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Amelia Eqbal: Finding her calling in arts and entertainment journalism

By Khadijah Elsayed

Amelia's job title: Digital Associate Producer
Organization: CBC's Commotion, with Elamin Abdelmahmoud

With a passion for arts and culture reporting, Amelia Eqbal is always looking for new ways to explore her creativity and challenge her storytelling skills as a journalist.

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During the final year of her bachelor’s degree in English Language and Literature at Western University, Amelia Eqbal took a journalism class and discovered a newfound passion for storytelling. Though it was her first introduction to the field, she instantly knew journalism was her calling.

Now, Amelia works at CBC as a Digital Associate Producer on Commotion with Elamin Abdelmahmoud, a podcast centred on pop culture and entertainment.

Both professionally and personally, pop culture is where Amelia’s interest lies. She says there is always something engaging to report on in the world of arts and entertainment.

“The longer I’ve worked [on Commotion], the more I understand how much pop culture can reveal about us,” she says. “The art we consume is so indicative of what we value.”

“MMJC was transformative for me in so many ways. It provided me with a strong sense of community and helped me learn who I could be as a journalist, along with what I wanted out of my career.“ - Amelia Eqbal

Pursuing a graduate degree through Western’s Master of Media in Journalism and Communication (MMJC) program in 2021, offered by the Faculty of Information and Media Studies (FIMS), was Amelia’s stepping stone into the industry.

“After finishing undergrad in 2020, I was working in local freelance reporter roles, but I didn’t have the practical experience most journalism jobs were looking for,” she says. “MMJC helped bridge that gap for me.”

MMJC equipped Amelia with the practical training she was looking for, broadening her skills in audio, video and print journalism. A mix of practice and theory, it centred on learning the core skills for both journalism and communications roles. It was the perfect learning experience for Amelia.

Looking back at her time in FIMS and the MMJC program, she says one of her fondest memories is taking a podcasting course taught by then CBC Radio reporter Allison Devereaux. With her classmates, she created a podcast discussing romantic comedies, a topic she is enthusiastic about.

Fun Fact

Amelia is really good at untying intricate knots.

Amelia’s current day-to-day routine at work includes producing radio segments, writing articles, editing transcripts and selecting key moments from the show to post on Commotion’s social media.

“Exploring my creativity in my professional roles has always been important to me,” Amelia says.

Looking forward, Amelia hopes to host her own podcast one day and apply the skills she’s learned in her role as a producer. She also hopes to develop her own voice as an arts and culture writer and commentator.

“I would love to build on the podcast I started in MMJC and discover how much I’ve learned in the last couple of years—that feels exciting to me.”

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Profiles in the MMJC Career Success blog are written by students in the Master of Media in Journalism & Communication program, who are enrolled in MMJC 9604 - Professional Writing.