As a student at the SOJC, Jackson, a Portland native, got involved with the television show Duck U. Created by journalism students, Duck U is a student-run television program that features news, sports, and entertainment. Jackson learned about the program when a friend in his Acting I class asked if he was planning on auditioning.

“The audition was really intense,” Jackson remembers. “I thought I auditioned horribly. But I tried hard to read with personality, and I guess it worked.”

Jackson remembers SOJC Adjunct Professor Rebecca Force commenting that he did a really great job in his audition. Looking back at his college career, Jackson recalls how his professors encouraged him to flourish as a broadcaster.

“The journalism school really helped me find my niche,” said Jackson in a recent phone interview. “I’ve always known that I was a jokester- I was the class clown in high school- but the J-school helped me to become aware that I have the skills to make it on TV. With every ‘good work,’ or ‘that’s amazing,’ I really grew to believe it.”

Ultimately, Jackson took their advice.

“I thought to myself, well, they think I’ve got something. Let me explore that more,” Jackson said. “It helped to build my confidence.”

Associate Dean of the SOJC Al Stavitsky agrees that Jackson stood out as a remarkable student during his time in the Journalism School.

“Nate is one of the most natural on-air performers I've ever taught. His Duck U segments were creative and really funny,” Stavitsky wrote in an email interview. “So I'm not at all surprised that Jay Leno and others have recognized his gift.”

”One noteworthy thing about Nate is that he took learning seriously,” remembers Stavitsky. “He spent lots of time in my office seeking feedback about his work, not only about writing and production technique, but also about the ethical aspects of broadcasting.”

Likewise, Jackson, who will share these experiences with high school and community college students at the school's second annual Minorities in Media event on May 17, has a lot of fond memories when he looks back on his days in Allen Hall. He said the best part of his learning experience was the hands-on work he was able to do.

“The journalism school teaches you how to write, edit, make a TV package and produce it,” said Jackson. “There were quite a few nights where I literally spent the whole night editing in the lab.”

To some, it sounds exhausting. For Jackson, he wouldn’t trade those experiences for the world.

“I’m really glad I had to go through that,” said Jackson. “That’s how you learn; through hands-on experiences.” 

After Jackson graduated with a degree in Journalism, Electronic Media, he spent three months in Puerto Rico improving his Spanish in an effort to better market himself as a news reporter. When he returned from Puerto Rico, he applied to various news stations. In May of 2006 he landed a job in Yakima, Washington with the local NBC affiliate station KNDO. After four months working as a news reporter, Jackson decided to take a leap of faith in and switched gears in his career. In September of 2006, Jackson packed up his life and moved to Los Angeles to pursue his dream as an entertainer.

“You have to be confident and aggressive; you can’t be afraid to take a risk,” said Jackson. “You don’t even know how much of a difference that makes for a journalism student. When I was a news reporter, I was comfortable where I was, but then I took the risk to come out to LA.”

Jackson eventually settled into life in L.A. He balanced small day jobs with searching for bigger gigs. It wasn’t long before a friend called him to suggest he audition for a correspondent field reporter position for Jay Leno. Jackson sent Leno the tapes he had from his successful days with Duck U.

Once the producers on Leno reviewed Jackson’s work, he was selected as a finalist in the top 50 candidates nationwide. The contest dwindled down to ten candidates, Jackson still in the running. After the votes were in, Jackson was eventually selected as one of three correspondents who would be assigned to cover events in Hollywood, Arizona and Las Vegas. Jackson interviewed people on the streets in Hollywood, at casinos in Las Vegas over spring break, on the beaches in the hot Arizona sun.

After a few months of interviewing and producing “funny bits,” Jackson was invited along with the other two correspondents to present his experiences on the Tonight Show with Jay Leno in April of 2007. 
   
“It was a rush,” remembers Jackson. “They pick you up in limos, you’re walking past certain celebrities. They came up to me and said ‘good job.’”

Jackson, who sounds incredulous even as he is reliving his 15 minutes of fame, said that Jay Leno even came by his dressing room to personally wish him good luck before the show.

“The reason why I am efficient at doing what I do is because I learned how to operate a camera, edit, write, practice my editing and more through the J-school,” said Jackson. “I also got a great highlight reel that allowed me to get onto Jay Leno.” No small feat for an aspiring entertainer in his mid twenties!

His experience on Jay Leno gave Jackson the motivation to apply elsewhere. Jackson later heard about another national competition for the Travel Channel. He competed for the show “What’s Your Trip?” and submitted videos of his visits to various L.A. hotspots, including Rodeo Drive, famous beaches and Pink’s Hot Dogs. Some may call it luck, but others say journalists make their own luck. Jackson won that competition, too.

“It just goes to show you, always go after your dream,” said Jackson. “Always. ‘Cause you never know.”

As of now, Jackson has sent out segments to five different television shows, including Ellen Degeneres, Conan O’Brien and David Letterman. He is also in the running to be the host of a new program on the Discovery Channel.

“You know how they say ‘don’t quit your day job?’ I won’t until I get something consistent,” said Jackson, who works at Gold’s Gym in L.A.

His dream job would be hosting something in which “I could show personality. Anything where I can have fun, go from place to place and talk to people. And make it funny.”

“Much love to the UO J-school. The reason why I am where I am is because I got nothing but support from the J-school during my college career,” said Jackson. “I feel like at the UO, it was all about ‘hands-on, try it yourself and see what you can do’ experiences. And that’s how dreams start.” 

—story by Talia Schmidt

Watch Nate on Jay Leno by clicking here.
Watch more of Nate's Duck U videos by clicking here.

Watch Nate's Travel Channel clip by clicking here.