Fueling Creative Energy in Media and Beyond with Mia Lardiere ’14

Academics

Undergraduate Season 5

Season 5 Capturing Creativity: Exploring Modern Photography with Jasper Soloff '17 The Heart of Libraries and Literature with Elizabeth Delinger ’86 Navigating Climate Solutions and Global Impact with Lindsay Iversen ’04 Advocating for Youth Mental Health and Education with Dr. McKenna Parnes ’15 Fueling Creative Energy in Media and Beyond with Mia Lardiere ’14 Translating College into Career Success with Leigh Heyman ’98

Academic Approach Areas of Study Global Education Combined Degree Programs Pre-Professional Programs Faculty Students & Faculty in Conversation Success After Sarah Lawrence

In this episode, we talk with Mia Lardiere ’14, Senior Director of Audience Development, Social, and Video at Hearst Magazines. We discuss Mia’s career history at Hearst and how she has kept up with the ever-changing media landscape. Mia shares her insights about the importance of transferable skills and being able to measure and hone in your skills in order to advocate for yourself. We also discuss how a Sarah Lawrence education can translate to the workforce, as Mia explains the importance of passion in one's work and the importance of keeping creative energy alive.

How would you describe the overall theme(s) of this conversation?

Navigating life after college in creative industries like media, publishing and entertainment. Mia emphasized following your interests even when the path is not very clear, building real skills, and staying adaptable in industries that are always changing.
Appreciating the bright spots within rejection and not taking things too personally. Also, aligning your first, or Tier 1, choices with something you are invested in. Also, experiences working within public, social, and video work now.

What were the strengths of this conversation?

She was honest about how tough life can be after college but gave practical advice about rejection, pivoting, building a career through skills, and keeping creativity alive even outside of work.

The strengths were the responses received based on questions asked seemed to get to the root of what the students wanted to learn more about.

Another strength I noticed throughout the conversation was the honest and authentic environment that was created through the experience of rejection and overcoming obstacles overall.

One strength of this conversation was how Mia talked about the importance of networking, be it with professors or students and how these connections have helped her in her career.

One strength was when Mia discussed the importance of a first job post-grad. Mia shared that she learned a lot of valuable skills while she was working at a media company that helped her further succeed at her next job.

I would recommend it because it gives a realistic but encouraging look at life after college. Especially if someone is feeling stressed about their career path, this conversation would help them feel less alone and give them solid strategies for staying flexible.

Those who want to learn more about the realities of hiring in 2025 with AI, rejection, public+social+video work, and focusing on what matters to you.

I would also recommend this conversation for those who are having trouble approaching the job market with an open mind and for those who may not have a traditional, linear path to what they want to do.

I would recommend this session to a friend that is interested in some form of the entertainment industry and might be feeling discouraged by the difficulty of getting a job/feeling established in that field.

I would recommend this session for someone who feels like they might be having doubts about their time at SLC or feeling like they need to rush and do everything!

I would recommend this session to a friend who feels like they need encouragement when to pursue their career even if it feels like it is leading nowhere.