NBC News Political Reporter Shaquille Brewster discussed his journey to NBC News at LBCC Thursday evening.
Brewster sparked an interest in journalism during his high school years because of his admiration for politics that was passed onto him by his grandmother, Alfreda Brewster.
Brewster decided to continue his educational journey at Howard University in Washington, D.C. and studied broadcast journalism with a minor in political science.
When Brewster found out about the student-run newspaper and television program, The Spotlight Network, he was optimistic about the possibilities this would lead to.
The NBC News reporter shared some of his lessons that he learned during the conversation.
“Make whatever opportunity you can. Create whatever opportunity you can,” Brewster said.
Prior to graduating from Howard University, he attended a job fair and met with a local station. Instead of initially becoming a local reporter, Brewster was hired as an associate producer for Hearst Television’s Washington Bureau and was able to do national and political news for 27 stations.
Brewster explains his hectic schedule during his time as an associate producer for Hearst Television.
“I would wake up at 12 AM, get into work at 1-1:30 AM, and I would stay until 9:30 AM. I was still wrapping up my final semester of classes, so I would go straight to class; I had two classes. Then get back home, try to sleep and do it all again the next day. You just have to take the opportunity that you have there and be open to whatever you can do,” Brewster said.
Brewster was always fond of mentors who are knowledgeable about his specific interests. He met his mentor at the National Associations of Black Journalists conference and stayed in contact. His mentor brought him to the NBC Washington, D.C. bureau to gain insight and make contacts during his visit.
After he made connections and relationships at the NABJ conference, Brewster received a call from NBC News to inform him about a political Tim Russert fellowship that had opened.
He got the Tim Russert fellowship and had three rotations: meet the press, research and write stories and cover the assignment desk.
The NBC News sent Brewster in replacement of another producer to Baltimore after the death of Freddie Gray. Brewster arrived in Baltimore amid violence surrounding Gray’s death. He attended a protest during the time of the incident, which suddenly turned into a riot involving citizens and the Baltimore Police Department.
“I had never covered barely a protest, let alone a full-on situation like this, and I was just thrown into it. That’s the final lesson I’ll get to, which is be ready for whatever opportunity may come your way,” Brewster said.
He continued sharing his lessons. “Be ready for the moment. Be ready for the people you can talk to. Have those mentors and lock in those mentors. Be open to opportunities because you’ll never know where they’ll lead to.”
Kamelia Brooks, a student at LBCC, said, “My favorite part was his Do’s and Don’ts about college, being a college student and how that relates to us.”
After Brewster’s involvement with the Freddie Gray incident, he moved onto reporting daily on the 2016 campaign, from July 2015- August 2016. He followed candidates to gather information for NBC News.
Once his role as a 2016 campaign reporter finished, he applied to become a general assignment producer for the NBC Chicago Bureau. The position didn’t involve politics however Brewster took the opportunity. He covered events such as Hurricane Maria, and also became a member of the political team for the 2018 midterm elections.
Two weeks before the 2018 election, the NBC producer was sent out to Indiana to meet with a reporter, but the reporter didn’t arrive. On short notice, Brewster was given the authority to be the reporter on early voting. After reporting that day, NBC asked him to report on-air two weeks straight into the 2018 election.
Currently, Brewster is called a “Road Warrior” to cover the 2020 presidential election across television and digital platforms.
Political Science Professor Dr. Jerome Hunt said, “We’re thrilled to have our speaker, Shaquille Brewster. Personally, what I try to do in my class is bring in the voice of the marginalized communities and I feel like this event is one way, as a college, we are being able to do so.”