As mentioned earlier, his dreams of television reporting were first rewarded at Marist College when he was appointed news director for MCTV, Marist College Television. In the photo below, Tom is seen at an MCTV News' story meeting where he and his management team, comprised of producers and assignment editors, develop new ideas for the next show. It was Tom’s responsibility to see that such projects and ideas were executed in an accurate and timely manner as to meet the deadline pressures of television news.

Tom started developing his news talent long before his success in college and at PR Newswire. The year was 1989 and although he was only in 7th grade, Tom had established a basement broadcasting facility and was the author of an elaborately produced news program, TRN News. Along with his friend Ryan France, Tom, at age 12, was chasing down interviews, video taping stories, writing scripts and assembling newscasts. As seen below, this was the subject of an article published by a local New Jersey newspaper in 1990.

One of Tom’s finest accomplishments was when he received a prestigious fellowship from the International Radio and Television Society in the summer of 1998. He was up against more than one thousand applicants from around the country. The foundation ultimately picks 20 students and Tom became the first Marist College student ever to be chosen. The nine-week program introduces students who have a deep interest in all facets of television and radio to a world of media interaction. Not only does the program place the winning candidate at an internship of his/her choice in New York City, but the recipient gets to mingle with media moguls, celebrities, and experts within their respective fields of study. By this point, Tom was accustomed to internships having completed four of them prior to receiving the fellowship. His internship through IRTS was with New York One; there, he was fortunate to have worked one-on-one with NY1’s very own Paul Messina, a well-known and respected feature reporter. During his fellowship with IRTS, Tom was invited to have a private lunch with Chris Bogart, Time Warner’s Vice President & Deputy General Counsel. Plus, Tom had the privilege of attending an award ceremony honoring Viacom President Sumner Redstone at the Waldorf Astoria. At the event, Tom met dozens of celebrities, including Judge Judy Scheindlin, ER actress Gloria Reuben, and heavyweight champion Evander Holyfield to name a few. The picture seen below is the cover of IRTS’ fellowship application, featuring Tom sandwiched between Sister Sister stars Tia and Tamara Mowry.

Shortly before he graduated, the Circle, Marist College’s newspaper, did an article on Tom and his life with news. The article - seen below - details some of Tom's accomplishments and explores his overwhelming drive and ambition to succeed in his chosen career.