Jake Beckman graduated from the University of Wisconsin - Milwaukee in 2017 with a BA in Journalism & Media Studies, a minor in Japanese Language & Culture and a certification in Digital Art & Culture. He had the honor to work and study under several legendary journalists and media scholars, including Jessie Garcia, Jane Hampden Daley, Marc Tasman and Elana Levine.
Ahead of his junior year, Beckman was accepted into a foreign exchange program at the prestigious Chiba University in the greater Tokyo area, where he spent eleven months embedding himself in the local community and studying alongside top students from across the world. During his tenure at Chiba University, Beckman received the honorary JASSO scholarship from the Japanese government, providing him a full-ride at the university.
Shortly after graduating in 2017, Beckman received an offer to work as a Production Specialist at the NBC News local affiliate in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. There, he honed his skills in stage management, talent coordination and broadcast technology. He then worked as a Technical Media Producer at the NBC News local affiliate in Madison, acting a newscast director, content editor and master control operator.
Beckman's career soared to a new level when he was tapped by CBS Chicago to help launch their 24/7 local news FAST streaming channel. There, he and his colleagues received countless awards, including the Edward M. Murrow award for overall station excellence in 2021. At CBS Chicago, Beckman held down all operations that involved streaming, including writing, producing, shooting video and interviews and archival restoration for video.
Fast forward three years, NBCUniversal hired Beckman as Programming Manager for local news FAST streaming channels across the country. Currently, he manages all streaming program operations for NBC Chicago, NBC Dallas Fort Worth, NBC Connecticut, NBC Boston, NBC Philadelphia and NBC Washington D.C.
In his free time, Beckman enjoys urban exploration with his chihuahua Big Tex and obsessing over video games from the Y2K era.
Photos: Margo Popio