Michael Couto spends much of his time overseeing the production of NBC Nightly News , one of the most widely watched news programs on American television. On March 4, 2015, he met with AUPP students and faculty to discuss his educational and professional background, how he “fell in love with Cambodia,” and why he regularly returns to the Kingdom.

Mr. Couto’s career followed a path he would never have predicted. He stated that in his first year of college, he was profoundly influenced by an introductory literature course he really didn’t want to take. By reading literature, though, he became fascinated by the idea of storytelling, and the subject of philosophy.

Storytelling, he said, is a critical part not just of creative writing, but also in just about every academic field. Stories can be told in writing, but also by using photographs, film, or sounds. The most important part of telling a story well, he advised students, is first to “feel” it, and learn to follow that feeling.

After his presentation, Mr. Couto sat down with a small group of students and faculty members to discuss the creative process and to give advice to students currently working on making short films in AUPP’s Introduction to Information Technology course.

Michael Couto is currently in Cambodia working with graduate students who are making a documentary film in Koh Kong Province.