Zoe Judilla
Radio-Television-Film, Journalism
Class of 2021
How are you using the skills that you learned at Moody in your current role?
Moody taught me how to simultaneously think on my feet, as well as think outside of the box. As a dual major in the honors program, I was able to hone in my skills throughout various curriculum and organizations that strengthened my versatility and deliverability as a creative. The fast pace of writing and reporting from my journalism degree, the visual and emotional intelligence of directing a short film from my RTF degree, the painstaking research and review from my Moody Honors capstone projects – all of these projects gave me invaluable insight into creating memorable and meaningful content for a living!
What is next for you?
After starting out in a full-time capacity as a Brand Strategy & Marketing and Diversity, Equity & Inclusion Coordinator, I was recently promoted to Creative Associate, where I have the ability to spearhead the creative direction of our campaigns to support a wide variety of our shows across digital, print, events, awards, and social media efforts. My team also works directly with the producers and creators of our shows to ensure the strategy for a campaign is thoroughly and innovatively executed.
The studio currently has over 130 active shows across all major networks and streaming platforms, and I’ve had the amazing opportunity to work on some incredible current shows like the Emmy® Award-winning Hacks and Russian Doll, Never Have I Ever, The Umbrella Academy, Bel-Air, Candy, Chucky, Ted, the Psych franchise and more, while also touching on some iconic legacy shows like The Good Place, The Office, Parks and Recreation, and Late Night shows.
Were you involved in student orgs on campus?
During the course of my college career, I was the Editor-in-Chief of Afterglow ATX, the Buzz Editor at ORANGE Magazine, a Writing Director at Silk Club ATX, a Production Assistant at TSTV’s Sneak Peek and a Staff Writer & Model at Spark Magazine. I was also a proud Texas Lasso and member of The Broccoli Project!
Use your time at Moody to flex your creative muscles and strengths in different areas to find what you’re most passionate about. Even if something doesn’t stick, just know that there are so many avenues and surprising ways to tackle this industry.
What advice do you have for #TEXASMoody students?
You are a multitude of greatness! Use your time at Moody to flex your creative muscles and strengths in different areas to find what you’re most passionate about. Even if something doesn’t stick, just know that there are so many avenues and surprising ways to tackle this industry. If you truly desire to learn and grow, people will make room for you to do so, so long as you remain determined, receptive, and authentic towards your needs for personal development.
What do you miss most about Moody College?
I definitely miss being constantly surrounded by creative and whip smart people who would challenge me to be better every day! You can find the coolest people in the world at Moody who have a wide range of interests and perspectives, and those open conversations within classes and diverse organizations always energized me to be better at my craft, whether that was filmmaking, writing, or creative development.
Can you talk about your career path?
Moody really gave me a steady baseline for some fantastic opportunities since my freshman year, starting out at some amazing student orgs with a heavy emphasis on writing and producing. Those experiences led to internships with Texas Monthly, then NBC Entertainment (UTLA semester), then Late Night with Seth Meyers, and finally, A24 during my full senior year. Following graduation, I landed a full-time role back at NBCUniversal, and after just a year, I was promoted to Creative Associate.
What classes/professors helped the most?
My favorite classes were the ones that really challenged the thoughtfulness that goes into creating content, which ultimately resulted in some of my proudest portfolio work – like my Moody Honors Capstone, Narrative Production, Directing Workshop, Telling and Selling the Story (UTLA Development Course), Audio Storytelling, Lifestyle Journalism, World Cinema History, and more.
As for professors, Mira Lippold-Johnson, the Director of the UTLA Program, was such a wonderful guide into this industry, and she was a great leader who always advocated for me. I did UTLA during the Spring 2020 COVID semester, and I still felt like I got so much out of the experience with her guidance. I also really appreciated the mentorship of Dr. Mary Bock, who was both my Moody Honors Capstone advisor and Gender & The News professor – she was always pushing me to better in and more thoughtful of my work, and I felt that I truly grew with her insight.
IG/Twitter handle/LinkedIn: @zoejudilla on all platforms!