UNH Today

Angela Marsh’s favorite part of her job as a post producer at Atlas Media Corp. is that her role never stays the same for long. In her four years with the company, she’s worked behind the scenes on a number of cable television shows, including the Travel Channel’s “Hotel Impossible” and the DIY Channel’s “Raising House.” Every day, Marsh has to adapt quickly, think creatively and learn new information on a moment’s notice. It’s the kind of environment in which she thrives.

“That’s one of the things that drew me to producing. Every seven to ten months you’re switching on to a new show,” Marsh said.

Her first job was conducting research on a medical show. Then it was on to a real estate program. She moved on from there to a show about turning around poorly managed struggling hotels.

“What’s the most engaging to me is it never gets stagnant and you never get bored because you’re always moving on to something new, and you’re always learning and growing.”

Marsh currently works on the National Geographic Channel’s “How to Survive the End of the World,” putting on the finishing touches and reviewing every detail of each show.

“It’s my job to incorporate the notes from the executive producers and the network into the show and make sure everything else is in line, that the legal issues are taken care of and the length is still correct,” she said. “It’s balancing different parts of the show and making sure they all come together.”

Marsh has worked her way up from production assistant at the same New York City production company where she landed her first job, learning immensely along the way. But Marsh said it was her studies and internships in New Hampshire that laid the groundwork for her career.

Marsh graduated in 2008 with a double major in English from UNH's campus in Durham and Communication Arts from UNH Manchester. Growing up in her hometown of Loudon, N.H., Marsh dreamed of becoming a writer for television. Her English classes helped her become a better writer, while her Communication Arts classes in Manchester gave her hands-on experience she would use for many years.

Research Methods in Media was one of those classes, Marsh said. Taught by Associate Professor Jeffrey Klenotic, the course covers research on how people watch television, why they watch and how they interact with programming.

“It’s something I always keep in the back of my mind when I’m working on a show. How will it be consumed? It really helps us shape what we’re doing,” said Marsh.

After graduation, Marsh landed an internship at Concord TV, where she worked on everything from filming local Little League games to post production work in the editing room. That internship was followed by another at JBC Communications in Portsmouth.

“I really got to do everything,” said Marsh. “I was working behind the camera, climbing up on roofs and really getting into crazy production stuff. I don’t think would have gotten to do as much if I had gone to a bigger production company.”

As Marsh continued her search for full-time work, the University of New Hampshire again helped her get to the next level. Through her connections with UNH alumni, Marsh got an interview with Atlas Media Corp. soon after she made the move to New York.

Looking back, Marsh said the connections she made and the film and media-based projects she worked on as an undergraduate student not only gave her valuable skills, but were important to shaping her career path.

“It helped me meet the people I could work with in the future," Marsh said. "Talk to people, get to know your fellow students and take advantage of opportunities that are there.”