N.C. A&T Alumni Times

If there was a formula for success in journalism and media, Dexter Mullins ‘10 has definitely cracked the code. His remarkable resume comprises roles at NBC News, The Wall Street Journal, the Al Jazeera Media Network, CBS News and NowThis. In 2017, he landed a major role at Netflix based in Los Angeles, Calif. as a Global Originals Creative Producer.

“I have always been committed to everything that has come my way, giving a 100 percent effort of myself,” said Mullins. “I am always striving to work extremely hard and I never look at any obstacle as being too big.”

When Mullins was a student at North Carolina Agricultural and Technical State University, he was active in several organizations ranging from being freshman class treasurer - then president, the sophomore class chief of staff, editor-in-chief for the A&T Register and The Ayantee Yearbook, a resident assistant, orientation counselor and a member of the senior delegation for the University Association of Student Government. On top of that, he interned at the Greensboro News & Record, Pace Communications, and worked in retail.

“My senior year, I couldn’t find a job in journalism so I took the GRE and applied to three graduate schools; Columbia University, University of Maryland College Park and The City University of New York (CUNY). My dad suggested that I move home to Charlotte after graduation but I knew I had to make my own way,” said Mullins.

“I had applied to Columbia University and I kept saying to myself there is no way a kid from Sacramento, California that went to an HBCU is going to get into an Ivy League school.”

Mullins was accepted into all three schools, and decided to go with Columbia due to the financial support and benefits the school provided.

“Attending grad school challenged me in ways academically that forced me to work harder than I ever expected in my life,” said Mullins. “I became a serial overachiever, and against my school’s recommendation, I secured an internship with The Grio, (a division of NBC News) thanks to fellow Aggie, Kyle Harvey.”

Mullins was a full-time intern working 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. at NBC and a full-time grad student taking classes in the evening.

“One day, I walked into work and I was a few minutes late, so I was a bit flustered as I HATE being late. Kyle came by and told me that I needed to go meet with one of the producers for the Brian Williams show, the Nightly News. I didn’t know what the meeting was about, but I went. I later found out I was recommended by Kyle and our Grio staff to work as a production assistant for the show” he said.

“I spent most of the day talking to the staff, taking an edit test, and learning about the role. I was a bit fidgety because I was running short on time to get back uptown for my evening class. That evening my professor, Walt Bogdanich, a New York Times reporter, pulled me aside and asked me if I wanted to intern for him at the Times. I couldn’t believe it, two job offers in the same day!”

With a bit of encouragement from his professor, Mullins decided to take the job opportunity at NBC. “I specifically remember Professor Bogdanich saying to me ‘don’t be stupid, take the job! They’re going to pay you, haha.’ He and I still keep in touch to this day.” He worked his way up and managed everything from overseeing the new interns, training the other PAs, helping producers write scripts and he even helped produce video packages.

“I stayed in the role for about two years until my contract expired and NBC couldn’t extend it. My dad thought I was crazy to remain in New York without a job but I had faith it was all going to work out. I made finding a job my full-time job,” he said.

In 2012, Mullins secured a job with The Wall Street Journal as a multimedia producer, then went on to work for Al Jazeera Media Network as an online news producer in 2013, CBS Interactive as an associate producer in 2014, and left CBS to fill a role as a senior producer for news at NowThis in 2016.

“In 2017, I was looking for a change and wanted to move back to California. I found two roles at Netflix that interested me, and I reached out to my network to see if there were any connections I could leverage. Fortunately I had a contact at Netflix from my days at Al Jazeera, and within 48 hours, I was being recruited aggressively for the position I now hold,” he said.

In his role as a global originals creative producer, Mullins works with a dedicated team to launch original shows, series and films. He also produces all of the trailers and art directs the artwork for the shows he supports.

“Netflix has provided me with freedom and flexibility to do what I want such as serve on the board for the N.C. A&T Alumni Association, mentor students and spend time with family,” he said. “I still miss the adrenaline rush from national news, but I am enjoying my new found work, life and balance.”

Mullins received his bachelor’s degree in journalism and mass communications with a concentration in print journalism in 2010, and his master’s degree in digital media from Columbia University in 2011.