By: Britton Nagy, Class of 2015
A legendary combination of white leather and fine wool, artfully stitched together and embellished with patches reading “LS ’14.” It is the last of its kind; the final of an iconic series of ‘Letterman jackets’ from the 21-year-running Late Show with David Letterman—and it’s mine.
The Letterman jacket, a gift from Dave to all Late Show staff and crew, still catches me by surprise as it hangs encased on my wall. For a nanosecond, I find myself questioning whether my day-to-day memories walking the twisting halls of the Ed Sullivan Theatre are, somehow, just a fantastic dream.
I interned with Letterman during the fall semester of my senior year at High Point University. I can picture stepping through The Late Show doors on the corner of 53rd and Broadway, not yet accustomed to the prodigious setting of Midtown Manhattan. Despite my obvious displacement, I was welcomed with open arms, in a manner emanating that this wasn’t just a job; and that I wasn’t just an intern.
I was being received into a family—a dynamic, diverse, and comically dysfunctional family; an esteemed combination of talents, personalities, and distinctive styles of creativity—all working together toward the same goal.
And, by some miracle I still can’t comprehend, they chose me.
This wasn’t the first time I had worked for a major television station; I’d previously worked for American Idol, the NBC News channel, and season two of the Lifetime series “Preacher’s Daughters.”
But this time was different.
I had joined a renowned team of television legends, and every single one held a genuine interest in my success. I had a front-row seat (or backstage, rather) to a champion in late-night television, and a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to contribute to its final season. I was mentored and guided in a way that enhanced my personal talents amid days packed with Stupid Pet Tricks, holiday toys, and invaluable professional insight.
I watched history unfold on a television screen every single night, knowing that I had played a part in it. It was more than I could have ever imagined as a senior in college.
I remember the first time I bumped into Dave. He was roaming the 12th floor hall outside of his office, casually dressed in basketball shorts and a t-shirt, and smiling ear-to-ear while greeting me. He could have been any ordinary person on the planet.
I noticed it more and more as the months unfolded. The way Dave gently hushed the booming applause of nightly fanatical audiences; how he shifted uncomfortably in his seat when praised by celebrity guests. And, in an awe-inspiring moment, through his emotion as Foo Fighters performed his favorite song. Pure, sincere humility—and I’ll never forget it.
As the final episode of the Late Show with David Letterman comes to a close on May 20, one thing will be certain: I’ll be glued to the television, proudly adorning my Letterman jacket… and I still won’t be able to put into words what it all meant to me.
Britton was one of the nearly 1,000 graduates who crossed the stage for HPU’s 2015 Commencement on May 9. She received a B.A. in communication and a concentration in electronic media. She says her time at HPU, at the Late Show, and all her previous experiences prepared her for a successful career in television production post-grad.