Joey DeMers

Dream work

Joey has the kind of job people dream about. He watches TV — professionally. He works at the heart of the shows and stories that fill our lives (and our streaming services). And he is responsible for hand-selecting and sharing the most pivotal on-screen moments; the ones that make us laugh, cry and feel connected.

While Joey admits it wasn’t originally his dream to work in TV, he’s had an undeniable draw towards entertainment and talent for the arts since he was young. With a desire to pave his own path without having to leave his home state, Joey discovered the theatre department at CMU and realized the program was anything but “cookie cutter.” He knew the hands-on approach and unique emphasis on personal development would allow him the space to grow as an individual, while still being supported by a strong campus community. 

His big break

When we caught up with Joey, who now lives in Los Angeles, he reminisced on the people he met and relationships he built during his time at CMU. It turns out, his college connections were his catalyst for taking the leap and moving to LA, where he put a whole lot of time and hard work into breaking into the entertainment industry. Joey hustled to juggle acting classes, auditions, studio interviews and a slew of production assistant jobs before getting his big break at DreamWorks. 

As the asset coordinator on the Creative Marketing team for the animation company, he watches all of the studio’s TV shows and pulls the clips and stills to be used across marketing and social campaigns. The iconic moments Joey identifies are used to tease and promote the shows nationally — and he loves every aspect of it. We could hear true, palpable excitement in his voice when he talked about his work and his role that, as chance would have it, combines his childhood love for cartoons, passion for animation and experience in the performing arts.

Joey isn’t working directly in the musical theater field he earned his degree in, and he’s perfectly happy about it. By venturing over the Rocky Mountains and off the beaten path, Joey gained practical knowledge and transferable skills at CMU that prepared him to always pursue his dream, even as it grows and changes. He knows he’s right where he’s meant to be, and he’s grateful to CMU for helping him get there. 

Article published January 2023