Fan Profile: Skyler Henry
Skyler Andre Henry (’11) went from being one of the busiest students on the Georgia Southern University campus to an internship with Clear Channel Media, the biggest radio company in the country. He graduated in December 2011 and in January Henry was in Los Angeles, Calif. for a four-month internship at KIIS-FM where popular “American Idol” host Ryan Seacrest broadcasts his syndicated radio show.
The multimedia communications major says a return visit by Seacrest to the high school they both graduated from — Dunwoody High near Atlanta, Ga. — helped seal his interest in broadcasting. “He talked to a few students right at the beginning of his career when I was going to ninth grade and ever since then I’ve been in love with broadcasting,” Henry said.
At KIIS-FM the Georgia Southern alumnus helped write blogs and edited audio for programs by popular disc jockey Rick Dees. Henry added, “It’s definitely surreal being able to work with icons of the business smack dab in the middle of Hollywood.”
Henry said his internship at one of the most listened to stations in the country would never have happened if not for his hands-on experiences at Georgia Southern which included his job as a student producer/host on “Inside Georgia Southern Football with Jeff Monken.” “I think there might have been a period in time where I was the busiest student on campus,” Henry said. “I had three jobs including the Coach’s show, I was a member of Eagle Entertainment, I held a position with 91.9, class of course and I was trying to brand myself in the process, besides being a 21-year-old.”
Now working as a production assistant with WSB-TV in Atlanta, his True Blue spirit is evident when the Georgia Southern alumnus talks about his professors in the University’s Communication Arts Department. “Had it not been for Tyson Davis, I would have never experienced any of this. Tyson, in a way, inspired me to be better than I could have ever imagined.” Henry added, “Susan DeBonis is another one. She’s the one who pushed me to even consider taking the chances of applying to internships in Los Angeles.”
