Cultivating Imagination

Encouraging students to explore beyond their comfort zone, Ed Madison teaches journalism to the next generation.

By Mckenzie Palmer

It’s October 1, the first day of class for Journalism 100 students at the University of Oregon’s School of Journalism and Communication (J-School). Professor Ed Madison stands confidently with a soft, genuine smile dancing upon his lips.

Madison instructs his students to write down their name, contact information, and what their interests are on a piece of paper. They then must locate people with similar interests and introduce themselves. Students hesitantly stand, wary about completing the second portion of their task. Slowly, they begin to move about the room, nervously speaking with their classmates. The room remains quiet. Most are reluctant to open up to complete strangers.

Suddenly, a strong voice fills the void: “if this feels awkward or uncomfortable, great. You’re in the right place,” says Madison.

Between moments of speaking, Madison laughs with his whole face, his smile wide and eyes gleaming with joy, creating an aura that makes even the most timid and anxious students feel calm and unafraid.

Most people have at least one teacher or professor that they greatly admire or that inspires them to pursue their dreams and accomplish something great. For many J-School students, Madison creates a space where they are molded into skilled, confident, and successful people. He takes his classes beyond a mundane routine, encouraging them to go out of their comfort zones and build relationships along the way.

For instance, in an effort to provide students with an opportunity to challenge themselves, Madison takes them on powerful journeys to foreign countries. Lisa Heyamoto, another professor at the J-School, accompanied Madison on a trip to New Zealand in December of 2019 to learn how the country’s indigenous population, the Māori, tackles current issues. She says that their group of 17 students went to “tell stories about a Māori community that, like the rest of us, are experiencing certain things, global problems, but [the Māori] are coming up with really interesting local solutions.”

These trips led by Heyamoto and Madison give students a chance to apply their skills and branch away from the typical classroom setting, bringing meaning and practicality to their studies. Madison loves how these expeditions allow you to “challenge your skills in an unpredictable setting.” He boasts that “students come back with really life-changing experiences, but also win lots of awards, and when they go to interview for jobs, they stand out because they’ve had these rich experiences.”

Madison takes journalistic learning to a new level, encouraging students to break out of their shell and enhance their skills. The number one thing that he tells his students is to talk to strangers. He says, “sometimes it’s challenging for undergraduate students to even make a phone call,” so he encourages students to reach out to the community and move past their fears.

“The biggest obstacle one can have is just their own fears about what’s possible,” he says. “I think as long as you keep testing those fears, you discover that more is possible than you could have ever imagined, just by trying it out, seeing what your imagination will allow you to do.”

While it can be difficult to face your fears, Madison strives to make students feel comfortable enough to do it, and enthusiastic about the process. Heyamoto says, “he kind of creates this space where students can try and explore and maybe fail… [and] they want to do that.”

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A young man of 16, Madison tested his fears and saw results. Interning for a Washington Post-owned TV station, he turned the TV on one day and saw Bob Shanks, a famous producer, being interviewed locally. Madison’s producer gave him the green light to call Shanks. He nervously asked Shanks if he would come onto Madison’s show the next day.

Though he was unable to stay, Shanks gave Madison his phone number, telling him to keep in touch. While Madison was unsuccessful in this moment, his courage resulted in future opportunities.

Two years later, Madison called him up. Shanks agreed to speak at Emerson College, the school Madison was currently attending.

Another four or five years passed, and after seeing Madison’s name on the credits of Lifestyles of the Rich and Famous, Shanks wanted to hire him to produce a show for CBS. Madison says, “how could I have ever even known that my tenacity at 16 was going to lead to a job that I had at 25 or 27 or something?… You just never know the impression that you’ll make on people.”

Madison’s experiences have taught him that speaking with people and taking chances can cause amazing things to happen. He encourages students to focus more on relating to one another than on chasing a job that may not exist by the time they can get there. The most important thing is to create a community. He says, “there are no jobs. There are only relationships.”

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Madison encourages people to “experience it all,” because “you never know when you’re going to step in front of a bus or something.” He himself has had many extraordinary experiences, working in the entertainment industry for years. He has worked with “everyone from Michael Jackson to Elton John to Tina Turner… from Eddie Murphy to Tom Cruise.” When CNN was just starting out, he ran the Los Angeles entertainment division. Throughout his career, Madison has produced several shows and worked with multiple big-name networks, such as CBS, ABC, A&E, Paramount, Disney, and Discovery.

He had numerous opportunities available to him in Los Angeles, and his career was going well. However, he decided to move to Eugene, Oregon.

“I just had some ethical concerns about the direction the industry was going and so it was really kind of for quality of life reasons,” he reflects. “One of the things that troubled me ethically was that when famous celebrities or whatever would die… the news people would want us to go out with a camera crew and put microphones in people’s faces, and I thought that that was just completely reprehensible.”

On the contrary, Madison says, “Eugene is a very livable place.”

Madison is thriving in this new environment. He has developed many new hobbies, such as kayaking, meditating, yoga, and making his own kombucha and wine. Heyamoto adds, “he’s kind of intense about these different cooking projects. He’ll grow tomatoes and then make salsa out of them, and then bring it to a meeting… I am very endeared by things that he makes and then wants to share.”

Beyond the city itself, Madison’s students keep him connected to aspiring journalists who are preparing to enter the field. They keep him young, and in return, he gives them invaluable experiences. Heyamoto says, “Ed has an infectious enthusiasm for journalism… when he gets excited and worked up, you just can’t help but be excited with him.”

Through his focus on experiential learning, coupled with his passion for the subject, Madison is able to prepare students to succeed as journalists. His class causes them to grow excited about the field and curious to learn more. When guest speakers come, students eagerly line up to talk to them after class. Their enthusiasm and excitement towards gaining a deeper understanding of journalism show Madison that he has done his job well. He proudly photographs his students waiting for their turn so that he can post it on Twitter, because, as he says, “that’s pretty cool.”