Meghan Dunn ‘10, Emmy Award-Winning Producer Visits Professor Bob Mann’s Class

Caldwell alumna and Emmy and Peabody award-winning producer Meghan Dunn ‘10  visited Professor Bob Mann’s Broadcast Journalism class on Tuesday, Oct. 25 and provided students with professional advice and insights.  Dunn and her CNN Heroes colleagues recently won a News & Documentary Emmy for Outstanding Live News Special for their 15^th Annual CNN Heroes All-Star Tribute.

Pictured left to right: Professor John Yurko, Professor Bob Mann, Meghan Dunn ’10, and Studio Manager Nick Amabile.

Mann, chair of the Communication and Media Studies Department, and his students asked Dunn questions on topics such as: what goes into producing a quality story, the value of doing internships and networking, and the importance of good journalism.  Ashley Guzman, a sophomore in Mann’s class, interviewed Dunn for an in-class exercise.  “It’s on you as a student to work hard” and to make things happen for yourself, said Dunn. She shared what a typical filming day would be like for her when she travels the country producing short-form documentaries for CNN Heroes which is known for highlighting “everyday people doing extraordinary things to change the world.” 

Dunn said when she graduated from Caldwell she was prepared for the professional television workplace because she had learned the theory and practical aspects of television and radio production in her classes and she had interned at different outlets including CNN and ABC News. 

“I felt honored that I was able to interview her. She was very kind and helpful,” said Guzman who is double majoring in communication and media studies and English. She  was inspired by the fact that Dunn “was one of us, in our seats and now she is successful in her career.” 

Curtis Wright, a communications and media studies major, also enjoyed the class with Dunn. “It gave me a new outlook on media and it is nice to see someone who went to my school get to where I’d like to be.”  He appreciated hearing about the value of internships and making connections.   The presentation gave him motivation and direction for taking his next steps including working on getting an internship. 

Dunn is grateful to her professors for giving her a strong start to her career and said Caldwell is a part of her family’s legacy as her great-aunt was Mother Joseph Dunn, O.P., the founder of Caldwell College for Women.