Digiday Publishing Summit:

Connect with execs from The New York Times, TIME, Dotdash Meredith and many more

SECURE YOUR SEAT

Video: The media elite’s best commencement speeches of 2015

It may not even be June yet, but there has already been plenty of pomp and circumstance this year as college grads are ceremonially ushered into the abyss of adulthood. We’ve compiled this year’s commencement speeches from major media players from journalist stalwarts like Katie Couric and Tom Brokaw to social media mavens like Snapchat CEO Evan Spiegel and Adam Bain from Twitter.

Many of the speakers seem fully aware they’re talking to a generation that grew up online. Bain encouraged his audience to keep their phones on to Tweet during his speech. Apple CEO Tim Cook and former Hulu CEO Jason Kilar took photos and selfies during their speeches. Of course, there was also plenty of sage life advice to never give up or to never take no for an answer.

Here’s a list of who’s who in our video montage of this year’s commencement speakers:

Katie Couric, Journalist, UW-Madison on May 16.
Jorge Ramos, Journalist, USC Annenberg School of Journalism on May 15.
Evan Spiegel, Snapchat CEO, USC Marshall School of Business on May 15.
Tom Brokaw, Journalist, High Point University on May 9.
Adam Bain, Twitter, Miami University on May 16.
Sage Steele, Journalist, Indiana University May 9.
Stephanie “Flo” Courtney, Actress, Binghamton University on May 17.
Jason Kilar, fmr. Hulu CEO, UNC-Chapel Hill on May 10.
Tim Cook, Apple CEO, George Washington University on May 17.
Stephen Colbert, Comedian, Wake Forest University on May 18.

https://digiday.com/?p=119416

More in Media

Three publishers’ workforce diversity reports show DEI efforts remain sluggish

Overall, staff diversity at The New York Times, Hearst and Condé Nast has either marginally improved or stalled in 2024, according to their annual workforce diversity data this year.

Retail media meets publishing: News UK, Future and Ocado tap clean room tech for smarter data targeting

News UK, The Independent, Immediate Media and Future are teaming up with retail media network Ocado to test clean room-powered data matching. 

From sidelines to spotlight: Esports events are putting creators center stage

Esports events’ embrace of content creators reflects advertisers’ changing priorities across both gaming and the wider culture. In the past, marketers viewed esports as one of the best ways to reach gamers. In 2025, brands are instead prioritizing creators in their outreach to audiences across demographics and interest areas, including gaming.