Volume 29 · Number 2 · Winter 2012
Web extra: Young alums in the work world
Nicki Sun
Production coordinator at MYX TV and freelance TV reporter
Haven’t heard of Nicki Sun yet? Chances are you will soon. Sun has been on a mission to find her dream job as a television host since graduating in winter 2010, and she’s showing no signs of slowing down.
Nicki Sun
In February 2011, she landed the position of production coordinator at MYX TV, a cable network channel made for Asian American youth and available in 5 million households nationwide. She has since gone on to interview and work with celebrities and rising stars. Additionally, her YouTube channel has more than 7,000 subscribers and 800,000 video views. “Everyday I wake up and I honestly feel like it’s a gift. When I interview and talk to people, it comes from that place where I know that life is beautiful. Hopefully, it will inspire the people who watch to do something meaningful.”
Sun also fills in to do special projects for MYX TV. Last July, she went to New York City to report on the Harry Potter and the Deathly Hollows: Part II movie premier. “It was a huge deal for me because that was something that Warner Brothers sent us out for. There was more pressure for me because that was the first time I went to a press junket.” Originally, Sun was not scheduled to interview the cast, but, two minutes before the interviews, she was told she had the chance to talk to the main actors from the film— for four minutes. “It was the most intense four minutes of my life,” she said.
Sun got her start in media at UC Davis with an internship with University Communication and as a reporter for AggieTV, the student-run TV broadcasting organization. Among stories she reported for AggieTV were a world break dancing tour hosted at UC Davis, the creation of the UC Davis smartphone application and the Red Balloon charity event, which raised money for the UC Davis Children’s Hospital. Her coverage of November 2009 student fee hike protests got Sun national recognition.
Sun and her cameraman Daniel Fontaine ’10 were the only TV reporters who recorded the protest from inside Mrak Hall, the building occupied by protesters. The next day, CNN asked Sun and Fontaine for permission to use their coverage. Their footage was aired frequently throughout the day, nationwide. “After CNN, that’s when I realized that broadcasting was a definite possibility,” she said. “I heard my voice on TV and we just screamed,” she said. “It felt so good knowing we’re a student-run organization and we didn’t have a broadcast major. We did it all on our own. It was nice to know that the TV media sees the value of student journalism.”
After graduating, Sun worked overtime to get her name out there. She reported events for her YouTube channel and created a segment called “Now You Know,” where she interviews rising artists. She freelanced numerous times, including for Martin Yan ’73, M.S. ’77, whom she met on a UC Davis trip to China, and for Hyphen Magazine, where she wrote a cover story.
“For me, I never did reporting for recognition or fame,” Sun said. “It was stepping up and connecting my community—getting the word out—that drove me. Knowing you have the ability to really inform people about what’s really going on is a responsibility I embrace.”
You can follow Sun’s work on her website.
Advice for recent graduates: “If you want something, go for it. No one is going to do it for you. Also, just because you are not getting a job doesn’t mean you aren’t talented. The company just hasn’t heard of you yet—you have to find a way to put yourself on their radar.”