Senior Faraz Ahmed has many interests, but he is most passionate about broadcast news. He currently works as a broadcasting manager for UGA NewSource, a daily news show produced by students on UGA’s campus. He has also worked with an organization to set up the first private news channel in Pakistan and subsequently traveled to Dubai and Serbia as a broadcast consultant. He develops training DVDs for broadcast industry professionals and continues to work with the Gwinnett County Public Schools in the Broadcast and Distance Learning Department. In his spare time, Ahmed manages properties in Athens. After graduation, he is considering pursuing a master of business administration degree.
Hometown:
Lilburn, Ga.
High School:
Brookwood High School
Degree objective:
B.B.A. in finance and A.B.J. in broadcast news
Expected graduation:
Spring 2010
University highlights, achievements, awards and scholarships:
I am a broadcasting manager for UGA NewSource, which is a completely student-produced, daily news show that airs on WNEG. I’m also a Grady Ambassador and Terry Ambassador and help with the respective schools to be the voice of the students. This year I also became the VP of production for the Di Gamma Kappa Broadcast Society and we just recently started holding Final Cut Workshops for our members. Professionally, I’ve been involved in the broadcast industry for nearly a decade and am a certified Final Cut Pro instructor. I train professionals throughout the country with my most recent clients being the NBA (National Basketball Association) in November. I’ve authored six training DVDs intended for NewTek products and used by professionals in the broadcast industry that are sold domestically and translated into other languages and sold internationally. Additionally, I have developed a customized studio-in-a-box for the educational broadcast market. Studio Xi currently sells for $10,000 and is being used throughout Georgia. When I was 14 years old, I traveled to Pakistan with Intelligent Media Consultants to setup broadcasting equipment for the first private news channel in Pakistan. Freshman year, I went back with IMC to Pakistan and Dubai to train and setup an English news channel for the same network. Junior year, I worked with IMC and traveled to Belgrade, Serbia to work as broadcast consultant for another leading news network in the region. I have been a contributing writer for NewTek Pro, a professional broadcast magazine, and I am the founder of a popular support Web site for broadcasting equipment.
Current Employment:
I currently work part-time at Gwinnett County Public Schools in their Broadcast & Distance Learning Department. I primarily work as video editor and producer for promotional projects for the school system. I have been honored with two Telly awards for my role as lead editor in winning projects for GCPS TV, their educational access channel. The Telly is a prestigious, industry-recognized honor that is only awarded to a fraction of the projects entered. Recently I’ve been co-producing ParenTVision, which discusses critical issues for teen parents. I also continue to work as a freelance broadcast consultant and trainer. Opportunities come up from time to time, such as this past November, when I flew up New Jersey to perform production training for 15 NBA directors. I have also been managing several properties around Athens. This is a new project for me, and I’m enjoying learning a new industry.
Family Ties to UGA:
My two cousins, who were more like older brothers, both attended the University of Georgia. They actually lived in Pakistan, but they obtained student visas to study in the U.S. during high school and college. One of them graduated from the Terry College of Business with a degree in finance, and the other graduated with a degree in marketing. Last year, my cousin Zain Hassan, started as a freshman at UGA and is also interested in the Terry College of Business. This year my sister became a bulldog and started as freshman at UGA, she is pursuing a biology major. Even though my dad did not graduate from the University of Georgia, he’s always wanted me to go here. He thinks of UGA as the “family school.”
I chose to attend UGA because…
…it had everything that I needed and wanted in a university. First, it had one of the best broadcast journalism programs in the nation, and its business school is consistently ranked near the top. The atmosphere and location of Athens was just my style: a laid-back college town with a vibrant, downtown scene. UGA provides a reputable and valuable degree at an affordable price. My final reason for attending the University of Georgia was because I could study with David Hazinski. He is a leader and innovator in international broadcast news and by far the most interesting and knowledgeable person I have met in this industry. I knew the opportunity to learn from him was the opportunity of a lifetime.
My favorite things to do on campus are…
…sitting around North Campus and reading a book, getting an assignment done or just hanging out with some friends. It is beautiful, and I always seem to run into someone I know. During the day, I drop by the NewSource 15 studio at Grady as it is always bustling with activity, and there is always something to get done and something to learn. The NewSource studio has truly become one of my favorite spots on campus.
The craziest thing I’ve done is…
…leave the group I was with to travel with a friend through Europe with no itinerary. We saw so many things and eventually made our way to Amsterdam where our flight left. Traveling is a complete blast, but traveling without a plan is incredible! We visited places we were interested in, met locals and just enjoyed ourselves. It made an ordinary trip into one that I will always remember.
My favorite place to study is…
…the Miller Learning Center. This is simply due to the fact that I can get the most accomplished while studying in a nook at the MLC. Plus, whenever I need a break I can grab a seat across from Jittery Joe’s and chat with a bunch of my friends just passing by. This past semester, I spent many nights there studying before a test and left directly from the MLC for my class.
My favorite professor is…
…David Hazinski. I had already learned more from him than any other individual, even before I enrolled in his class. He has truly become a mentor to me at UGA and in my life. He is, by far, the most brilliant and incredible individual I have met in my life. He is an innovator in the broadcast and educational industry, and his enthusiasm for teaching students is remarkable. Over the years he has challenged me to think critically and perform without excuses. I have accomplished so much because of his generosity and trust in me. I cannot thank him enough.
If I could share an afternoon with anyone, I would love to share it with…
…my entire extended family. A lot of my extended family is located around the world, and it would be incredible if we could all spend time together. Occasionally, a group of us will gather, but it’s nearly impossible to get more than a handful of us together at once.
If I knew I could not fail, I would…
…like to start a news network in a developing nation. Ideally, I would like to develop the first private news network in the country and watch the media landscape change. I think the broadcast medium has incredible power, especially with emerging governments and developing economies. I know this is a very lofty goal, but I think it is achievable. More importantly, it would give me the opportunity to improve the lives of many people.
After graduation, I plan to…
…do a lot! I am considering getting an MBA, but at the same time I really want to get into the workplace. I want to be in the business/management side of the broadcast industry. Additionally, I have an interest in real estate, entrepreneurship, consulting, web/software development, graphic design, just to name a few. I would like to pursue many of these interests once I get older and become more successful. Whatever I do has to be challenging and needs to be constantly changing. I thrive under pressure.
The one UGA experience I will always remember will be…
…working with the WNEG crew in Toccoa and getting the UGA transition complete. I was working with several UGA professors and WNEG staff to complete a newsroom conversion and control room upgrade. It was 36 hours of straight exhilaration and no sleep. We all just kept going and going and going. I was going back and forth between UGA and the station and was completely exhausted, but it was worth it. The amount of real world experience I got in those 36 hours was unimaginable. The transition was one of the most exhilarating and stressful experiences, but I knew immediately that I wanted to work in the broadcast industry.
