Troy Reeb talks to Polytechnic students about internship

By Alexandra Noad - Lethbridge Herald Local Journalism Initiative Reporter on October 5, 2024.

Every year one student in the Digital Communications and Media program at Lethbridge Polytechnic gets a once-in-a-lifetime internship opportunity at Chorus Entertainment headquarters in Toronto and Montreal.

Troy Reeb, co-chief executive officer of Chorus entertainment, met with first- and second-year students in the program on Friday morning to not only discuss this opportunity, but also to discuss what the media world looks like especially with emerging technologies such as social media and artificial intelligence.

To qualify for this opportunity, the students pitch a news story or create a 20-minute podcast as an assignment for one of their classes. The top stories are sent to Reeb and the top selections have a panel discussion between instructors and Reeb and then the winner is decided.

Pete Gingras, an instructor at Lethbridge Polytechnic, who leads the assignment portion, says when he heard about the internship in his first-year teaching, he was absolutely floored at what an amazing opportunity it was for the students.

“I heard about this internship in my first year here and I was thinking to myself ‘wow, what an opportunity.’ I would have killed to have this kind of an opportunity,” said Gingras.

Reeb graduated from the Communication Arts program at Lethbridge College in 1988. He described his experience as very hands-on and practical.

When he did end up in the media business, he realized the polytechnic wasn’t as well-known as some other post-secondaries. So he wanted to create an opportunity for students from his alma mater they wouldn’t otherwise get.

“My goal creating the internship with the Alumni Association was to create opportunities for students from here that they might not get otherwise,” said Reeb.

The 10-14 day all-expense paid internship gives the student the chance to shadow the biggest players in the Canadian media field. They will have the chance to watch a National News broadcast be filmed as well as visit Parliament Hill.

The experience is somewhat flexible and can be tailored to the student’s future goals.

Reeb was also able to answer questions the students had regarding the media business.

Many asked questions regarding social media, the use of AI, and where he saw the media field headed.

While the media world is always shifting and evolving, Reeb is optimistic about the potential the students entering the media world have.

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