Craig Freeman never stops moving while teaching. Instead, he paces behind the podium, singling out students to answer questions shown on the projection screen above his head.
There is a constant energy stream that grabs hold of his students and wakes them up. Well, as awake as they can be at 8 a.m. But Freeman isn’t just lecturing impressionable undergraduates on the history of journalism. He is helping to shape the way they think and view the world.
“My favorite class to teach is media writing,” Freeman says. “You see students go from the start, so you can shape the raw talent into something better.”
Freeman coaches his students into better journalists and citizens with excitement and humor, rather than the traditional staunch university droll. And though they might begrudgingly show up for class early in the morning, some of his students remember him as their favorite professor.
Yet, much like his own students, Freeman never ceases to learn or to grow. His background in journalism and as a practicing lawyer allows him to participate in a number of community outreach, education and support roles. Freeman is a host for Louisiana Public Square on public television as well as a cooperating attorney for the ACLU.
“That’s like the cherry on top,” he says. “I get to do all sorts of cool things. It gives me a chance to practice what I preach.”
It’s amazing that Freeman manages to catch his breath. While teaching and working with Louisiana Public Broadcasting and the ACLU, he still somehow finds the time to serve as a foundation board member for BREC, as a board member for Cancer Services of Greater Baton Rouge and as a board member of the Young Emerging Leaders of Louisiana, to name a few.
“This job gives me the freedom to do whatever I want to do,” Freeman says. “I’m not a 9-to-5 desk job kind of guy.”
Age: 38
What is your best business advice?
“Take risks. Failure isn’t that huge of a burden, but missed opportunities become a burden.”
Click here for the complete list of 2008's Forty Under 40 winners.
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