HPU Media Production and Sales Expert in Residence Shares Career Advice with Students

Theresa Patiri, AMC Networks’ senior vice president of production, operations and global program sales and partnerships, encouraged High Point University students to follow their passion and develop authentic relationships to reach their career goals during her recent visit to campus. She participated in a Q&A with Jack Krumpe, a freshman business administration and political science major, in the Callicutt Life Skills Theater.

HIGH POINT, N.C., April 1, 2026 – Theresa Patiri, AMC Networks’ senior vice president of production, operations and global program sales and partnerships, encouraged High Point University students to follow their passion and develop authentic relationships to reach their career goals during her recent visit to campus.

Patiri, who serves as HPU’s Media Production and Sales Expert in Residence, spoke to students on March 19 at Congdon Hall’s Callicutt Life Skills Theater in a Life Skills and Leadership Series session titled “Motivation in the Spotlight: How to Stay Driven in a Fast-Paced, Creative Industry.” An accomplished entertainment executive with more than 25 years of experience in the industry, Patiri is executive-in-charge of more than 5,000 hours of TV and digital content.

While on campus, Patiri lectured a class about sales in dynamic environments, met one-on-one with media production students for executive coaching sessions and shared lunch with students who serve as L.I.F.T. (Leading and Inspiring Female Leadership Trailblazers) Fellows.

“We work in a very fast-paced environment, so you have to prioritize,” she said. “The more you prep, the better outcome you’re going to have. The great thing about content and production is that stories and ideas come in the moment, and you build on each other. You can have a great idea, and people can jump on that idea and expand it further so it’s great to have open dialogue.”

Patiri spoke about the value of employees showing up as their authentic selves but leaving out negative experiences and responses because those can “shut down creativity immediately.” She encouraged students to develop respectful interactions and positive relationships to boost creativity.

“The core of who we are is human relationship so show up in the best possible way,” she said. “I would attribute my success to never saying ‘no’ to things I thought I couldn’t do. I’ve been put in situations, and I’ve had imposter syndrome saying I can’t do it, but I did. I did everything I can to learn about different aspects of the business because the more that you learn, the more you can grow.”

As a first-generation college student from an immigrant family, Patiri majored in psychology and minored in media production because of her passion for storytelling. While attempting to land an internship as a counselor, she was hired as an intern with ABC’s “All My Children” on the day before the second semester of her sophomore year started.

She recalled working 15 hours a day without pay as an intern and being willing to do anything to learn and make connections with others. Those relationships led to her next projects on live TV, including “Saturday Night Live,” the “Today” show and the Olympics. She also worked with HBO on independent films and in casting.

“One thing will lead you to the next thing,” Patiri said. “You have to find what you love. Loving it at its core gave me the motivation for the next step.”

What Students Learned

Patiri sat down with Jack Krumpe, a freshman business administration and political science major who is pursuing a minor in legal studies, for a Q&A in the Callicutt Life Skills Theater.

Patiri said she found the entertainment industry was cut-throat in her early days, and she was convinced she wasn’t good enough. She advised students to read more about what’s happening in the world around them, invest in themselves, know everyone suffers from imposter syndrome at some point and that they belong. She suggested ways to motivate creative teams through constant change and high expectations, to stay inspired and avoid burnout in a demanding, fast-moving field and how trust can unlock innovation and sustain motivation.

“Theresa had a lot of good advice about teamwork, especially when it came to motivation,” said Krumpe, who is from Hagerstown, Maryland. “My most important takeaway was about emotional intelligence and being able to work with your team, get down to their level and understand not everyone has great days and they can go through mental setbacks. Being able to motivate the team and get them back to where they were is a good opportunity.”

Patiri said she was blessed to have mentors who would be brutally honest and supportive to tell her what she was doing wrong or right. She urged students to consider all feedback as a gift. When a student asked what her greatest piece of feedback was, Patiri said “to listen more.”

“The most important thing I took away from it is to make sure you bring your best self forward and leave your baggage behind,” said Jackson Reid, a sophomore business administration major from Raleigh, North Carolina. “Make sure you bring your best energy to your team, that way they can bring their best energy forward as well.”

“I learned to not limit yourself, to think big and have the courage to ask for what you want,” said Sammy Florient, a freshman finance and sales major from Fort Lauderdale, Florida. “I also learned there are different ways of managing people.”

Patiri is part of HPU’s Access to Innovators program, which connects students with industry leaders for networking and mentorship opportunities. Other innovators include:

• Apple Computer Co-Founder Steve Wozniak, HPU’s Innovator in Residence
• Netflix Co-Founder Marc Randolph, HPU’s Entrepreneur in Residence
• Dallas Mavericks’ former CEO Cynt Marshall, HPU’s Sports Executive in Residence
• Domino’s CEO Russell Weiner, HPU’s Corporate Executive in Residence
• Former U.S. Ambassador and FCC Chairman William “Bill” Kennard, HPU’s Global Leader in Residence