Jason Mckenney: Next Big Thing From Baltimore?

Too much TV will cause your eyes to get stuck to the screen and will melt your brain into mush that will ooze out of your ears. Fortunately, Jason Mckenney dodged these terrifying and crippling deformities that all our parents warned us about despite watching TV. Instead, he used it as a tool for inspiration. Jason is one of many students attending Frostburg State University. Like most sophomores he chose a major in his area of interest, Mass Communication. The 19 year old attended high school at Western School of Technology in Baltimore City MD. He has a lot of interest in television and enthusiastically expresses the reasoning behind his fascination, “Being able to produce your ideas and use television to broadcast them all throughout the country seems really cool” (Mckenney, Jason. Personal Interview. 3 February 2011). Jason decided to pursue his passion at Frostburg State University, not only because of his love for the snow but because his cousin attends as well. Currently, he produces small discussion segments on YouTube, “In my mini shows I discuss everything that goes on in the week from pop culture to politics…” (Mckenney, Jason. Personal Interview. 3 February 2011). For the future, he explains that he will not be going to graduate school, but plans to start his career through working for television stations in Baltimore. Outside of school and his major, Jason has a lot of interests and idols that distinguish him. He explains that he likes many genres of music with one specific favorite, “I am a very collective person but If I had to choose I would say my favorite genre of music is R&B” (Mckenney, Jason. Personal Interview. 3 February 2011). His favorite Artists include: Prince, Stevie Wonder, and Beyonce. Because he is so interested in television, his preferences in actors, movies and TV personalities is a curious matter. He reveals that his favorite actor is Eddie Murphy who he describes as, “A versatile actor who can play both dramatic and [comedic] roles” (Mckenney, Jason. Personal Interview. 3 February 2011). He also has many favorite movies that include: Liar Liar, Dream Girls, and Wizard of Goonies which tells the story of a group of gutsy boys who are being forced out of their home and decide to go on one last epic adventure. Naturally, his major idols are TV legends Walter Cronkite, for his great coverage of the JFK assassination, and Lucille Ball, who he admires for being funny even through her severe life struggles, like a difficult marriage and being publicly accused of being a communist, which she was able to overcome.

When not at school, Jason lives with his Mother, who handles stocks for a living and his Father, who is a retired postal worker. He has both a younger brother who is 14 and older brother who is 30. He describes his relationship with his sibling as “pretty good, except for when my younger brother wants to tag along with me everywhere…it can get annoying” (Mckenney, Jason. Personal Interview. 3 February 2011). He also enjoys spending time with his best friends, Steven and Simone, who understand him very well. In ten years, Jason hopes to become a well known game show host or form some sort of career in television.