From One Country to Another
One International Student’s Perspective on American Journalism & Media
Hello, if you are reading this you may be an international student like me or you may just be curious about an outsider’s perspective of this industry.
Let me introduce myself to you. My name is Julianna and I am from Toronto, Canada, America’s northern neighbour. This makes my commute home easy when there is no line to cross the border. I live closer to home than my roommate does and I am from another country! It is a crazy concept. Although, there are many similarities between the US and Canada, there are also many differences. For example, the currency, the laws and one of the biggest differences to myself are the Media Industries.
The American Mediaindustry is a global phenomenon that affects the world. It is crazy to think about all the networks, the trades, and celebrities that derive from the US. The art of storytelling and entertainment entities that come out of the US are known to a global audience.
At the age of 22, I have had the privilege of gaining a broader understanding of the media industry on an international level. When I was 16, I studied abroad for 4 months in a small town in Calabria, Italy. It was a foreign concept to me that locals could not speak English but knew the words to American music. The small amount of Englishthat locals knew, they learned from the American media such as movies and TV shows.
When you think of all of the Hollywood classics that came out of the US or think of A-list celebrities, have you noticed the trend of celebrities that have immigrated here are from other countries? Take Jim Carrey, Drake or Ryan Renolds for example. These fellow Canadian’s work took them to the US for this industry.
Although, there are certain facets of the media industry that have happened in countries outside of the US. For example , the Toronto International Film Festival (TIFF) or the Cannes Film Festival are two of the most widely recognized film festivals. They generate a large turnout each year, with attendees ranging from celebrities, to filmmakers, and trades. The festival occurs for a short time which brings in many participants of this industry, predominantly ones who reside in the United States.
Some of the best journalists are American. The biggest global networks derive from the US including, Fox, ABC, CNN, CBS, NBC and ESPN. Storytelling is an art, which thrives in the U.S. and expands to the rest of the world.
