Texas Media & Analytics

Hi! I’m Riya, a senior studying to graduate with a BS in Advertising and a BBA in Management Information Systems. I am currently the Marketing Director for UTalent Records, a member of Texas Spirits, and I served as the Communications Director for the Undergraduate Business Council last year. I have had multiple marketing internships in the technology and data space, and hope to further my career in marketing and/or advertising after I graduate.

I’ve been loving my experience with the Texas Media & Analytics program so far. Even with our fully-online learning environment, I’ve been able to engage and form bonds with people in my cohort as well as learn so much from them. We just wrapped up our portion of the Creative Collaboration with P3, which was definitely one of my favorite group projects that I’ve been a part of in college. Overall, I feel so fortunate to be in this cohort and am excited meet everyone in-person soon!

Although I, Lisa Dobias, rarely post personally on social platforms, there are times when I feel so proud, excited, or otherwise compelled. This is one of those times. Unfortunately, I am far from proud or excited to write this post, but I am extremely compelled. As an educator, parent, and fellow human I am compelled to let it be known that I, my colleagues, and the entire Texas Media & Analytics program we teach in stand with our Black community always, but particularly now during the emotional turmoil of the past few days.

At the University of Texas at Austin, one of the most iconic symbols of our campus is a tower that has carved into its limestone front the statement “Ye Shall Know The Truth And The Truth Shall Make You Free.” The truth is that George Floyd is just the latest of many Black citizens who has not only had his voice but his life unjustly taken because of nothing more than the color of his skin. The truth is that the systemic racial biases and targeting of Black men and women with violence has historically occurred for centuries in our country. The truth is our Black friends, colleagues, and students are living in a very different reality. The truth is these ongoing unrecognized biases and tragic events are stripping whole Black communities of their confidence in our society. If that emblematic tower inscription along with our university’s tagline of “What Starts Here Changes the World” really means anything, then let’s take these truths and start something.

What can we start you ask? Well, we can start with better educating ourselves. I teach my students to intensely research a topic before weighing in, so let’s all agree to take personal responsibility for researching our history of racial inequity more and not rely on our Black friends to have to try and educate us on their experiences. Here are some important highly recommended titles on the topic to add to your summer reading list.

White Fragility and What Does It Mean to Be White? both by sociologist Dr. Robin DiAngelo

Just Mercy by lawyer and justice activist Bryan Stevenson

The New Jim Crow by civil rights lawyer Michelle Alexander

So You Want To Talk About Race by writer, speaker, and Internet yeller Ijeoma Oluo

What else can we start? We can agree to amplify the voices in our Black communities by shining more attention on their businesses and employment candidates, and by putting our monetary support behind organizations and institutions truly doing the heavy lifting in the fight for racial equality.

Finally, let's start by realizing the huge impact we can each have when our individual daily words are more intentional and our actions are accountable. If we truly want our school motto to mean something let’s not waste the opportunity we have to start something here in bigger ways, but also in individual acts of support, kindness, and mutual respect. To those of you in our Black community, I want you to know you are heard and you are seen. Although you are understandably hurting, overwhelmed, and exhausted from the barrage of emotions you are experiencing and the energy you are expending on processing, through all of that know you are valued and loved. Simply put, you matter.

If anyone who reads this feels the need for more support, please reach out to the Stan Richards School Equity Student Council.

Meet Leah Archer from our Spring 2020 cohort! Leah is an account executive for our very own TM&A Social Media Team. Here is what she has to say on her experience in TM&A:
“After the first day of Lisa Dobias’s Foundations course, I realized 2 things. First, I wanted to be her best friend. And second, there was nothing more I wanted than to be a part of Texas Media & Analytics. Now that my first semester of being a part of TM&A is coming to a close, I feel like I have learned skills and lessons that will help guide me down my career path for the rest of my life. TM&A is much more than just another sequence. It’s where I have met other people who love, live, and breathe Advertising. Each member of my class has their own unique strength, and I am so proud to be working and learning alongside each and every one of them. I am counting down the days til we can all be in a classroom together again, but for now, the GroupMe memes will just have to do.

Lastly, I am so proud to represent TM&A on LinkedIn as I get to help show off all the amazing work these students are creating and further grow the vast network Texas Media creates for its current and past members. With that, be sure to check us out on LinkedIn to keep up with everything TM&A, Industry Trends, and career opps!” @ The University of Texas at Austin

Meet our senior Elisabeth Apanda! She is a powerhouse of a woman. Here is what she has to say about her experience with TM&A and what it’s like graduating this semester:

“It’s been exhilarating to see how the dots of my story have all come together. Having attended three different schools in the span of my college years, I can tell you that there is no program anywhere with the depth of knowledge, professional readiness and industry prestige that Texas Media & Analytics has. It has been my joy and greatest honor to be a part of this program—the opportunities to further my career and ability to meet so many passionate, high-quality people through our network has been incredible. I’ve had the immense honor to be meet Stan Richards and represent SRS as a student ambassador, be selected as a Forbes Under 30 Scholar, attend the Publicis Multicultural Talent Pipeline event and speak on industry panels through it.
The encouragement, guidance and mentorship I’ve received from Lisa, Tracy and Natalie have been the best part of my time in college and I truly believe my UT experience would be massively incomplete without it. It is quite simply the bridge I wish I’d had to learn the industry when I was younger, and the community I need going out into the world after graduation.

It’s a momentous time to be graduating in right now—there’s more eyes than ever on the Class of 2020, so it’s a time to be thinking about the impact we want to have on advertising moving forward and the kinds of marketers we want to be now, when everything is in flux. My goal at all times is to empower people to be the best version of themselves, and that’s what I’ll be doing working in worldwide marketing at Microsoft post-grad.”

Meet Anna Kate Hutton! She is a senior in our Fall 2019 TM&A cohort who is graduating Fall 2020. She is double majoring in journalism & advertising with the Texas Media & Analytics sequence. She has spent 4 years playing on the texas women’s ultimate frisbee team that travels all over for tournaments & are top in the nation. This summer she will be interning for Starcom NYC!
Here is what she has to say on her experience and the current circumstances:
“Finishing the Texas Media + Analytics program online is bittersweet. While I wish I could be in class with my friends and professors, I can’t imagine handling the disruption that the virus caused without the support of this program. Lisa, Natalie, and Tracy have been so accommodating and generous with their time, resources, and knowledge. They have provided us with reassurance and are putting extra work in to create opportunities for us to continue to grow our skillsets and network. This program has been such a pivotal part of my time at UT. Its opened up so many doors for me and made me feel supported in these times of uncertainty. From the all nighters spent working on our national client to the COVID-19 outbreak sending us online, I’m grateful for my entire TM&A experience.” 👏🏻 @ The University of Texas at Austin

The application for Texas Media & Analytics Fall 2020 cohort is now open! The deadline is May 11 at midnight. If you have completed 345J, look for an email from the Moody College Advising that went out on Friday, April 17. The application is enclosed in the email. Good luck longhorns!

Nick Barnes is a jack of all trades! Not only is he a photographer for but he is in both Texas Media & Analytics and Texas Creative. Here is what Nick has to say about it:
“Being in both Texas Creative and TM&A is tough, there’s no way around it. The hardest semester was taking both Portfolio II and Advanced Media Strategies at the same time. Between those two classes, another 9 hours of coursework, and a couple jobs, my days ran 15 to 18 hours long just about every day of the week. And I wouldn’t trade it for the world. The “so what” thinking you get from TM&A paired with the “big ideas” you learn in creative is just so essential for me. The two programs go together insanely well and the consolidation in media and creative in the industry is showing just that. To anyone who is considering doing both, do it. You’ve got to be organized, give yourself time to breathe, and communicate with your professors. Know that you have to go all in for both programs, but wrapping up my final semester in both, I can tell you it’s worth it.”

TM&A Fall 2019 Cohort: 1. Professor Arrington: 0. 😂 This morning students made their Zoom background a picture of Professor Arrington! Happy 😎🤘🏻

Spring break may have looked different this year, but our TM&A students made the most of it! From engagements to Lisa’s first egg to spending time with loved ones, we all spent this break living it up (from a safe distance, of course!) We hope all of you are staying healthy and happy. With classes starting tomorrow, we want to wish everyone good luck. We will all get through this together!

We sat down with two TM&A alumni, Chris McGee and Eric Emshoff. They tell their story of how they found themselves in Texas Media & Analytics and where TM&A has taken them in their careers today.

TM&A Alumni Interview Chris McGee & Eric Emshoff We sat down with two Texas Media & Analytics Alumni. Chris McGee and Eric Emshoff talk about how TM&A got them to where they are today in their careers. Chri...

Out of hundreds of applicants, 4 TM&A longhorns were selected to participate in Starcom’s Future Leaders Program at their Chicago Headquarters! These students attended diversity and inclusion seminars, panel discussions with Starcom’s leadership, and shadowed senior media associates to learn more about what it’s like to work in the industry.