As a native of Wilmington, Delaware Jaunice Sills-McSwain is a graduate of Spelman College and American University where she attained a B.A. in English while simultaneously channeling her study through the scope of journalism.
Mrs. Sills-McSwain currently serves as the Senior Director of Content Strategy at E! Networks, the only global multi-platform brand for all things pop culture. Some of her previous occupational experience includes serving as the Vice president of Program and Scheduling at Revolt TV, Manager or Program Strategy and Acquisitions at BET Networks, and Production Coordinator at MTV Networks.
Q: What is your job description and title?
A: As a Senior Director of Content Strategy my primary responsibility is to follow culture trends.
Q: How do you use what you learned in your major in performing your job?
A: Majoring in English was the best decision I could've made as it pertains to my current position. It positioned me as a writer and communicator to be able to push quality works of writing that are astute to each given audience.
Q: Do you use technology such as computers, PDAs, cell phones, etc. in your day-to-day work? If so, what applications/programs do you use? How do computers make your job easier? If not, do you see a way that technology could be useful? Are there any tasks that you perform that you would be interested in automating or giving to a computer to do?
A: Absolutely. Social media is the most useful form of technology in my current profession as it allows me to monitor today's interests in fashion, music, and film. Instagram, Snapchat, TikTok, and Pinterest are among the most common platforms that I monitor daily. In addition, I follow the responses and critic of several acclaimed Broadcating networks such as ABC, BET, OWN, and MTV. Instead of searching the web or having a research team, I would like to see a self-reporting computer system that outputs trends on its own according to the mass input of data flowing through social media platforms.
Q: What do you think the industry will be like for me in four years? Will technology play a
larger role than it does today? In what way?
A: In the years to come, I expect the social presence of people to become even more digitized than it is today. I quite honestly think that mainstream TV providers such as Xfinity, and DirectTV will be replaced with prominent streaming services like Hulu, Netflix, and HBO Max. This will increase the role of technology because it gives the users more control over their preferred role of media entertainment.