Members of the Channel 2 Spartan News team may not necessarily see themselves going into the television industry. However, that is exactly the path taken by 2010 Southern Lehigh graduate Samantha Palumbo, who earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in Television, Radio, and Film from Syracuse University and now works as a producer and video editor at Al Roker Entertainment.

Palumbo was first able to get her “foot in the door to the television industry” when she was one of fewer than 100 people of 16,000 applicants hired for the NBC Page Program. Within the span of three months, she rotated through working at USA Network, “Late Night with Seth Meyers,” “Saturday Night Live,” and the “TODAY” show, where she first met Al Roker.

“It was incredible because I got to do everything from production to marketing and public relations, and learn what I liked and didn’t like about the industry,” Palumbo said.

After the program ended, she was recommended for a job at Roker’s company and “naturally ended up there.”

“In my job I write, produce, and edit weekly videos for an international news source, Business Wire,” Palumbo said. “I also develop television shows at our company and edit ‘sizzle reels,’ which are essentially three to five minute previews of what a new show is about. Our president pitches these reels to networks so they can decide if they want to buy the show or not.”

She recently worked on creating “Girl Starter” a competition show on TLC spotlighting young female entrepreneurs. Although starting a show on a famous channel was unforgettable, her most memorable moment so far was when she featured in a segment on “Late Night with Seth Meyers.”

“The writers asked to put me in a sketch where crew members read poetry. I read a haiku that ended with me giving Seth the double [middle] finger for not remembering my name,” Palumbo said. “Rainn Wilson from ‘The Office’ was a guest on the show that night, and he came over to me and shook my hand after I was on…my heart never raced so hard.”

In high school, Palumbo was was an anchor on the morning announcements, and also involved with the swim team, the choir, and the theater department. She was cast in four plays: “Damn Yankees,” “Rumors,” “Macbeth,” and “Curtains.”

“Sam was a hard worker. I distinctly remember her performance as Carmen in ‘Curtains.’ It was her to a tee,” music teacher Mr. Matthew Wehr said. “I am in no way surprised to hear where she has landed. She, a few years ago, interned for NBC at the Olympics in Sochi, Russia, so it is no surprise to see her thriving in media on such a high level.”

To all high school students, especially the seniors applying to college, Palumbo shared a few encouraging words: “Don’t worry or compare where you are to your peers. Everything really does fall into place, and everyone’s path is totally different.”