There is nothing that compares to having a career that you love. At the age of 29, Dominque Johnson works in the field she loves because of her excellent education at the University of South Carolina.
Johnson, an SC Honors College alumnus, works as a producer for the National Desk, an emerging news program that focuses on fact-checking, health, and political news based in Washington DC. developed by the Sinclair Broadcast Group.
Born and raised in Columbia, South Carolina, one might assume that Dominque Johnson always had her eyes set on attending UofSC. However, that was not quite the case. During her senior year of high school, Johnson wanted to study musical theatre at New York University (NYU). However, after talking with her parents, NYU was out of the picture. So, she went with her second choice and enrolled at UofSC to study broadcast journalism. Johnson believes it was her
her experience in the Honors College and the School of Journalism and Mass Communications that helped her become successful.
“As a producer I cannot tell you how grateful I am to have gone to the University of South Carolina School of Journalism and Mass Communications,” she said.
“As a producer I cannot tell you how grateful I am to have gone to the University of South Carolina School of Journalism and Mass Communications,” she said.
At the National Desk, Johnson juggles a bit of everything. From show and content production to graphics, she does it all. In a few short hours, she and her team develop two news broadcasts—one premieres at 5 p.m., and the other runs from 10 p.m. to midnight. Johnson was more than prepared to enter her job at the National Desk.
“There are so many J-schools out there that just focus on reporting like that’s there thing,” she said. “While there are elements of reporting in what I do, it’s much more intricate, it’s much more specific, and I am one of a handful of people that I know [who] had hands on producing experience in college and that made me so much better prepared.”
Johnson says that the SJMC’s Senior Semester helped her land a job at WCIV Charleston, producing the 6 p.m. news after graduation.
Also, the small class sizes offered by the Honors College allowed her to develop close relationships with her peers, who are now valuable connections within the industry.
Working in the news can be stressful; however, the job can be extremely rewarding.
“If you don’t love it don’t do it,” she advises aspiring producers, but “If you love it, you will love it!”
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