain practical, transferable skills at SC&I. He created his LinkedIn profile and gained recommendations, growing his network in the process. He took a digital leadership course where he created websites and infographics.He also later created a podcast for HBO entitled “Voices” which he said was the experience that “kickstarted” his interests in creating podcasts professionally.

To continue to build his professional skills, he recently took a six-week Business Strategy course offered by Harvard Business School.

He described Rutgers as an amazing institution and loves the large and diverse population which enables him to meet and network with so many different people. In fact, Wilson said that at HBO, most of the Public Relations Department is staffed with Rutgers alumni.

As an undergraduate, Wilson said he looked up to Beal and said he was the faculty member that stood out to him the most. Wilson described Beal as a personable professor who gave him advice based on his many years as a public relations professional and partner of the New York City agency Taylor, and Wilson said Beal’s advice inspired him even more.

Rutgers is a strong-knit community, Wilson said, and Rutgers alumni are more likely to help other members of the Rutgers community.

“Continue to be aggressive in terms of what you want and be intentional in everything that you do,” he advised SC&I students.

Learn more about the Communication Department and major at the Rutgers School of Communication and Information on the website.

Photos: Courtesy of Garrison Wilson