![\"Grant](\"http:\/\/ww2.georgiasouthern.edu\/news\/magazine\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/3\/dudley.jpg\")
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When alumnus Grant Dudley (\u201999) graduated from Georgia Southern University almost 13 years ago, he knew very little about working in the digital dot-com world \u2013 yet today he is the programming manager for HGTV.com<\/em> and editor-in-chief of HGTV\u2019s design blog \u201cDesign Happens.\u201d<\/p>\n His first job after leaving Georgia Southern put him on track for the career he had always envisioned \u2013 working as a broadcast journalist. In his entry-level position at the Cable News Network (CNN) in Atlanta, Ga., Dudley handled phone calls and viewers\u2019 complaints and compliments. He often found it difficult dealing with the public but said, \u201cI was working at CNN for crying out loud. I wasn\u2019t complaining. It was a stepping stone to so much more and I was honored to be there.\u201d<\/p>\n The Jonesboro, Ga., native quickly moved up through the ranks and before long was an associate producer for \u201cAmerican Morning with Paula Zahn.\u201d However, four years after arriving at CNN, Dudley realized producing and writing news was no longer the dream he wanted. \u201cYour life is dictated by news and that began to wear on me,\u201d he explained. \u201cKeep in mind; I was working in the CNN newsroom during 9\/11 and America\u2019s invasion of Iraq. It was a lot. Although I was succeeding and growing in my profession, it wasn\u2019t what I wanted for the rest of my life.\u201d<\/p>\n Eight years ago, he landed at Scripps Networks Interactive in Knoxville, Tenn., and has been there ever since. He has worked on talent and show pages for FoodNetwork.com<\/em>, including cooking show hosts Rachael Ray and Paula Deen. As programming manager for HGTV.com<\/em> and editor-in-chief of the blog \u201cDesign Happens,\u201d he writes most of the copy you see when you visit HGTV.com<\/em>. \u201cI love that I\u2019m able to be creative and not be in a pressure-cooker environment,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n In February, Dudley returned to the University for the first time since graduating as the featured speaker in the College of Liberal Arts and Social Sciences\u2019 Alumni Connection Lecture Series. \u201cBelieve it or not, I miss studying in the library. I miss the campus in the spring and fall \u2014 Sweetheart Circle especially.<\/p>\n \u201cMy favorite memories are of listening to Maya Angelou when she visited campus, hanging out with close friends and all of my communication classes,\u201d he said. \u201c I am deeply rooted in Georgia Southern University. No matter where I go in my career, I will stand on the solid foundation that the school provided me. I\u2019m a Georgia Southern boy \u2014 I take that Eagle Nation pride with me always!\u201d<\/p>\n