Michael Austin

Background

About Michael Austin

I’m Michael, a second-year at Duke University fueled by curiosity and creativity. I'm studying computer science (AI/ML), mathematics, and philosophy, while also cultivating my communication skills through journalism and broadcast production. My interests are rooted in professional experiences I’ve had as a student. I work as an Executive Producer for the CBC/Explorer Post 50 television production of Durham Bulls baseball games, which airs on WRAL Sports+. My responsibilities for the show; which include technical production, professional communication, and broadcast storytelling; have informed my passion for conveying a community’s experiences to the public. This role has also cultivated my teaching skills as I’ve introduced new interns to broadcast production. In 2020, I interned for Cisco, Inc. As the project manager of a cohort of interns from across the country, I guided the creation of a digital career-discovery prototype using an agile development process and presented the plans to several Cisco executives. I also designed a messaging-consistency guide for use by Cisco’s nonprofit outreach team. In the summer of 2021, I interned for Photofy, Inc, a business in Raleigh which makes software for enterprise-social media content creation. I participated in market research to identify demand in several fields, from academia to athletics, and created a go-to-market strategy based on interviews, survey data, and third party research. While working on this project, I also assisted with copywriting, authoring Photofy’s Apple App Store description and contributing to customer communications. In the past, I created educational social media content on the subjects of philosophy and politics, making over two million impressions across TikTok and Instagram. I compete in mock trial and debate competitively. In my free time, I enjoy discussing philosophy with my friends, listening to music, and hiking. I’m also fascinated by cities, writing, and science.