2000 Broadcasting/Television Graduate

Somerville City Hall, Technical/Editing Director

Joshua Leitner, a 2000 Television Broadcasting graduate from The New England Institute of Art, certainly has his plate full. Josh, who has worked at Somerville City Hall's office of communications for a few years now, is extremely busy. As Technical/Editing Director, he is responsible for editing the majority of the programs on Somerville's two local television stations. Josh also shoots video and directs and produces some of the city's regular programs including Senior Circuit, a show for and about senior citizens. Another part of the job that is unique and gratifying is its teaching component. Josh was asked to assist in teaching a TV/Media class at Somerville High School. But perhaps most rewarding for Josh is working on a show that he created and brought to Somerville.

Josh got the idea for Somerville Secret Diner from the popular New England Cable News show, The Phantom Gourmet. He thought it would be a great idea to use the same premise as The Phantom Gourmet but to scale it back to a single community. It is a show that reviews the restaurants of Somerville. "Each month we feature two new restaurants and our team of secret diners rate their overall dining experience," explains Josh. Johnny D's, The Neighborhood Restaurant and Gargoyles are just a few of the restaurants that have been reviewed on Somerville Secret Diner. The restaurant is never informed before hand about the visit but the team does return to the establishment in order to complete a "video report card". The crew films the second visit so the audience can see the ambience of the restaurant and the chefs in action. The owners of the restaurant are then invited into the studio where they are interviewed by the head of the Culinary Arts program at Somerville High School. "For me, one of the greatest perks of Somerville Secret Diner is the fact that I get treated like a star when I visit a restaurant, not to mention the fact I receive a lot of free meals!"

If one thing is for certain it is that Josh is never bored at work. Every day is different than the next and he is able to work on a variety of projects. "I like that I can be creative in many of the projects that I work on. I always try to take my work to the next level and make it better and more interesting than the last project I completed." Josh is very happy working for the city of Somerville as the job has given him the opportunity to create, edit, produce and direct. His resume has grown tremendously over the past few years and he hopes his experience will help him to land a job working for a big network, television show or production house someday.

Josh came to The New England Institute of Art with the same enthusiasm that he has today. His experience at the college was a positive one. He embraced learning and the small, close-knit environment that The New England Institute of Art had to offer. "I liked that I was able to get to know the teachers and they were able to get to know me," explains Josh. He was able to use some of the connections he made with the instructors to his advantage. Josh worked on projects with various faculty members including Jonathan Bird. While in school, Josh was also busy working on outside projects. He edited a program for PBS called CD Highway, made a video for the MBTA and completed numerous videos for City Year including one which required him to travel out to California and film a convention. Josh always received the support of his instructors, in fact, Mary Cardaras even allowed him to utilize the College's equipment while on location in California. "The New England Institute of Art helped me to become successful by giving me the resources I needed in order to grow."

Josh urges current The New England Institute of Art students to get involved. While a college student, he was President of the Naked Eye Video Club, worked in Studio Operations and assisted in building the school's half million-dollar studio and television set. Josh also stresses the importance of interning and persistence. "You learn the basics in the classroom but interning will give you real-life, industry experience." Josh also speaks of the difficulties involved with getting a job in the broadcasting industry. After all, it took him months and a lot of help from Career Advisor, Tom Corrigan to finally find the job as Technical/Editing Director for the city of Somerville. Before landing the job, Josh did freelance and audio/visual work for a few companies. "Students and graduates should always try to work in their chosen field of study, even if it means answering phones or doing menial busy work for a company. Any job in the industry is better than no job in the industry. You have to start somewhere and if you want it bad enough, your big break will come one day."