Journalism Hall of Fame winner Mark Jacobs taught video journalism this spring (Photo courtesy Mark Jacobs).
There’s no right or wrong path to get to where one wants to be in life.
For Mark Jacobs, a Pepperdine adjunct professor teaching video journalism, life presented him with his own route in becoming a 23-time Emmy award winner and inductee into the Journalism Hall of Fame.
Jacobs, 56, said he never imagined his career and life events leading him to where he is today, especially considering how difficult it is to work in the media industry.
“I hope I can represent the brightest light in the dark pit of Hollywood,” Jacobs said. “I just feel if there’s a little bit more love, it would be a much better place to work.”
While Jacobs started his career in news, he later moved to documentaries and film directing, receiving multiple Emmy’s and working for channels such as ABC, NBC, MTV and VH1 to name a few.
Jacobs started his career at age 13 in his hometown of Las Vegas, Nevada. He toured a Howard Hughes television news station and kept going back.
When he turned 16, a CBS affiliate offered him his first job at a TV station. Since then, Jacobs has worked for the ABC, CBS and NBC affiliates in Las Vegas where he was able to learn through on-the-job training.
After leaving Nevada in 1980, he spent time in the Army where he received an electronics background.
“The whole purpose of me going in was for that specifically,” Jacobs said. “I just wanted to understand how power got out of a plug and into a wall, and how power allows us to see television.”
Following his time in the Army, he jumped back into news. He started working for another NBC affiliate where he was the youngest chief photojournalist — a title he still holds today.
After leaving NBC in 1988, Jacobs continued to work for affiliates in Las Vegas, Phoenix and San Diego. While he was at the ABC affiliate in San Diego, Jacobs received a call asking him to help start up the first Fox affiliate in San Diego around 1999 and hire all the photojournalists, editors, reporters and anchors.
There he filled the role of news director and eventually became executive producer.
Theresa de los Santos, Pepperdine communication professor and former associate producer for the Fox affiliate, worked with Jacobs in San Diego.
“Mark just has a vision for news that’s beyond daily local news,” de los Santos said. “He believes that it can and should be visually interesting and cinematic and filled with really creative graphics. He goes beyond chasing ambulances; he goes for deep, cutting-edge stories.”
After working at Fox, Jacobs decided it was time to live out his dream of being a director in Los Angeles.
In 2004, he received an opportunity to direct his first show for VH1,“Breaking Bonaduce.”
Since then, Jacobs has directed 55 television series and pilots for a plethora of channels such as VH1, MTV and A+E Networks.
“Glee” has been his favorite show he has directed thus far. Jacobs said he liked being able to work with people that are unknown and get them into the business.
“I like Ryan Murphy’s concept of people that are bullied sometimes turn out to have the most talent and they all have a voice,” Jacobs said.
Jacobs wasn’t bullied as a child but he said he was very shy and his career helped him grow out of that. Today he is not afraid to show his emotion.
“He wears his heart on his sleeve, he feels so deeply, he cares for people and he doesn’t hold back when it comes to emotion,” said Jocelyn Jacobs, Mark Jacobs’ wife of 18 years. “A big man like him cares and has feelings; it impacts people around him.”
In December 2017, Jacobs agreed to come and teach a media production class at Pepperdine.
Jacobs’ has continued to show this emotion to his class just over the last few weeks.
Jacobs said he thinks that he received the opportunity based off of his accolades in storytelling and less for his experience because he never received a college degree for the work that he does.
Jacobs said the best thing he can do for his students is to not lecture them too much but to have them go out and get their hands dirty.
“The best college that you can go to is the one where you get the opportunity to get your hands on, and now I get to share that knowledge with all of you,” Jacobs said.
Jacobs is very excited to continue teaching his students how to be storytellers and find their own unique style.
“He’s so eager to teach and show people what this business and industry is all about,” said Emily Tencer, Jacob’s teaching assistant and a senior broadcast journalism major.
Jacobs wants his students and aspiring journalists to know the importance of wearing every hat in the industry.
“Know what a photojournalist does, know what an editor does, know what a technical director does during live show decks,” Jacobs said. “If you have the opportunity to jump in and physically become part of that world, do it.”
Brianna Willis completed this profile in Jour 241 under Dr. Christina Littlefield.
