Jeesoo Park '07

As a senior producer at The New York Times, Jeesoo Park '07 tackles breaking news and crafts cinematic storytelling. Photo courtesy of Jeesoo Park '07

In between her junior and senior years at Bucknell, Jeesoo Park '07 took an internship with NBC's Today show and realized that she wanted to pursue a career in journalism.

At first, she was intrigued by the idea of working in morning news as an anchor or correspondent, but she soon discovered a different calling.

"To me, the power lay more behind the camera as opposed to in front of it," says Park, who majored in English — literary studies before going on to complete a graduate degree at Columbia Journalism School.

Following stints as a producer at ABC, CNN and National Geographic, Park is now a senior producer at The New York Times, where she manages a field-reporting team and guides visual storytelling. It's her job to not only commission and assign news stories, but to oversee her team throughout the editorial process.

"I am always asking questions, making sure we're getting the answers we need and talking to the right people. And so I serve as collaborator and editor," says Park.

The proliferation of video media outlets and formats over the last decade has allowed Park to find her career "sweet spot," one in which she balances the unpredictability and chaos of breaking news with the breadth and depth of cinematic storytelling.

In her work with the Times, she is neither limited by topic nor geography, and she regularly collaborates with different news desks and freelance teams to tell stories about everything from the lack of oversight on child migrant labor to the ongoing Israel-Hamas war.

Even though Park never imagined she'd end up in her current role, she had an inkling that her English major would bolster her career pursuits. "At Bucknell, I really jumped full force into writing because I think good writing skills come in handy regardless of what you're doing in this field," she says.