Guilford graduate Christopher Imms is now working his dream job as a radio producer for WBAL in Baltimore.
Imms credits Guilford for kick-starting his career. He found his love for radio through his involvement in WQFS, where he was also able to learn some skills that greatly helped him in getting his first job as an intern at Rock 92 radio station.
“My entire life hinged on that internship,” said Imms in a phone interview
Imms described his transition into the working world as “incredibly lucky.” He was able to get a job right out after his internship from Rock 92.
“If it wasn’t for the internship, I wouldn’t have the job right now,” said Imms. “I wouldn’t be where I am today.”
Imms’ responsibilities as one of the producers for the WBAL morning talk show are many and intense.
“I wake up at two in the morning, I get on the road at 2:15, I get to work at three in the morning,” said Imms. “From three to five, my job is to figure out the news of the day. It’s my job to set up everything so (the morning show hosts) have things to talk about.”
“If I fail, we have no news,” said Imms.
Some of Imms’ greatest challenges within his job include finding the news for the show every day, as well as creating a show that thousands of people listen to every morning.
“It’s like building a Lego structure,” said Imms. “You have all these Legos and every day you don’t know what you’re going to get … Today you have a cat, tomorrow it looks like a dolphin, maybe Mahatma Ghandi the next day. You don’t know.”
Imm’s advice for seniors at Guilford is to not give up and to keep trying because something will eventually come along. After being unemployed for six months, Imms found that the trick is knowing people within the industry in order to land a job, especially in radio.
“It’s 30% who you know, 30% skill and 40% pure luck,” said Imms about the radio industry.
“In this world, you are just a piece of paper,” said Imms. His advice for creating an appealing résumé is to “intern, intern, intern, intern.” Since many employers do not get to meet candidates for jobs in person, the résumé is the only representation you have of yourself.
“Don’t be afraid to meander,” advised Imms to students who are not sure what their career path will be. “Just try and find your way.”
Reflecting back on his Guilford experience, Imms’ favorite memories are of his friends.
“If you can find that group of friends that you have, it will last a lifetime,” said Imms. “I keep in touch with my core group of friends to this day.”
Imms even met his wife during his time at Guilford.
“Thanks to Guilford, I got to go to school with my wife, which is great,” said Imms. He was with his wife during his time at Guilford, and the two recently got married.
Even having to struggle through the transition of being in the real world, Imms was able to be successful in part due to the tools and opportunities that Guilford gave him. He is now working at a job he enjoys and is excited for his future prospects in other areas.
