A Kent State University alumnus has found a unique way to combine his passions and career after graduation.
Hunter knew he loved the craft of writing and started his journey as an English major his freshman year.
At the same time, the growth of the Marvel Cinematic Universe sparked a new fervor in him. Hunter was enamored by the rich history of the comic world, turning it into a favorite new hobby.
After discovering journalistic writing, Hunter changed majors and became heavily involved with student media, especially The Kent Stater. He explored many roles, such as columnist, reporter, assignment editor and opinion editor.
“The job I enjoyed most was opinion editor,” Hunter said. “It was one of the reasons I decided no matter what I do, I want to stay in writing.”
Hunter spent his first year after graduation writing freelance articles for different sources around Cleveland; however, as he continued writing for local papers, he realized something was missing.
“I started realizing I was not enjoying the day-to-day grind of journalism like I did when I was in college,” Hunter said.
As election season and other major news streams began to dwindle after 2020, freelance work became increasingly difficult to find. No “news” meant no work for independent reporters like Hunter.
However, the comic world was in full swing. Marvel was gearing up to debut its first range of Disney+ series along with its Blockbuster theater releases while DC Comics had unveiled new actors and continued to explore fan favorite storylines.
Hunter seized the opportunity. He began writing part time for Screen Rant, publishing articles on the comic movie content along with dives into the history of the comic books themselves, taking the conversations he would have with friends to a monetary platform.
“Being able to find something where I can marry two passions of mine has been really gratifying,” he said.
In the future, Hunter hopes to continue working with Screen Rant with goals to advance his role within the company and become a full-time editor.
Hunter credits his motivation to the trust he has in the skills he formed during his time at Kent State. Knowing students similar to himself may be looking for advice, unsure of what awaits, he recommends patience.
“As long as you’re working hard, patient and not too hard on yourself, you’ll be okay,” Hunter said.
To read Hunter’s work, visit his page at https://screenrant.com/author/nicholas-hunter/.
For more information about Kent State’s journalism program, visit www.kent.edu/mdj.