Ever wondered what an NBCUniversal Page does? NBCU Academy sat down with Priany Hadiatmodjo, director of the NBCUniversal Page Program and current participants Liz Gonzalez, Emiko Powers and Taj Kokayi to talk about what it takes to be a page. Read their comments, edited for clarity, below.
Check out the NBCUniversal Page Program website and Instagram!
What is an NBCUniversal Page and what do they do?
Hadiatmodjo: The NBCUniversal Page Program is a year-long learning and development opportunity. It attracts the best and the brightest early-career talent to this company. And we are in the business of helping to mold this talent to become the future leaders of our company and our industry. The program has been around since 1933, so, it’s a real gem here at NBCUniversal. It’s got a huge legacy.
A lot of people have put us on the map, like Kenneth [the page from “30 Rock”] and actress Aubrey Plaza.
Pages do help in the building, whether it’s leading tours or providing audience services for any of the productions that tape at 30 Rock, they’re recognizable in that uniform. That is the gold standard of what pages represent.
But they are not exclusively in uniform, or only giving tours or only working audience services. Pages do a lot of things at once.
Gonzalez: I currently work at “Stay Tuned” with NBC News.
Powers: Every day I wake up at 4 a.m. The “TODAY” show has always been my dream.
Kokayi: I’m currently the page for product marketing and ad sales. I do a lot of work with privacy and data.
Hadiatmodjo: The goal is to give early-career talent who are interested in pursuing a position in media the tools, skills, feedback and experience they need to be able to hit the ground running in this industry.
They rotate through three different assignments. Pages have the chance to work for several different teams, to be able to sample what it might be like to work in news and then do a rotation in ad sales or work in a film rotation and then move over to a role in TV.
The program is highly competitive. We want to find people who are open-minded, curious and are passionate about starting their career in the industry.
How do you become an NBCUniversal Page?
Hadiatmodjo: When you’re preparing your application, be yourself. We really want to get to know the real you, so let that shine in your application. Secondly, make sure your application is perfect and ready to go. When you read through your materials, does it sound like you? Third, do your research. I like to think that anybody can be a student of this industry. Be curious, that’s something that we look for. Know what you know and know what you don’t know. Make sure that you let that curiosity shine through.
Gonzalez: One thing I always say is know how to tell your story. They’re going to want to find out who you are and why you want to be in this program.
Kokayi: It’s not so much about your resume and your background. The Page Program looks for people interested in media and good people who have that engaging spirit.
Hadiatmodjo: Don’t tell us what you think we want to hear; I would challenge you to think about why you are great for the program.
The Life of an NBCUniversal Page
Powers: When I started out on the program, I really had no idea what exactly I wanted to do. I really came into this with an open mind.
Gonzalez: A lot of day-to-day life as a page is that you never know what’s going to come your way.
Powers: I order coffees, run newspapers around. I make sure people are where they’re supposed to be, organize cars, solve problems throughout the morning. There is never a dull moment.
Kokayi: The program is an incredible transition job for someone who’s recently graduated or a young person entering the workforce.
Hadiatmodjo: The program is an experience where hopefully every day you’re learning something new, whether that is something about the company, the industry or yourself.
Powers: I am so much more confident. This program has given me the tools to do whatever I want to do.
Hadiatmodjo: By the end of the program, that’s what we’re hoping to get: pages who are stronger by the end of it than they were when they started.
Gonzalez: I’ve loved everything about it. Being a page is fun and exciting and brings a lot of opportunities.
Hadiatmodjo: Pages know how to get things done and how to get things fixed. You have to be the go-to person, you have to be reliable. Your team will trust you with great responsibility that makes you develop this kind of secondhand armor that helps you succeed.
Kokayi: The thing I love most about being a page is the page team. I love coming to work every day and going to the page office.
Powers: I think it’s helped me in so many different ways, completely changed my life.
Gonzalez: From working “Saturday Night Live” to really diving into news and gaining that responsibility to finding things out about myself.
Kokayi: I think the thing I do best is being kind, I think that’s what has put me in the position I’m at right now.
Hadiatmodjo: Page pride is a real phenomenon. I don’t see the program as necessarily a foot in the door, but I do see it as a potentially life changing opportunity for you to begin a career with the support, and the network and the community that can really set you up for success.
