An Interview with Jane Bulman
Class of 1993
by Justin Kyle, '99

Since she was young, Jane Bulman was always fascinated with radio and television. When she was in third grade, Jane began writing scripts for radio and TV shows. She would even send these scripts off to Hollywood. When she received no responses, rather than give up, she just worked harder.

It would be this kind of determination that would eventually land the Bridgewater State graduate the job of producer for the nation's fastest-growing syndicated radio programs, "The Delilah Show." This Seattle based show is currently broadcast on over 178 stations across the United States and Canada.

As the producer of "The Delilah Show," Ms. Bulman, a graduate of the class of 1993, says her main duty is "bringing together the technical and creative aspects of each show and arranging them into an aesthetically pleasing whole." This means doing everything from providing entertainment ideas for the show to scheduling and assisting with artists' interviews.

However, it's clear from talking with her that this road to success did not just pave itself. It was made possible through Ms. Bulman's resolute refusal to give up.

"This was a four-year struggle and I don't regret any of it," she says.

The struggle she speaks of include giving up a secure job that provided a fair wage; learning new technology that she had never been exposed to in a short time; and moving 3000 miles away from her family.

"These issues were all tough to overcome and at times frightening, but the only real obstacle I had to overcome was myself," she says. "You have to believe in yourself and your abilities . . if you do, the rest is just detail."

None of these opportunities would have been possible, she is convinced, without the connections she made in a series of internships she did while at Bridgewater, including two semesters at WCVB TV in Boston, plus internships at WBOS radio and WVBF radio, also both in Boston. She also interned at MCTV; a Milton community access cable television studio.

What made these so valuable, she says, is that she could see how what she had learned in class is actually applied on-the-job. Internships "allow hands-on, practical experience," she believes, and is therefore a strong advocate of them. Indeed, she credits much of her success to these multiple internships she took on while a student at BSC. "I was exposed in a real way to the mediums I was most interested in, television and radio," Ms. Bulman explains. "Internships are invaluable for networking opportunities."

Besides securing an internship, if a student were to ask her for career advice, she would tell them to remember three words: "passion, focus, and relentless." These three words seem ideally suited to describing her own career path, and she elaborates:

--Passion-"Do you love the field enough to accept the difficulties that you will more than likely face?"

--Focus-"Know what your goal is and make sure that you are pointed towards it."

--Relentless-"Don't give up! More than likely you will experience rejection, criticism, and disappointment. But the key is not giving up!"

Ms. Bulman has fond memories of her days spent at BSC. "The support I received from the faculty and staff is something that I will forever be grateful for," she says.

She is "especially indebted" to Dr. Nancy Owens, who helped her through what she describes as "a lot of difficulties." Ms. Bulman feels that if it were not for Owens's "support and encouragement" she might have given up. "I sometimes feel that teachers underestimate their ability to affect students. Nancy never did; she took every opportunity to make an impact," she says. "I think to have just one teacher, professor, faculty member take an interest in a student can make all the difference."

Looking back on her college days, Ms. Bulman wishes she had had the opportunity to be more involved in extra-curricular activities. "I think whenever possible it is so important to become involved in fun and challenging projects," she says. "Getting to know people and learning to work with others is a much a part of your education as classes and assignments...don't miss the opportunity to receive as much of that as possible, because once it's done, there is no going back!"

If anyone has any questions or comments for Ms. Bulman they can email her at jane@radiodelilah.com or visit her Web page at Radio Delilah.

Leah Arruda, '94 / '98

Megan Blake '98 & Larry Marchese '93

Lori Botelho, '98

Jane Bulman, '93

Ed Donahue, '85