For Keisha Green, earning a Southeast Emmy Award is more than a career milestone. It is a reminder of the journey that began at The University of Southern Mississippi and the experiences that helped shape her career in television.
Green earned a bachelor’s degree in the School of Media and Communication‘s broadcast journalism program and a minor in marketing in 2020. She recently received a Southeast Emmy Award for her work as producer of The Best of Late Night with Rita Brent and currently serves as a creative services producer for Gray Media, primarily working with WLBT and Fox40 while also assisting with projects for WLOO.
“This recognition means a lot to me because it reminds me how far I’ve come,” Green said. “There were a lot of long nights, challenges and moments where I questioned myself, but every experience helped shape who I am today.”
As producer for The Best of Late Night with Rita Brent, Green oversees the show’s entire post-production process, transforming the three-hour live show into a one-hour television broadcast. She manages everything viewers ultimately see on screen, including editing, timing, graphics, lower thirds, color correction and the overall flow of the program while working closely with comedian and entertainer Rita Brent to bring the show’s vision to life. For the show’s second season, Green has also stepped into the role of live producer, calling the show, cueing production and helping keep each live taping running smoothly.
The award also marked FOX40’s first Southeast Emmy Award, making the achievement especially meaningful for Green and the station. The Southeast Emmy Award is the latest honor in Green’s award-winning career, which also includes multiple first-place Mississippi Association of Broadcasters Awards for commercial production, public service announcements, station promotion, lifestyle programming and creative marketing campaigns.
Green traces much of her success back to her time at Southern Miss. Through Southern Miss TV, leadership in the Southern Miss Association of Black Journalists and opportunities to create original media projects, she gained the confidence to pursue a career in television.
One of the most influential experiences came in a class taught by former School of Media and Communication faculty member Dr. Jon Pluskota, where students worked together like a professional media agency to develop original content and produce live events.
“What made his class so unique was that there were no limits,” Green said. “If you wanted to create a show, a podcast or develop a new idea, he encouraged you to do it.
Through that class, Green had the opportunity to travel to the South by Southwest Conference and Festivals in Austin, Texas, where she met filmmakers, entrepreneurs, CEOs, musicians and other creatives. She said the experience changed the way she looked at the world and opened her eyes to opportunities beyond what she had known growing up in Mississippi.
Green also points to former faculty member Dr. Cheryl Jenkins and current School of Media and Communication professor Dr. Mary Sheffer as mentors who played an important role in shaping her career. Jenkins served as Green’s adviser while she was president of the Southern Miss Association of Black Journalists, helping her navigate a time when she was still figuring out what she wanted to do professionally. An elective creative writing course with Dr. Sheffer sparked a love of writing that Green still carries with her today.
“I actually took Dr. Sheffer’s creative writing class because I needed an extra elective, but I ended up falling head over heels for writing,” Green said. “More importantly, she saw something in me before I fully saw it in myself.”
Mississippi Association of Broadcasters Day at Southern Miss proved equally influential. During her junior year, Green attended the event and introduced herself to a news director from WLBT after previously applying for an internship without receiving a response.
“Instead of giving up, I introduced myself anyway,” Green said.
The conversation led to an internship, which later opened the door to a full-time position.
Today, Green encourages current Southern Miss students to stop waiting for opportunities and start creating them.
“The biggest piece of advice I would give is to stop waiting for the ‘perfect’ opportunity and start creating your own,” Green said. “Some of the biggest opportunities in my career came because I introduced myself, asked questions, sent the email or simply put myself in the room.”
Green said Southern Miss gave her the resources to experiment, create and build a portfolio while she was still a student. Access to industry equipment, studio space and faculty support gave her the confidence to pursue opportunities she may not have otherwise considered.
She encourages students interested in broadcasting and television production to continue learning as the media industry evolves.
“One of the things I love most about this industry is that you become a lifelong student,” Green said. “You’re constantly learning from people, and because of that, you are rarely bored.”
While at Southern Miss, Green was inducted into Kappa Tau Alpha, the national honor society for journalism and mass communication, and received the Tarsha Ann McLaurin Annual Scholarship.
“Southern Miss didn’t just prepare me through coursework,” Green said. “It gave me mentors who believed in me, classmates who challenged me, opportunities to grow and experiences that opened doors I never imagined.
