Adam Garfield
Communication & Leadership
Class of 2022
How are you using the skills that you learned at Moody in your director role?
The skill that I believe has helped me the most in my professional career so fa from Moody is, and I know this sounds cliche, but communicating. I oversee a team of over 15 people that are responsible for creating content to an audience of over 20 million followers across all platforms. Moody taught me how to communicate and understand as a team rather than an individual, and that’s the most important part of my job.
How does it feel to direct content for such a large audience?
Creating content is something I’ve always been passionate about doing. I’ve loved entertaining people and making others laugh as long as I can remember, and I try to keep that mentality when publishing content to a mass audience.
What have you learned so far from the real world?
In the real world and especially from the social media landscape, my biggest takeaway is to learn and improve from your experiences. Nothing you work hard on is a failure, it’s an opportunity to improve. As a creator, I’ve constantly instilled in myself that not everyone is going to like me or like what I do, but if they’re watching my videos, I’ve won.
Were there any words of wisdom from professors that you use at your job today?
I remember on my last day of class for my CLD Capstone, Dr. Cutbirth told me that your major doesn’t define what you do.
What advice do you have for #TEXASMoody students?
Live in the moment and take it all in. You’re at the best college in the country and surrounded by people who are on the same journey as yourself. Adapt to different situations, stay confident in yourself, and prove yourself.
What do you miss most about Moody College?
This is going to sound odd but what I miss most about Moody is that air conditioning. As we all know, it gets really hot in Texas and when you walk into Moody, it’s like a wave of fresh air that hits you.
Live in the moment and take it all in. You’re at the best college in the country and surrounded by people who are on the same journey as yourself. Adapt to different situations, stay confident in yourself, and prove yourself.
Can you talk about your career path?
I’ve never really had an answer to the question, “What do you want to be when you grow up?”. I used to stress about not knowing the answer, but I finally realized in college that my journey is finding the answer. I started at Texas wanting to work in sports at some capacity, and I eventually landed a job working for the Longhorns football team as a recruiting intern. I did some self reflecting and wondered to myself “Is this career path really for me?” and I eventually decided that the answer was no. I took a chance and started networking with social media companies such as Playmaker, and they gave me a chance as an intern. I proved myself as an intern and eventually got a part time job as a Social Media Manager. I went in everyday with a chip on my shoulder and the mentality that I want to earn everything, which eventually led to a full time job as a Creator. I then worked my way up to a director role by analyzing my data, communicating with my team, and improving each and every day. Which leads me to today, where I still don’t know what I want to be when I grow up. I’m along for the journey and I’m loving it.
What classes/professors helped the most?
CMS306M - Professional Communication Skills. This class focused on communications in the professional workspace, working with classmates as a team, and public speaking presentations. I use what I learned from this class everyday at work.
Do you have a favorite project you worked on at your job?
My favorite project I’ve worked on was a fake draft prank at both the NBA and NFL drafts in 2022. My coworker, who happens to be 6’8, played a college kid getting ready to get drafted to the big leagues and I played his agent, directing his client through the streets of both Las Vegas and New York City. It was an extremely unique opportunity that I’ll never forget.