Meet Lucas Martin, a fourth-year studying communication and the general manager of the Student Media business office. 

Martin works in the business office managing a team of students, which he accomplishes in many different ways. His role shifts day to day, yet his focus remains on his team and working to constantly improve and build community within the office.

According to Martin, a day as the general manager includes, “making sure payroll is taken care of; looking at call reports; organizing meetings; doing training; trying to look for ways that I can improve the team, and the organization in terms of institutional knowledge; continuity; and how things will look after I leave.”

One highlight of this work is the team’s weekly meetings. Martin uses these meetings to facilitate bonding within the team and share knowledge, often in fun and competitive ways. The team enjoys friendly rivalry in Kahoot and other competitions, with winners receiving small prizes or even a $5 Venmo transfer from Martin’s bank account. While the business office team is still new, these meetings have had a huge impact on getting everyone up to speed and connected. 

“The aspect of competitiveness and game-ifying it really brought us closer together, and I want to continue that bonding and energy in the coming meetings,”  Martin said. “I love to see that collaboration.”

Martin first got involved with Student Media in his second year at NC State as a videographer and copy editor for Technician. Martin described how his days as a copy editor have helped him in his current role and how maintaining business etiquette remains something he stresses to his team. After his time at Technician, Martin became a sales consultant for Student Media, which proved to be much more than just being a “salesperson.” 

“The day to day in that job really looked like client communication, and I found I liked doing that, prospecting for clients, keeping up with them, servicing them,” Martin said. “I had a lot of creativity in how I approached clients versus how I initially thought of it.” 

After the previous general manager of the business office left, Martin was encouraged to apply for the position. He underwent a comprehensive selection process to become the next manager, which he lightheartedly, yet accurately, described as “a lot.” This process included feats like a five-page paper and an interview with the board, along with much more. However, the hard work paid off as Martin was ultimately selected for the esteemed position, something he is quite proud of. 

Looking back at Martin’s time with Student Media, he said he was grateful for the many friendships he has been able to build and the real life experience he has gained through the many opportunities it created. 

“It’s just like any other campus organization, only it’s almost an entire department of hundreds of students working,” Martin said. 

Martin said he encourages students to get involved and jokingly described how he tries to “plant seeds” for Student Media all the time. He talked about the many avenues involvement with Student Media can open, showing that it has options for a broad variety of interests. 

“You can be everything from a DJ to a copy editor to doing video to doing web design,” Martin said. “There’s social media, sales, administrative clerical work. I think that experience carries onto a lot of different positions in the real world.” 

The idea of real world experience was something Martin said he emphasizes heavily and continues to reiterate as one of the most valuable takeaways from Student Media involvement. 

Martin’s dedication to Student Media over these years has not gone unnoticed, and as he finishes out his final year here, it is clear his work has left a positive impact. It is also clear that his time at Student Media has left a positive impact on him, and the lessons he has retained will continue to reveal their value as he finds success beyond NC State.