Current Position
Director of Brand Strategy Creative Services, Viacom Corporation

Brand Powerhouse
Viacom’s global entertainment brands include MTV, VH1, Comedy Central, Nickelodeon, BET, CMT, and Spike TV.  

Lessons Learned
“When I went to NYIT, I learned how to really use a camera. I learned how to edit. But more important, I learned how to speak to people.

A March to Remember
Davis-Levin recalls a documentary she produced for class as an NYIT graduate student about the Irish lesbian and gay organization not being allowed to march in New York City on St. Patrick’s Day. “It later aired on cable TV. Then I was watching 60 Minutes, and they’re interviewing everyone that we interviewed for the same story. I said to myself, ‘We scooped 60 Minutes!’ ”

Island Inspiration
“Gilligan’s Island fascinated me so much when I was five years old. That was the reason I wanted to work in television. I liked the idea of being part of that world.”

Changing Times
Davis-Levin prefers not to use the word “television” in the age of on-demand services, such as Hulu and Netflix. “I prefer to use ‘content’ because the material goes so many places.”

Heroes
“I love storytelling, so I love people like Bruce Springsteen, who is a master and captures so much of America and its people. I was also very influenced by my father. He was unable to have a formal education but he made a great business for himself. I also admire a lot of the female CEOs who’ve made it easier to break that glass ceiling—women who have given other women the opportunity to realize there is no limit to what you can achieve.”

9-5 Plus Evening Classrooms
In addition to her work at Viacom, Davis-Levin serves as an adjunct professor at NYIT. “I love connecting with young people, helping them. That’s where you’re having an impact on someone’s future.”

More Alumni Notes

Vol. 10 No. 3 Table of Contents