Annie Vettorel

Annie Vettorel, a ‘13 undergraduate alumna, is a Digital Communications Specialist at the Future Skills Centre. 

This Q&A was conducted when Annie was a digital communications specialist at The Future Skills Centre and is now a freelance digital communications specialist.

What did you originally see yourself doing when you first enrolled in journalism school?

When I first enrolled in journalism school, I was interested in a career in television news — I saw myself anchoring The National someday.

How did that vision change during your time at j-school/after graduation? 

I went through a lot of changes during my four years at [the university]. I struggled with self-doubt, and for a while I wondered if I should quit journalism altogether. But I immensely enjoyed my final year and then worked as a summer staffer at the Globe and Mail, which turned into contracts at CP and back at the Globe again. I learned so much during those years in Toronto newsrooms, and I'm grateful for those experiences. Eventually, I realized I wanted to travel and work remotely, so I worked as a freelancer while living in South America for three years.

Can you talk a little bit about what your day-to-day job looks like? 

The two main functions of my job are to manage the web content for the Future Skills Centre (the homepage and the rest of the website) and create and promote strategic video content.

How do you use the skills you learned as j-school/as a journalist as a Digital Communications Specialist?

I use them all the time! We pitch to the media regularly, so my understanding of news values has been essential. I also use some of the video editing and storytelling skills I learned in j-school.

What is your favourite part of your job?

My favourite part of my job (or any job) is collaborating with other minds to tell stories.

You've maintained some close friendships from your time at j-school. What's your best piece of advice for keeping those friendships?

Invest time in your friends. I ended up being roommates with a couple of different people from [the university] over the course of my 20s, one of whom I still count among my dearest friends today. Trust me: if you can stay connected to friends from school as you're coming up in the industry, it'll help you stay sane.

What advice would you give to current journalism students?   

Focus on quantity over quality at first. Write lots. Make lots of videos. Do a lot of whatever it is you're interested in, without getting hung up on perfection. Trust that your craft is getting sharper, and allow yourself the space to experiment with different forms of media.

Grads at Work is a series of profiles of alums. If you know of a notable grad you’d like to see featured, send us an email at office.journalism@torontomu.ca.