Victoria Murphy practically lives in the Lawrence Herbert School of Communication (LHCOMM). With an insanely busy schedule, Murphy having time for an interview came as a surprise. What wasn’t a surprise was that she was found sitting in the NewsHub of LHCOMM.
Murphy, a sophomore television production and studies major with a minor in design, is extremely involved on campus. She’s currently an active member of the Hofstra Entertainment Access Television (HEAT) Network as both a writer and a crew member for Thursday Nite Live (TNL), Two Weeks Notice and Hofstra Today. Murphy is also a member of Zeta Phi Eta, a co-ed pre-professional fraternity that is geared towards communications majors. When I asked her how she manages to get any sleep, she laughed and said, “I don’t.”
In high school, Murphy was very involved with drama and dance. She dabbled in practically every style of dance ranging from lyrical, ballet and pointe to tap, jazz and musical theater. However, it wasn’t until coming to Hofstra that Murphy discovered the possibilities of a career in the television industry.
“I always looked at shows – late-night shows like [Saturday Night Live], like, ‘Wow, that would be so cool for me to get involved in, but I’ll never be on camera.’ But there’s whole worlds beyond that talent aspect. There’s so much to do with production and writing,” Murphy said.
Since her start at Hofstra, Murphy has been involved with TNL and Two Weeks Notice. It was during this past fall of her sophomore year that she also got involved with Hofstra Today and Zeta Phi Eta.
“I’ve gotten a lot closer to my peers in the television school and the school of communication and I feel like I’ve really grown a network of people that I can rely on,” Murphy said.
Although she’s only been a member of Zeta Phi Eta since the fall, she’s already made so many incredible memories. One of her favorites was when her big, Libby Creek, brought her to see Seth Meyers.
Murphy has gotten tickets several times for The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon. When asked what the experience was like she said, “It was awesome, because it’s cool to look at the production stuff and know what’s going on.”
Zeta Phi Eta has also helped her to make connections with professionals in the field.
“We do a lot of pre-professional events that are really helpful. Alumni come back and we can talk to them about how they’ve grown since they left college,” she said.
In addition to being a member of Zeta Phi Eta, her involvement with the shows on the HEAT Network have helped prepare Murphy for a career in the television industry.
“The writer’s room of TNL is very similar to a professional writer’s room and I think I learn a lot just by going. It’s a really large extension [of] what we learn in class,” Murphy said.
In addition to the professional aspect of it, she emphasized that the environment of TNL is welcoming and supportive and has made many great friends throughout the process.
One of Murphy’s fondest memories from TNL so far was when a sketch she had been working hard on for a while finally made it in an episode.
“My friend Mackenzie Carroll and I wrote a sketch called Ghost Excursions that we’ve been writing and trying to perfect since my freshman year and no one’s seen how beautiful it is until this year. It finally made the show and it was really goofy, but we were proud of it,” Murphy said.
She has also been making several strides through her involvement with Two Weeks Notice.
“Recently, Two Weeks Notice had their hourlong extravaganza. Usually the show is only 30 minutes long. It was fun to come up with content for that and come up with packages,” Murphy said.
As far as her future involvement on campus goes, Murphy plans on staying involved in the HEAT Network until she graduates. She will continue as a writer and as a crew member for TNL, Two Weeks Notice and Hofstra Today. However, come spring of 2019, Murphy will take over as the new head writer for Two Weeks Notice.
“Two Weeks Notice is more of a Jimmy Fallon-style late-night comedy show, and that’s where I see myself [in the future],” Murphy said.
Last summer, Murphy interned for The People’s Court. She is currently looking for another internship for this coming summer.
Ultimately, Murphy’s dream is to work on a late-night comedy show. Comedy writing is where her passion truly lies. Between all of her involvement and dedication to the HEAT Network and to Zeta Phi Eta, a future career at Jimmy Fallon or another late-night comedy show is well within her reach.
