By “I’m here because I’m worried about y’all.”
This was the sentiment repeated by Tyrese Gibson, 6-time Grammy nominated recording artist and actor, when he spoke to a small group of Long Beach State journalism and public relations students last week on March 13.
The actor was brought to speak to the Department of Journalism and Public Relations students by Entertainment Publicity Professor, Steve Rohr, who is also a publicist to Gibson and other clients.
“Steve is able to redirect my ideas without shooting them down or making them sound bad, which is a gift,” Gibson said.
Addressing the students of Rohr’s class, Gibson made it clear throughout his speech that he wanted everyone in the room to either follow the fire in their belly or the empathy in their heart to achieve success.
Self-described as a father and someone who does not come from nepotism or privilege, Gibson feels that our generation has too many avenues to achieve success for us to feel hopeless.
From politics, to religion to dating and relationships, Gibson delved into life coach territory as he elaborated on his own path to stardom.
“I didn’t come in with a script, it’s all off my head, in case y’all couldn’t tell,” he chuckled.
What was initially slated to be a 45 minute chat and Q&A turned into over an hour and a half of laughs and lessons from the actor.
Journalism and public relation majors attended a speaking engagement event with Tyrese Gibson at Long Beach State on March 13, where he answered questions from the students. Photo credit: Lauren Benson
Nayri Tapia, a public relations major and communications minor currently enrolled in Rohr’s course was appreciative of Gibson’s appearance in their class, specifically as someone studying entertainment.
“You don’t just have one path and you don’t have a written path, the world is gonna take you where it’s gonna take you,” Tapia said, reflecting on what she took away from Gibson’s speech. “As students in journalism and PR, we might think there’s only one path to take, but he really touched on how the world is your oyster.”
Gibson was accompanied by fellow actor and “1922″ co-star Christopher Ammanuel, who Gibson referred to as his son upon entering.
“You’ll meet people that don’t even operate under jealousy and want to take you under their wing, which is what I’ve done with my son right here,” Gibson said.
Ammanuel elaborated on feeling like the “unknown” in the cast amongst A-list actors, but did not care about whether he was good enough or if they liked him, as he was just there to do the work he loves.
“You can be intimidated by that kind of energy, but I know myself and I have 14 years of experience,” Ammanuel said.
Having to dash out of the classroom due to time constraints, Gibson posed for photos and thanked the attendees and Journalism Department Head, Jennifer Fleming, for their time.
As he exited, a chorus of “My Shaylas!” followed him, leaving students ruminating on the lessons he left as they take on the working world.
