Stories Beyond Newhouse: Leah Stacy G’12, A Multimedia Entrepreneur To Look Out For
Newhouse provides a perfect playground for ambitious entrepreneurs to build the skills required to approach the field immersed in uncertainty. Thanks to Professor Sean Branagan and his plethora of ingenious lessons taught throughout his lectures, I have been able to use my time more effectively as a student of the craft. But Professor Branagan is not the only one with keen entrepreneurial insight, and he knows it. That is why he invited Leah Stacy G’12, an Arts Journalism graduate, to speak to his ICC 600 New Ventures in Media course on October 17th, 2017. Much like myself, Stacy worked on her first media/startup while enrolled at Newhouse, and she used Professor Branagan as a mentor to bounce ideas off him. Now, the two are great friends, and Stacy enjoys opportunities to guest lecture when invited.
“I decided to visit his class because he asked me to,” Stacy told me in an online interview. “This is the second time I’ve returned to Newhouse to speak about entrepreneurship, and it’s always such a blast to meet Sean’s students.”
For being out of school for about six years now, Stacy has embarked on quite the unique and prosperous career. She began her journey as an independent contractor early on in her career, and she hasn’t seemed to look back since. Along with her teaching positions at Nazareth College (Professor of Practice) and Syracuse University (Adjunct Professor), Stacy has kept her entrepreneurial muscles toned, committing her creativity to the Boomtown Table. Stacy co-founded this media platform, and it has truly shined light on the Rochester food industry (I’ll have to eat at one of the restaurants she featured if I’m ever in the area!)
“I still get to work in my field, which is helpful since media is ever-changing,” continued Stacy. “I write for a few publications and manage social media for several clients, and the department is very supportive of my side hustles (Upstate Social Sessions and Boomtown Table). I’m arguably better equipped to talk about media in the classroom when I have relevant, interesting examples of recent work. Also— I get to recruit my most talented students as interns and content creators!”
Clearly, Stacy has a knack for utilizing her skill sets to create value for both students and customers. When she spoke in my ICC 600 class, she had such a commanding aura for her work, suggesting she was well equipped to work in uncertainty. According to chapter 3 of Effectual Entrepreneurship, authored by Stuart Read, Saras Sarasvathy, Nick Dew, Robert Wiltbank, and Anne-Valérie Ohlsson, “uncertainty is at the heart of real value in entrepreneurial opportunity” (p. 29) and Stacy seems to take full advantage of this opportunity in her efforts. I made sure to connect with her after class to gain more insight on what it takes to be a successful multimedia entrepreneur.
“Be ready to try things and fail. Grow a thick skin, but don’t become bitter. This is a mentally draining industry, and you’re going to need grit and grace to withstand the challenges,” Stacy noted. “But there’s just nothing like working in media and storytelling. It truly is one of the most rewarding jobs in the world.”
“It’s [also] important to find a mentor,” Stacy added. “Whether that’s a Newhouse professor you connect with or someone already working in your chosen industry, a mentor can guide you, challenge you and provide a listening ear. Also, be prepared to have a non-traditional life. This doesn’t happen on a 9 to 5 schedule (at least not at first). If that’s what you want, this might not be for you.”
Overall, learning from Leah Stacy’s experiences have helped me envision what life can look like for multimedia entrepreneurs who love storytelling and managing content creation. The trajectory of Stacy’s career path will likely continue to accelerate, as she is proud to admit that she is learning as she goes and finding out what works/doesn’t work with every experience she encounters. Our class was lucky to meet Stacy, and her commitment to advancing students success both in and out of the classroom is simply remarkable.
He has been published across a wide variety of media outlets, including Sports Illustrated, the Cornell Daily Sun, SportTechie, Clutchpoints, Cavs Nation, the Cornell Chronicle, and many more.
Tobe has a plethora of hobbies, including writing, athletics, drawing, acting, and collaborating with others about ideas and startups working in the multimedia space.