Saint Anselm's rich political history and students’ unprecedented access to political figures were a prime reason why I decided to attend the college. Gone would be the days in high school hoping to one day share my enthusiasm with a like-minded community and experience the Granite State’s First in the Nation Primary excitement in person. Saint Anselm made that a reality.
Leading up to the primary, my fellow Kevin B. Harrington Student Ambassadors and I waited in anticipation during our winter break for emails from the college offering the opportunity to work this cycle’s presidential debate on campus. Seniors were especially excited, as we had waited four years to be involved. Hearing stories from alumni and older students every year painted an incredible image of the debates in my mind. Unique experiences, ranging from helping Andrew Yang find his Uber in Uppers, to physically running into Anderson Cooper in the Dana Center, made working the debate seem even more interesting. While this year’s events did not make it possible for us to witness the magic of debate night, I can confidently say helping with its lead-up and the New Hampshire presidential primary itself lived up to every story I heard and then some.
GETTING STARTED
With a start date of January 11, I was looking forward to beginning this opportunity, even though I was unsure of what to expect. Four other students and I were placed in the spin room in the Carr Center, which would serve as the hub for all media outlets covering the event. With my interest in political communication and news media, it was amazing to be placed there. Our supervisor, the production manager and operations producer for ABC News, was as enthusiastic as we were to begin the final march toward debate night. She was an excellent mentor, providing great advice and direction for the tasks we were given.
For the next five days, the five of us worked diligently in preparation for the big night. A wide range of tasks (assisting in the design of the media lounge, placing placards at the more than 200 chairs for members of the media, organizing hundreds of lanyards for staff, and strategically taping ABC signage to the back of television monitors to create a broadcast-ready room) kept us on our toes. Needless to say, several coffee and supply runs were made over those five days, to help keep the production staff caffeinated, and the media lounge stocked. Beyond our hands-on exposure to news production, our access to top media professionals and the ability to learn from them daily was extraordinary.
LEARNING HOW TO NAVIGATE A CURVE BALL
As the day drew closer, the excitement in the air was palpable. However, that feeling quickly turned to stress with Nikki Haley’s post two days before the debate that she would not participate unless former President Trump did as well. This threw the future of the event up in the air. We scrambled to find as much information as we could and learned that ABC News declared a 5 p.m. deadline for a final decision by the Haley and Trump campaigns.
In the hour running up to the deadline, our tasks came to a halt as the ABC production and publicity teams sat in meetings waiting to hear the fate of the debate. Once the 5 p.m. deadline arrived, the publicity team, only two tables away, was on the debate-determining call. We all leaned in, anxiously trying to hear anything that would give as a clue to what would happen next.
A few minutes later, the vice president of communications for ABC News said, “Sorry, guys, the debate is canceled.” It was a tremendous shock and emotional blow as we had been looking forward to this opportunity for years.
TIME TO PIVOT
One of the biggest surprises came when we all realized there was no time to be disappointed; there was work to be done. In this moment, I learned the importance of maintaining clear- headedness and adaptability when sudden workplace changes like this occur. The production team handled it in a calm and professional manner, pivoting effectively on a moment’s notice. It was interesting to see the difference in their reactions as they did not feel the same emotional attachment as we did—this was their job, and they work events like this regularly. In retrospect, while disappointing, this experience served as a great lesson in how the news media operates and the importance of teamwork and crisis management skills.
That same night, the breaking-down process began for the set, with the publicity team and production manager flying back to their New York office the following day. I pivoted quickly, starting my work at the DoubleTree hotel in Manchester that day with fellow Ambassador Kayla Panagrosso ’24.
We worked with the ABC News Live team in preparation for the New Hampshire presidential primary. We gained tremendous exposure to the other side of the news media: live shoots and producer work. Witnessing several shoots with reporters broadcasting live to Chicago and California was fascinating, just as it was seeing their pre-shoot rituals, and the behind-the-scenes work producers do. We connected with an ABC News reporter, shadowing her live shots, and researching and proofreading an article she wrote on the primary. When the story was published, we received mention for our assistance. Coincidentally, I had taken a course titled New Hampshire Primary with Professor Galdieri the previous semester, and could now apply what I had learned as the primary unfolded in front of us. It was incredible realizing that, just one month before, I was in class learning about the different aspects of the New Hampshire primary and was now living it, having a front-row seat to this democratic process.
While spending our days in the venue hall of the hotel, we frequently walked past the lobby where many notable political figures could be found, making each day exciting as we wondered who we would come across next. Throughout our six days there, I saw Congressman Chris Pappas, presidential candidates including Marianne Williamson, Dean Phillips, Andrew Yang, and even Vermin Supreme, as well as political consultant Kellyanne Conway, and political analyst Jen Psaki.
A GRAND FINALE
The day of the primary was when our work came to a head. There was anticipation in the air, and many live shoots occurred throughout the day. When the results began to roll in that night, we shadowed Saint Anselm College alum and ABC News campaign reporter Kelsey Walsh ’17 at Dean Phillips’ campaign headquarters. It was a surreal experience to see what it takes for campaign embeds to cover events and politicians during such an important election night.
When our time with ABC News came to an end the day after the primary, I wanted to stay and continue living in our ABC bubble. Standout moments from the previous weeks included the camaraderie I developed working with the Ambassadors in the spin room, shadowing several live shoots with national reporters, and experiencing the unique excitement of election night with an alum working in the field.
I have benefited tremendously both personally and professionally from these once-in-a-lifetime opportunities. While news production is not the field I plan to pursue, my time with ABC has been eye-opening, educational, and thoroughly engaging. I am truly grateful for this experience and know it is one I will never forget. The unparalleled behind- the-scenes access and networking opportunities we received were nothing short of special, and something I could not have received anywhere but at Saint Anselm College and the New Hampshire Institute of Politics.
Amani Clemons ’24 graduated in May with a B.A. in Politics and a minor in Campaign Management.