By Paola Espinosa and Paris Druilhet
UC Santa Barbara alumna Molly Forster graduated in Communication with a Minor in Professional Writing.
Just three and a half years after graduating from UC Santa Barbara, Molly Forster is an award-winning investigative producer who says doing an undergraduate Minor in Professional Writing helped her succeed when she entered the media world after college.
“Having the professional writing skill in my toolbelt gave me the confidence that I lacked before to pitch my stories and take on bigger projects that an entry level writer wouldn't normally have the confidence for,” says Forster.
She has won both an Emmy and an award from the Society of Professional Journalists for a story on visa fraud she co-produced at NBC’s Bay Area Investigative Unit.
Forster graduated from UCSB in 2018 in Communication and completed the Professional Editing track of the writing minor, directed by Writing Program faculty member Craig Cotich. She then went on to graduate school in journalism at UC Berkeley.
Today Forster works at Ample Entertainment, which produces nonfiction feature films and series. She was also a producer on the Showtime series Buried. The series follows the story of Eileen Franklin who, while playing with her young daughter, suddenly recovered a memory of witnessing her father, George Franklin, rape and murder her childhood best friend.
In a recent interview, Forster recalled having natural interest in the art of writing. Then her desire to be a visual storyteller and researcher developed while taking professional writing courses at UCSB.
Writing Minor alum Molly Forster worked as an investigative producer with the company that did “Buried” on Showtime.
“I have always felt passionate about good storytelling. Having something that you created and that people can learn from was definitely something that I got excited about as an undergrad,” she said.
Forster did an internship at the local Santa Barbara Independent, where she covered everything from food and beverages, to ageism and drug rehabilitation.
She says her time at UCSB helped her learn to be an open listener and gain the trust of people she interviews.
“The most important part of being a journalist is listening,” Forster said.
She believes that both the Writing Program and Communication Department helped her shift perspective from that of a consumer of media and news to an analytical thinker who understands how we view the news and how different groups of people are portrayed in various information mediums and platforms.
Then, at the Graduate School of Journalism at Berkeley, Forster focused on investigative reporting, video production, and health and environment reporting.
Paris Druilhet is a fourth-year UC Santa Barbara communication major, who is pursuing a professional writing minor. Paola Espinosa is a third-year UC Santa Barbara pre-communication major.
They co-wrote this article for their Writing Program class, Digital Journalism.