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Jenny Rooney: 'Know your story'

On Thursday evening, English and creative writing majors packed into a small room in Bachelor Hall to listen to Jenny Rooney, editor of Forbes' Chief Marketing Officer (CMO) Network. Rooney was the speaker at this year's annual Gutsche Lecture hosted by the English Department.

Each year, the lecture focuses on navigating life after college with an English degree. Rooney received a bachelor's degree in English literature and creative writing from Miami in 1992 and then went on to receive a master's degree from Ohio University in journalism.

Rooney's speech, "The Art and Power of Story," detailed her journey throughout her career in journalism.

"Words [are the] vehicle to my story telling," Rooney said.

As a young child, Rooney dreamed of writing for a magazine. She continuously wrote short stories throughout her childhood and time at Miami.

"It was a true art form," Rooney said. "They were the key ingredient in my training to be a journalist."

Following numerous jobs at smaller magazines, Rooney landed her position at Forbes. As the editor of the CMO Network, she has distinguished herself as an influencer in the marketing and advertising industry.

"The bulk of [my] job is engaging with the community and telling the industry story,"Rooney said. "[My] story goes from journalist to industry influencer."

At Forbes, Rooney has interviewed influential individuals such as Mia Hamm, Colbie Caillat and CMOs at the world's most dominant companies, like Microsoft. She attributed this success to her ability to create her personal brand as a journalist.

"Know your story and be able to tell it," Rooney said. "[The] best journalists are building their personal brands."

Rooney said an important factor in the development of a personal brand is social media. She encouraged aspiring journalists to join the online conversation because they "can't escape it."

When Rooney started at Forbes, it was one of the first magazines to implement a contributor network. This network consists of experts in various fields who are not journalists by trade, but can share their expertise and knowledge with readers. This is now a common practice throughout the magazine industry.

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Forbes had to innovate to keep up with rapid advancements in technology and consumer preferences. Similarly, Rooney said that despite various transformations within the journalistic field, the written word is still at the core of the media industry.

"So many industries are being completely transformed right now," Rooney said. "Huge companies need people who know how to write."

creekce@miamioh.edu