Interview: Madison Square Garden Media Professional, Allison Hill

No job and no home as a newbie in the Big Apple.

This is how Allison Hill began her journey as a 2007 James Madison University graduate. She attributes her education at a Virginia state school along with her desire to live in Manhattan for her success and the gratification she now feels as a young media professional.

Hill is a print production assistant in one of the greatest venues in the world: Madison Square Garden.

Planet Blacksburg sat down with 24-year-old Hill to discuss the journey that landed her this position at MSG.

Q: What was your major at James Madison University?

Hill: I was a double major. My first one was media arts and design with a concentration in print production and my second one was communication with a concentration in public relations.

Q: What is your job title right now?

Hill: My job title now is print production assistant.

Q: Did you have that job right when you got out of James Madison?

Hill: No, I got it eight or nine months after college.

Q: What did you do in the interim?

Hill: I had another job before that. Once I graduated I wasn't sure what I wanted to do right away so I just moved to New York City and then went through a recruiter that found me a job that I took out of school. It was kind of a glorified secretary position. I wasn't quite ready to buckle down and get started with my career and I needed a little lag time in between, so I did that first.

Q: I know you said you moved to New York City and went through a recruiter there, so when you decided to do that was New York City the main place that you knew you had to be?

Hill: Yes, it was the only one. Once I graduated all I knew was that I was going to move to New York City. I didn't have an apartment, I didn't have a job, but I had two roommates that I knew I would live with. We all just jumped in and moved. Once I was here I started really interviewing. I started interviewing the spring semester before I graduated, but it was a lot easier once I got here. I got one here within two weeks of arriving.

Q: Was Madison Square Garden your first choice after the secretary gig?

Hill: Yes, definitely. I always wanted to work in sports in some way, shape or form. Once I got a call from MSG I knew I had to be there.

Q: While in college, what did you do that's helping you now, whether it was certain organizations that you were a part of or certain courses you took?

Hill: I would say a lot of my comm. classes helped. All the public speaking and different research courses really helped me out. It helped me with the job search, researching different positions and helped me with the public speaking and interviewing. With my job now I deal with a lot of presidents and vice presidents of companies for the Knicks and Rangers, so being able to feel comfortable talking with them is something I definitely got from classes I took.

Q: I know that Madison Square Garden is associated with Radio City Music Hall and numerous theatres. I was looking on the website and they have different departments within such as entertainment, media and administration. On a daily basis what is your most important task in media and print production?

Hill: Mine is basically keeping track of all projects that are being printed such as banners, flyers, ticket packaging, all the promotional materials and anything that marketing needs. My most important task is making sure they're being printed and being printed correctly. I deal with Cablevision; they're basically a big umbrella company because they own MSG and Rainbow [Media]. Cablevision is a cable and phone company. Then there is MSG and Radio City. Like you said there are all these different parts. Primarily what I do is Radio City Music Hall and some for Beacon Theater. For me, it's the sports: the Knicks, Rangers, and Liberty.

Q: So are you personally designing and what is the most exciting part of your job?

Hill: I don't design but I work very closely with designers. I think the most exciting part of the job is when a big project is coming in. The opening night for the Rangers was Saturday, and we basically had to put Rangers stuff all over the mall area -- where you first walk into MSG. We put a big wall mural and posters and things like that all throughout the garden. The most exciting part is once you're finished with the hectic schedule and getting everything up, people take pictures next to the stuff you printed. We get color corrections and proofing in; You wouldn't believe how many different colors the Rangers want and we have to make sure that its right on point where they want it to be. Once we get it in we look for minor changes. It's a gratifying feeling.

Q: Did intern the summer before you graduated and if so, where?

Hill: I interned at a public relations company called Creative Marketing.

Q: And how did you end up getting that? Did you go through James Madison University or your own research?

Hill: I actually did University of Dreams. I don't know if you've ever heard of it. It's an internship company. You pay a kind of tuition. They put me up in New York University housing and I had a meal plan. It was like college, camp and an internship all in one.

Q: I wake up every morning to cows mooing; it's so rural out here in Virginia. I know James Madison is a lot like Virginia Tech. How was the transition from such a rural place to a big city, especially when you're trying to establish yourself as a professional? Like you said, you're looking for a job through recruiters at the same time. Was it hard to adapt to that culture and if you could give any advice to students about to do that, what would you tell them?

Hill: It definitely was. I interned here the summer before. I would advise before you move to a major city you've never been to before to see if you can get an internship maybe the summer before you graduate or right after you graduate to see if its really a good fit for you before you buckle down and make a solid decisions just to try it out. For me, since I interned the summer before I graduated I knew I loved the city. Trying to adapt was a lot different because you're walking everywhere and not driving, there's a ton more people and people from all over the world. You definitely go through a period where you realize you're not in Virginia anymore and its like no other place you've been before. I would definitely say some kind of trial period before you jump full on in. That definitely helped me out.