Some professionals go through life never defining their passion and purpose. Why? Self-doubt. But, Brooke Rudisill ’16, ’17, studio coordinator for Young Hollywood, is ready to debunk the fear of failure with one simple statement: Stop overcomplicating things.
In 2012, Rudisill enrolled in Lynn University to pursue an academic track in psychology. A semester later, her parents encouraged her to transfer home to Pennsylvania and join a state school. So, she did.
“It wasn’t until I got to Kutztown University that I realized I made a big mistake. I was in a major that I didn’t love, and I was at a university that my parents picked out for me. And I had just thought, ‘If I could be anything or do anything without doubt or fear of failure, what would it be?’”
Rudisill realized that she wanted to work in entertainment, but saying it aloud felt unrealistic.
“I called the College of Communication and Design and spoke with Professor Stefanie Powers. She asked me what my dream job was, and I replied ‘I just want to be like Ellen. That would be so cool.’ She calmly responded ‘OK. Well that’s multimedia journalism. We have that here.’ That was the first time I had told my dream to someone and didn’t feel doubtful.”
Rudisill transferred back to Lynn; changed her major; joined the National Broadcast Society (NBS), a student organization; studied abroad in Dublin, Ireland, and landed a role as editor-in-chief of iPulse, Lynn’s student-run news organization. She worked closely with professors, friends of similar interests, her adviser, and the Hannifan Center for Career Connections, which helped her land an internship in Los Angeles during her junior year.
Rudisill graduated with a bachelor’s degree in multimedia journalism and delivered the Class of 2016 undergraduate commencement speech. One year later, she walked across the stage a second time after earning a master’s degree in communication and media with a specialization in media studies in practice. Soon after, she returned to Los Angeles and began working full time at Young Hollywood.
Rudisill’s go-getter attitude has connected her with celebrities such as Fergie, Vin Diesel, Charlie Puth, Vanessa Hudgens, Halle Berry, and the casts of top shows like 13 Reasons Why and Stranger Things. And even when she’s not on camera, Rudisill is still having the time of her life—all while getting paid.
In 2018, Rudisill returned to Boca Raton for the Women of Today Luncheon to discuss the power of believing and the art of landing a dream job.
“How to land a dream job? I thought to myself, ‘That’s such a simple question,’ and we complicate it by thinking our dreams are out of reach. But they’re not,” she said. “If you have a vision, if you have something in mind that you want to pursue, it’s that simple—it starts with believing in yourself. When you believe in yourself, you then convince others to believe in your visions—and that’s extremely important.”
Rudisill also suggests that redirecting thoughts and simplifying ideas can help bring clarity and possibility to dreams.
“Landing a dream job is not about the salary, the title or the company name. It comes down to what you’re passionate about. What inspires you? What motivates you? What’s your happy escape? When you follow that—you land it. Don’t fear that others won’t see your vision the way you do.”
Rudisill believes it’s OK to not know what you want to do when you come to college, and it’s OK to graduate not knowing what you want to do after college.
“Yes, we’re in school for four specific years,” she said. “But, we put deadlines on ourselves, and we think that we have this set amount of time to pick a major, a career path—and we have to stick to that plan. But, I’ve learned from Lynn that it is OK to spend years inventing yourself. You don’t need to make one decision and roll with it forever.”
In 2021, Brooke Rudisill became a production supervisor at Netflix.
