Meet reporter and documentarian Eman Boyd '19

Written byAshley McClure-French

鈥淭ake every opportunity. You can start doing internships your first summer after your freshman year. Just get yourself out there. 鈥

Eman Boyd graduated from the 欧美三级片 with a brodcasting degree.
Eman Boyd
Graduation Year
Class of 2019
Major
Mass Communication: Broadcasting
Hometown
Opelousas, La.

Where I'm From

I鈥檓 from Opelousas where I watched local broadcasting personalities after school. 

Where I Am

I鈥檓 a nighttime reporter for KATC TV3 in Lafayette.

Where I'm Going

I am going to produce more long-form stories like my award-winning documentary.

With a desire to stay close to home, Eman Boyd found UL Lafayette was the obvious place to study broadcasting

鈥淚 just felt like I needed to be close to home to start out,鈥 she said. 鈥淪o, UL Lafayette just made the most sense to me. Plus I didn't want to miss out on any of the festivities, like and Mardi Gras.

鈥淚 was just drawn to the broadcasting program before I started. I attended Preview Day six months before I was actually enrolled, and I just loved the program,鈥 she said.

A Personal Minor

The broadcasting major requires students to also earn a minor. Eman was drawn to Black and African diaspora studies

鈥淚n high school, we only learned a little about civil rights and other movements, and just three main people like Martin Luther King, Rosa Parks, and Harriet Tubman,鈥 she said. 

Learning about Black history was a matter of personal identity for Eman, as well as a subject she wanted to study more in her own time.

鈥淚t gave me the opportunity to understand our history, how it's developed over time, and if we still use those same mechanisms,鈥 she said. 鈥淚t was really eye-opening for me. If I could have another minor with my master鈥檚 degree, I would definitely go for it again.鈥

Finding Opportunities

Along with continuing her personal studies on Black history, Eman is currently working toward a Master of Arts in Communication and Media Studies online at the 欧美三级片 of the Southwest. She is also a full-time reporter at . These opportunities are the building blocks for her future.

鈥淓ventually, I do want to go to a bigger market like Atlanta or Washington, DC,鈥 she said. 鈥淚 would eventually like to anchor 鈥 that would be cool. I've actually had some practice here at KATC. They've let me anchor a couple of times during the holidays."

UL Lafayette broadcasting alum Eman Boyd reporting for KATC TV3.

鈥淚 think that's what's so great about the market here in Lafayette: you still have opportunities to really develop those skills,鈥 she said. 鈥淪o, when you go somewhere else, it's not like you're a newborn trying to figure out what's going on. 

鈥淚f anyone who's thinking about getting into broadcasting, I think Lafayette is a great place to start because it will prepare you for different markets,鈥 she said.

Gaining Experience as a Student

Eman started preparing for her career early on. She interned with KOCZ 92.9 FM, a local radio station in Opelousas as well as KIEE 88.3 in Lafayette. Her final internship was at KATC and led to a job right after graduation. 

鈥淔or people coming into broadcasting, I would say take it seriously and take every opportunity,鈥 she said. 鈥淵ou can start doing internships your first summer after your freshman year. Just get yourself out there. 

鈥淭he more experience you have on your resume, the easier it will be for you to get into television because that's what they're looking for," she said. 鈥淚nternships are a big foundation for that, as well as getting involved (with student organizations).鈥

Eman was part of student organizations on campus that still impact her life today. She got involved with as a student which led her to become an active member of the Rotary Club of Opelousas Sunrise. And she takes what she has learned from the into account every day.

鈥淓ven though what I'm saying on television is the most important part, before I even open my mouth people are looking at what I'm wearing, if my makeup looks okay, and all that,鈥 she said. 鈥淪o, I take great pride in my appearance, especially on television.鈥

The Documentary Warrior

As a student, Eman made a documentary called 鈥.鈥 While she wants to create more films in the future, her first one is already an award-winner.

UL Lafayette broadcasting alum Eman Boyd with her documentary poster and the subject of her documentary.

鈥淲e were able to go to a few film festivals actually, which is crazy,鈥 she said. 鈥淚 got my first award for Best Short Documentary for a film festival in Atlanta. So that was pretty cool.鈥

Eman gets experience with longer-form stories as part of her job during sweeps months, which are February, May, July, and November. 

鈥淲hen you do stories every day, you only have a maximum of maybe 90 seconds to tell that story,鈥 she said. 鈥淗aving sweeps months, it gives us that opportunity to dig a little bit deeper into those stories that really hit home or are really personal for us.鈥

Life as a Reporter

As a nightside reporter, Eman鈥檚 workday stretches from 2 p.m. until 11 p.m. Each day starts with a staff meeting to discuss the schedule for the early shows and pitch ideas.

鈥淲e have to pitch story ideas every day,鈥 she said. 鈥淭here has to be at least one good one.鈥

UL Lafayette broadcasting alum Eman Boyd reporting in the field for KATC TV3.
Eman reporting for KATC during a traditional courir de Mardi Gras outside of Lafayette.

With the exception of breaking news and previously scheduled stories, those pitched ideas need to be assembled for the later shows.

鈥淥n a typical day, after I pitched the story and it gets approved, I set up the interviews, go out, interview, and shoot,鈥 she said. 鈥淔or people who start in Lafayette, which is a smaller market, you are typically going to be working solo. You have to set up the interviews, do the interviews, shoot your own story, come back, edit, get it checked by one of the anchors or one of the producers, and then have it ready to go for the 10 p.m. broadcast. After 10 p.m. we have to write our web stories. And then after that, we post on social media. And that's a full day for me.鈥

Being a reporter is a lot of work, but Eman finds the work exciting.

鈥淚t's pretty crazy,鈥 she admitted. 鈥淏ut I think what I enjoy about it is that it's something new every day. And that's what keeps it really exciting for me.鈥

More Alumni Stories