Will Medina, 30

Director of sales and marketing, Prensa Arizona Phoenix, Ariz. Education: Arizona State University, bachelor of arts, communication

What advice do you have for other young professionals in the news industry?

Always be willing to learn and be open to the ever-changing landscape that is the publishing world. Make sure you are always fine-tuning your skills whether that is by attending online seminars or trainings. With technology changing every day, the news industry is constantly changing and it’s so important to not get left behind. Also, the importance of building those industry relationships early because you never know who you might meet five to 10 years down the line in your career path. Great industry relationships will get you far in the news industry and always be open to learning from the older publisher. They are a wealth of knowledge that you can actually learn a lot from.

What do you think a newspaper will look like in 10 years?

The newspaper in 10 years will be a hybrid of both the printed version and the offsets of various digital offerings (live shows, podcasts, AI interactive graphics). With Spanish language media in particular, the newspaper will need to engage a new generation of newsreaders, especially the bilingual audience and find ways to engage the ever-changing demographic landscape in this country.

I think we are actually seeing an evolution of the newspaper right in front over eyes over the last year in part due to the COVID-19 pandemic, which has shown the ever importance of local journalism and the printed news industry in general.