CLASS NOTES
CORI MCCULLOCH This year marks the 50th Anniversary of “Mister Rogers’ Neighborhood,” a children’s television series created and hosted by Fred Rogers. In June, “Won’t You Be My Neighbor?,” a documentary about the life and guiding philosophy of Rogers, was released prompting a wave of reflection and compassion in social media chatter. Cori McCulloch (BSJ, 2014), a marketing coordinator for Fred Rogers Productions, is the voice of the company on social media and is on the receiving end of this chatter. A Pittsburgh native who grew up watching “Mister Rogers’ Neighborhood,” she can easily relate to his fans. In addition to managing social media for Fred Rogers Productions, which produces shows like “Daniel Tiger’s Neighborhood,” “Peg+Cat” and “Odd Squad,” McCulloch manages web content for fredrogers.org, and helps to coordinate “Be My Neighbor Day” with PBS affiliates all over the country.
How did you land the gig at Fred Rogers Productions? Honestly, I just applied. My major was visual journalism, and I originally wanted to be a documentary filmmaker. Before Fred Rogers Productions, I worked at the Children’s Museum of Pittsburgh. I started really liking strategic communications and social media, and I gained a lot of knowledge about child development. I think that helped pave the way for my career at Fred Rogers Productions.
What are your ultimate career goals? My career goals have changed dramatically over the last five years. I never thought children’s media would be my calling. The beautiful thing about where we are right now with media and technology is that there are no more traditional paths. You can take your skills and apply them to whatever cause you’re passionate about. You never know where you’re going to end up, things might change and that’s ok. What is it like working for the company during the 50th Anniversary? The 50th Anniversary is exciting and challenging. There’s no better way to learn on your feet than when you’re in an international spotlight. I recently posted a clip of Mister Rogers buttoning his sweater. He’s singing and starts to giggle because he started on the wrong button and he says, “Do you ever make a mistake? Because sometimes I do, and it’s ok.” Droves of people reached out to thank us, commenting that they really needed that reminder. In the small dayto-day, we still need to hear what Mister Rogers has to say. Just because we’re adults and have responsibilities doesn’t mean we’re above these basic reminders for ourselves and others. During the 50th Anniversary, we’re having conversations about why he’s so relevant, and it’s because these are basic human things that we deal with every day.
RE EDCOLLEG EOFME DI A.W VU. EDU
With childhood memories of watching “Mister Rogers’ Neighborhood,” what does it mean to work for Fred Rogers Productions now? It’s kind of surreal. I grew up in this Pittsburgh bubble where I didn’t realize that everybody watched Mister Rogers. It seems cliché that everyone that works for Fred Rogers Productions is kind and empathetic, but it’s really true. I feel like I’ve become a more emotionally literate person. Being able to contribute to something that was so essential to my childhood, but also contributing on new productions and being able to provide resources to help parents have meaningful interactions with their kids – that is really special. Being in the grocery store
and hearing a kid sing a strategy song from “Daniel Tiger” never gets old.
What is it like managing social media for children’s programming? We’re not really marketing to kids because they don’t have social media – we’re marketing to their parents. I’ve been able to find my way in this complicated space of showing that we have something fun for kids, but that a child’s developmental benchmarks and concerns are also taken into consideration very purposefully.
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