‘As an assistant producer, I package the prime time show’

Ankush Malik is a journalist by profession but to say more precisely, she is the assistant producer at News Nation Pvt Ltd. Her work involves more of BTS work i.e. Behind The Scenes Work. She completed her Bachelors in Journalism and Mass Communication from School of Journalism and Mass Communication at Apeejay Stya University (SJMC-ASU).

In a quick interview, the media alumna speaks about the nature and role of her work, how she looks forward to reporting in the future and also speaks about journalism schools. Read edited excerpts:

How was the experience at SJMC-ASU? Did they make you industry ready?

The faculty at SJMC was excellent, especially Abhijit sir and a few more teachers. What I liked the most was that they stressed on practical knowledge more than theory. And despite the pandemic coming between our batch’s time-frame, the learning graph for us never stopped.

That is very inspiring to hear! Now brief us about your work please. What exactly does an assistant producer do?

I am handling the prime time show currently. It is telecasted from 8 to 9:30 PM. So, I have to write the scripts and am basically responsible for packaging the entire show. In short, I get the show ready and contribute a lot in the writing part of it. It involves a lot of hard work and running around. Mine is a job where I have to be always on my toes. My average shift timing is 9 hours.

Everyone derives a rush from their work? What is yours?

Media was the only profession I ever wanted. I never had any other option or plan honestly. I was passionate about joining this industry. One gets to learn a lot through this industry. After the Armed forces, one may call this industry the most growth giving one. Yes, it has its challenges too but I am ready to face them. I enjoy working behind the stage, putting up the show. 

Do you see yourself as an anchor someday?

I hope so. I always had a passion for reporting, especially during my college days. But when I joined the industry, I realised that there is an actual struggle to reach a certain point in the industry. But maybe one day. Fingers crossed!

A journalist whose work you really like?

Ravish Kumar! What a personality! What a journalist! No further words required.

Where do you see yourself in the near future?

I will be joining India TV very soon. I would also like to switch to reporting. Let’s see! Hopefully, all will work out well.

Lastly, one advice to all SJMC students?

One is taught more than enough to join the media industry at SJMC-ASU. We as students were given proper knowledge and were made industry ready. Hence we were already aware about many things such as camera handling, video editing and even digital marketing when we started working. All this knowledge helped me, put me ahead of others. When compared with other journalism colleges, ASU really gives us practical knowledge. So make the most of your time here!