Alumni Then & Now: JR Ramsey '10
JR Ramsey is a 2010 graduate of Centenary College. He currently lives in California with his wife and fellow Centenary alumna, Ashley. JR spends his days working at Warner Bros. Studios, where he promotes films and tv shows produced by Warner Bros.. After graduating from Centenary, JR completed a master of arts degree in strategic public relations from the University of Southern California. He enjoys running, podcasting, and most of all being a prankster!
Centenary Days
I studied New Media Communications (Shout out Jackson Hall!) and was involved in a number of campus organizations including Theta Chi, Student Council, the Admission Ambassadors program, Orientation staff, and Maroon Jackets (I felt way too fancy wearing that jacket, by the way). Off-campus, I also worked as the assistant debate coach for Parkway High School.
Life in 2021
I currently live in Los Angeles with my wife Ashley, who’s also a Centenary grad! I work for Warner Bros. and its parent company WarnerMedia where I promote many of the films and television series produced and distributed by Warner Bros., HBO, HBO Max, Cartoon Network, and Adult Swim (Wonder Woman, Game of Thrones, Westworld, Aquaman, Rick and Morty, Space Jam: A New Legacy, etc.).
My current hobbies include running really fast, prank calling nursing homes, and podcasting. I’m totally joking about the second hobby, by the way. I’ve never tried it, so I can’t claim it as a hobby or know to a 100% certainty that I’d enjoy it. But who knows, maybe one day I’ll give it a whirl…
What was your favorite campus study spot?
So there’s this fancy library-like nook room just outside the elevator bay on the third floor of Jackson Hall. I never felt more like a true scholar than when I was cooped up there late at night surrounded by rows of books and basking in the soft incandescent glow of the overhead light bulbs. I don’t know if this room has a name or not, but one day if I ever become a high-rolling donor to Centenary College, I’ll definitely lobby for it to be christened the JR Ramsey Room of Books and Other Scholarly Things.
What was your favorite off campus hang out spot?
Two words: El Compadre. I still hit up this incredible restaurant whenever I visit Shreveport. And, yes, I still order the same menu item that I did years ago!
Who was your favorite professor?
All my professors were incredible, but I just have to give a special shout out to Dr. Greg VanHoosier-Carey, who had the greatest influence on the growth of my writing abilities. In four semesters taking his classes, my writing evolved from an average skill to an asset, and one that set me apart from many of my peers in graduate school and helped me excel in my career in the entertainment industry.
How did Centenary’s unique community prepare you for life after college?
What I absolutely love about the Centenary community is that it contains so many strong subcommunities within it. For example, my wife Ashley was a member of the Centenary College Choir and I was in Theta Chi. Being a part of these smaller subcommunities grounded us both and helped us better succeed throughout our collegiate careers (and they also made us feel even more connected to the overarching Centenary community!). This also provided us with the perfect template for success years later when moving cross country to Los Angeles, a city with a population of four million. Instead of being overwhelmed by the sheer size of Los Angeles when we arrived, we immediately set about locating our own subcommunity, and were blessed to quickly find one (a small, incredible church in West LA). Our Centenary experience ultimately provided us with a wonderful roadmap for establishing a sense of community within the bounds of a larger one.
What was your favorite campus activity, event, or club that no longer exists?
Definitely Theta Chi Fraternity. I met so many lifelong friends there.
Do you have any other quirky, “only at Centenary” stories?
Some of my fondest memories involved playing 40-person games of Sardines (reverse hide-and-seek) in Mickle Hall at night. You’ll never feel more alive than when you’re roaming the dark, creepy attic of Mickle in the dead of the night with only the sound of your heartbeat to keep you company.
What’s one thing Centenary students should do before they graduate?
Plan an impromptu dance party in Cline courtyard, sneak into the underground tunnel between Mickle and Magale, pull an innocent prank on a suitemate. Seriously, have fun while you’re still a college student, because life ceases to be fun once you graduate (just kidding, obviously).
Look, while working in the entertainment industry, I’ve found myself constantly surrounded by some of the most dynamic and successful folks I’ve ever met. One of the common threads I’ve found amongst those that are most successful is that they make time in their lives for enjoyable experiences, fun hobbies, etc. The folks who I’ve found to be the least successful tend to center their entire lives around their jobs. This might work for some folks, but on the whole, making space in your life for fun is an incredible balancing mechanism that will only enhance your general wellbeing as well as your ability to reach higher peaks professionally.
Student Question
What were the steps taken for you to get from where you are now, working at WB studios, from graduation? – Emilie Adams, rising Junior Communication major
Rock on! Glad to meet a Centenary communication student who is ready to set the world on fire (figuratively, not literally, obviously... I would NOT be excited to meet a Centenary comms student who's dream it was to literally set the world on fire... that person would scare me...)
Anyway, my road to working for Warner Bros. involved calculated risks, intentional networking, and a bit of luck. The starting point was three years prior to landing the job, when my wife and I made the decision to leave two stable jobs, a house, and a city/state with countless friends and family to move cross country to Los Angeles. This was a calculated risk that was essential to my career story as it landed me in the epicenter of the entertainment industry. Upon graduating from grad school, I was networking like crazy while simultaneously applying to 5+ jobs per week (a baseline requirement for job hunting in a major U.S. city). Anyway, along the way, I asked one of my former grad professors if he knew anybody in the entertainment industry. He connected me with one of his former students (my future boss at WB), who agreed to grab lunch for an informational interview. Four months later, a position opened up on her team (a bit of luck regarding timing), and I immediately emailed her my resume. I got into the interview pool and the rest was history.
Now, for any graduating students reading this who want to immediately move to a major city to try to pursue opportunities like this one, I would encourage you to first lay out a strong financial plan for a life shift like this. Big cities are expensive, and I personally know folks who ran through their life savings within six months in Los Angeles. You'll also need to be prepared to work REALLY hard along the way. This means you might have to work some jobs that aren't quite so fun for a while while you network and position yourself towards the industry/company you hope to end up in.