Media Hall of Fame - Rich Robinson
Rich Robinson, 1979-84, Journalism: Robinson, a native of Howell, Michigan, was selected as one of six 2024 honorees who have distinguished themselves in their professions. He spent 20 years building a high-profile career as a journalist, publicist and Emmy-winning television producer in Hollywood, and later a dozen years as a communications strategist for nonprofit organizations in Washington, D.C.
“My best subjects were English and social studies as a student at Howell High School, math and science not so much. It finally clicked for me when I took an English composition class,” said Robinson. “Our local paper, the Livingston County Press, gave the school one page in each edition to publish our high school newspaper, and our first edition ran in December 1977. All of a sudden, we were under pressure to make it look and read as well as the rest of the paper.”
Robinson first stepped on the CMU campus during Little Siblings weekends while his older brother and sister were students, so it was a natural choice for him. Howell’s high school journalism teacher made sure their school newspaper office received copies of the various college newspapers around the state, and Robinson noticed that 95% of CM Life’s stories were written by students, which was telling.
“It looked pretty obvious which journalism school in the state would be most beneficial,” he said. “Besides, I really liked CMU’s ‘small school’ feeling, even though it’s a bigger academic institution. I remember my first day moving into Emmons Hall with my hometown buddy and it only took us 10 minutes to acclimate to the campus. It felt like home.”
Robinson credited several courses as providing the academic experience he needed to succeed.
“My Media Law class with Dr. Mike Petrick was crucial, and the design class I took with Dr. Tom Rood taught me how to do layout. Now, I tell students to learn Photoshop and InDesign,” he said. “I took a lot of history classes, Russian history and sociology, and philosophy classes. Those, along with Dr. Guy Meiss’ Press and Society course, all helped with teaching me how to think. Everything at CMU provided context.”
Robinson’s professors took a special interest in his academic development during his years at CMU and provided the foundation upon which he could find his future.
“Mike Petrick for sure. He was my advisor, and we became friends outside of the classroom,” he said. “Ron Marmarelli taught me sports writing, as well as magazine writing, and Guy Meiss even wrote a letter of recommendation for me to become editor of CM Life. Not only did these professors provide excellent journalism instruction, outside the classroom they were fantastic examples of how to be a good human being.”
After spending five years studying journalism at CMU and working as a reporter, columnist and finally editor-in-chief at CM Life, Robinson ended up moving to Hollywood. As a publicist, he worked with many music superstars, including the Rolling Stones, Janet Jackson and Quincy Jones. As a producer, he created more than 1,200 celebrity segments for Comedy Central's quirky talk show, "Turn Ben Stein On," Fox TV's "Good Day LA" and other programs. Preceding Robinson's television and public relations work, he wrote a music column for the Los Angeles Reader, an alternative weekly newspaper, and also managed a successful L.A. indie rock band of former CMU students called The Leonards. In 2009, Robinson moved to Washington, D.C. to work as a communications strategist for nonprofits to help strengthen democracy in America. Much of his advocacy career centered on protecting voting rights of historically marginalized communities - people of color, students, and the impoverished.
“I had an amazing, wonderful career in Hollywood, one that I could’ve only dreamt about,” he said. “But my advocacy communications work in DC, helping strengthen our democracy, is what brings me the greatest satisfaction. Protecting citizens’ right to vote is probably the most important thing I did in my diverse career, and it’s the work for which I am most proud.”
Robinson has written about media and politics in HuffPost and has been quoted and placed op-eds in newspapers across the country. He believes CMU is where his stage was set for success.
“CMU is the kind of place where you can realize your potential. It’s not a place where you will get lost in the crowd, yet it has all the hallmarks of a major school,” he said.
“If you’re looking to be a reporter, embrace your traditional role of holding those in power accountable at all levels, not just federal but local, especially in this era of less coverage of elected officials,” he advised. “Be entrepreneurial, learn multiple skills, learn to shoot and edit compelling video; get good on social media. Have a voice. The ballgame has changed, and smart journalists will adapt to the evolving media landscape.”
