10 Questions with Reuters' Stephanie Brumsey

You might recognize Stephanie Brumsey, NewsGuild member and a producer at Reuters. Maybe not because of her work at Reuters (she works off camera after all), but you might have seen her on stage somewhere in the city. Surely, if she wasn’t working in the media industry, she’d be acting. 

Though her road to journalism hasn’t been so clear cut, this actor-turned-media-professional had her sights set on the law originally. The then-freshman at Stony Brook University was ready to take her love of John Grisham novels and the urge to practice law and apply it to a psychology degree.  

“I thought a degree in psychology would aid me in ferreting out the ‘why’s’ in regards to crimes,” she said. 

She took a year of classes and hated it. 

“My dear and loving sister then suggested I take a class in journalism because, ‘You’re nosey and talk a lot. You might as well get paid for it.’ Lo and behold it stuck! It’s been a passion of mine ever since,” Brumsey said. 

We know we’re grateful to have you! Read more about Stephanie and the evolution of her position in the media industry!  

1. What is your role at Reuters? 
I’m a producer. Specifically I produce videos that work across the spectrum for the ReutersTV app, social media and the website.

2. If you weren't working in journalism/media, what would you be doing? 
Acting on a stage.

3.What are some of the shows in which you’ve performed? 
I’ve been in productions of West Side Story, Sister Act and Ragtime with AfterWork Theater. 

4. Why are you grateful to be a Guild member? 
I love the Guild. This is my first time being in a union and it’s been great. The solidarity and support my fellow Guild members have for one another is amazing. It’s especially helpful because I’m still new in this career; being able to have a system I can rely on and people I can speak to in uncomfortable situations has been a Godsend. 

5. How have you seen the industry morph from your perspective/specific job? 
The industry has grown by leaps and bounds. The whole digital space is this massive realm that people are still getting a handle on. My career has morphed from being tv-centric to being centered on digital—creating content for space and not necessarily following the models laid down by news shows of yesteryear. It’s been humbling, frustrating and invigorating to be part of the growth process. 

6. What makes you hopeful for the media industry? What worries you?
News literacy worries me. Increasingly it’s becoming obvious that there’s an overabundance of news in the world, and our consumers are not only having a difficult time sifting through it but also understanding what reliable sources look like. However, what makes me hopeful is that the current news situation is calling attention to that. Organizations, schools and universities around the country are responding to that need and making an effort to better equip and educate the upcoming generation with the tools they need to sift through the madness.

7. Give your younger self one piece of advice. 
Say yes to everything!

8. Where do you go or what do you do to stay on top of digital trends that might affect or influence your work?
I subscribe to a lot of newsletters, and not all of them are necessarily about news. I find a lot of PR and marketing newsletters address different solutions to questions that I pose in my daily production life. I also follow trendsetters on different social media platforms as well as competitors. I have a schedule to keep it all straight! Things change rapidly, and there’s no way you can truly keep up. But the more you educate yourself on the topic, the better the chance you have. 

9. What skills are critical for your job? 
Editing, attention to detail, storytelling, creativity. I think a lot of the core aspects of what make journalists great are used daily in my position; I just have to use a little more equipment to complete the story.

10. How do you predict your job might change in the next year? Five years?
I make no predictions! The space has changed in ways I could’ve never predicted. Facebook was limited to college students when I signed up ten years ago, and now it’s altering the course of elections. I think that this job is just going to continue to ride the wave of technological innovation, which is why it’s so important that the basics of journalism are still observed so that we don’t lose sight of who we are, what we do and why we do it.