Kareem Hammad
Class of:
2008
Current Occupation/Field of Work:
Producer - AV Squad / Film and TV Advertising
Work Experience
MGM Pictures Marketing, Warner Bros Pictures Creative Advertising, Ignition Creative, AV Squad
Why did you choose Comm Studies as your major?
With an initial interest in Film & TV, I considered the 2-year undergraduate film program at UCLA. However, I was also interested in a broader degree and considered marketing and advertising as possible career fields, whose core principles rest in social sciences. After taking Comm 10 and looking at the fascinating curriculum, I jumped in head-first!
Favorite UCLA memory and/or professor
Prof. Groeling's wonderful anecdotes in Political Communication Lecture. Prof. Peterson's first "social networking" class debuted at the dawn of facebook and covered early social networking theory.
How has Comm Studies empowered you in your professional and personal life?
As much as I loathed it as a student, the fundamentals of research methodology that were so strongly emphasized have paid off tremendously. A core understanding of sampling methods and metrics is an invaluable asset in any profession, particularly marketing. On a weekly basis, I find myself interpreting and discussing aggregated audience testing data of our content.
What was the most valuable or applicable lesson you learned from a Comm Studies class?
"Don't be lame." - SP
What advice would you give to a current Comm Studies student?
Get to know your classmates. Get to know your professors, they have a lot to offer. Get an internship and make sure it's challenging -most aren't. As an intern, ask questions, engage with everyone, get involved. It's common that nobody will just hand you work -demonstrate a genuine interest and motivation. The relationships you forge as an open-minded intern can strongly benefit you in your early professional years.
