It’s a surreal feeling: one night, I’m hunched over Adobe Premiere Pro, cutting clips that my eyes can barely tell apart. The next morning, that same reel is playing two rows ahead in lecture, and by afternoon, it’s across campus group chats and national outlets. What started with me and a blinking red record button is suddenly everywhere — informing thousands, sparking reactions and cementing itself into the campus narrative.
That’s just one of the things that drives me through every project–and there’s been many. I’ve sat shoulder to shoulder with the sports editor in the Lynah Rink press box, capturing the electricity of Cornell hockey on its loudest nights. I’ve held a piece of cartilage on a science lab tour, worked on concerts with Cornell’s student-run record label, stopped students mid-walk on the Arts Quad for street-style interviews (yes, I’ve been that guy) and even stepped in front of the camera when the story called for it.
Some days I’m lugging a tripod up the Slope for a high-stakes shoot with the Editor-in-Chief; other nights I’m editing until 4 a.m., cutting ten hours of protest footage while my MacBook wheezes through a three-hour export.
It’s always worth it.
Multimedia at The Sun is where stories become immersive. We make pieces you can hear, watch, and feel: video explainers, short documentaries, podcasts, data-driven graphics and reels or TikToks that actually inform (and occasionally entertain). We work with every other desk, which means you get a front-row seat to the inner workings of a professional newsroom.
That’s exactly how I found my way here. I started in news, learning the fundamentals of reporting, interviewing and storytelling. But as an information science major—and someone who can’t resist tinkering with tech — I craved experimenting with new formats.
I’m a senior editor now, but as multimedia and data editor during the 141st and 142nd editorial boards, I helped rebuild the desk after COVID left it dormant. At a time when audiences were rapidly turning away from print, The Sun urgently needed to reinvent itself, and multimedia largely became a place where that transformation took shape.
We started by filming simple interviews, then launched a recurring series, and soon our reels were drawing hundreds of thousands of views. That momentum even helped secure a donation to build a dedicated multimedia studio outfitted with brand-new equipment.
Today, multimedia is its own branch with five sub-sections — photo, video, social, graphics and data visualization. This structure unifies our storytelling and deepens each team’s focus through specialized skill development.
You absolutely do not have to be an aspiring journalist to join us. Personally, my resume spans software engineering at an aeronautics company to product management at a tech company — neither exactly a newsroom. Still, it’s my Sun experiences that make all the difference in my interviews.
Being in multimedia taught me how to manage projects under tight deadlines, adapt under pressure, learn new technologies, analyze data, communicate clearly and move fluidly across disciplines. Those are the same skills that power rockets, shape software and here at The Sun, bring stories to life.
Whether you’re a filmmaker, marketer, data analyst, audio enthusiast, or just curious, there’s a place for you at our desk. We’ll hand you the camera and the press pass!
Applications are due Sept. 19. Apply here.
Marian Caballo is a senior editor on the 143rd editorial board and was the multimedia and data science editor on the 142nd and 141st editorial boards. Marian also served as an assistant news editor. She is a member of the Class of 2026 in the College of Arts and Sciences. You can reach her at mcaballo@cornellsun.com.
