Northeastern Alumna Antonia Sousa showcases the content creation skills she developed during her co-ops and College of Arts, Media and Design courses at NBCUniversal.
By Brianna Mitchell
“Working in late night has been really exciting because I’m editing clips that go on social that very same day…it’s the most rewarding thing because you’re instantly seeing how that’s performing,” says Antonia Sousa, AMD’23. One of her favorite projects she recently worked on was editing “Kevin Hart and Seth Meyers Go Day Drinking,” an installment of a popular interview series on “Late Night with Seth Meyers,” which amassed over a million views on YouTube.
Whether you are looking at metrics or the occasional re-post by Kevin Hart, there is no doubt that Sousa’s talent resonates with the talk show’s audience. Sousa, a native of Peru, is currently participating in NBCUniversal’s Page Program, a competitive application-based cohort of young professionals who receive exposure to different areas of the media conglomerate. After completing her first two rotations of corporate communications with Telemundo and collaborating with the social media team on “Late Night with Seth Meyers,” she is currently embarking on her final assignment with the video team on “The Today Show.” Additionally, she will assist the “Saturday Night Live” social media team by cutting and captioning videos.
On the outside, Sousa’s academic and career trajectory may seem kismet. Especially since Sousa’s father attended Northeastern and credits NBC programs like “Saturday Night Live” and “Seinfeld” for teaching him English. However, Sousa admits that her journey to 30 Rock was riddled with uncertainty.
After spending two years at a specialized art school in the Savannah, Georgia, Sousa transferred to Northeastern, believing she could thrive in an environment that would narrow down her academic direction. In her two years at Northeastern, Sousa acted on that belief by majoring in journalism and getting involved on campus. With intent to “contribute to something apart from [her classes]” she joined the Huntington News, Avenue Magazine, and became a CAMD Ambassador.
Sousa credits these experiences with more than just professional development—they laid the foundation for personal growth. For example, navigating challenges like losing a re-election bid for a social media position at Huntington News made a profound impact on her. She notes that dealing with rejection taught her “to not let it sway me in the wrong direction” and to approach “opportunities with an open mind [while] never feeling entitled to anything.”
Sousa took those lessons to heart and carried that perspective with her to two influential work opportunities—a co-op at Wayfair and an internship with Universal Music Group. Sousa recalls on her first day at Universal Music Group, the company switched her from the marketing team to the audience development department. Despite her initial hesitation to take on a data-driven role, Sousa reports that “I ended up loving it and seeing a completely different side to social and creative spaces…[this] is also why I am enjoying the Page Program as much as I am because it is such an unexpected environment that you need to be able to adjust to new things.”
Looking back at those two experiences, she adds that it “gave me the confidence I needed” and provided “clarity in terms of what I wanted out of a work environment.” Although her second internship is where her initial interest in the entertainment business began, she prefers the hands-on role she experienced during her creative production and video marketing co-op at Wayfair.
“Media is a really exciting medium to be in,” reflects Sousa. As much as she is interested in continuing her career in television, she adds that she is open to other sectors. “It’s more so about the work that you do and the impact you are leaving as opposed to the industry that you are in,” she says.
When she’s not staffing live-studio audiences and giving public tours of NBC studios, Sousa is focused on growing her professional network and applying her journalistic skills from Northeastern at “The Today Show.” Looking ahead, Sousa can join the Page Program’s graduate period, an optional term where the program supports participants’ journey to securing an internal or external full-time role. Whether she chooses to take advantage of that option, there is no doubt that Sousa’s expertise will shine bright in any future role she takes on.
I’ve always been somewhat introverted, and I never wanted that to get in the way of any opportunities because I care a lot about my professional success. So, taking the risk of going into these extracurriculars throughout college…you are learning how to collaborate in a really efficient way.
Antonia Sousa, AMD’23