Alumni Feature - John Castelli '06

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John Castelli (TV/Radio) ’06 is currently a senior editor for original programming for the Big Ten Network in Chicago, Illinois. John’s work can be seen on the Big Ten Network’s "The Journey," a behind-the-scenes look at the Big Ten’s men’s basketball programs and the rigors of a typical season for the student athletes. John has been at the Big Ten Network for nearly five years and he cites his Lewis education, and the state-of-the-art technology provided during his Lewis experience, as one of the main reason for his success in the television industry.
“The TV/Radio program at Lewis was great to me. One thing I loved about it was that John Kilpatrick and John Carey were always on a mission to have the most updated technology for their students. In my case, the result was entering the real world with experience on equipment that many professionals had yet to learn, let alone other recent graduates that might have been applying for the same position that I was.”
Before landing at the Big Ten Network, John honed his editing skills while working for Comcast Sports Net Chicago as an editor and Harpo (The Oprah Winfrey Show) as an assistant editor. John is extremely thankful for the opportunities he has had since graduating from Lewis in 2006.
“I couldn’t be happier, or have gotten luckier, with the opportunities I have been given in my career so far. I now have a job doing just what I had always hoped for. The job that I wanted to do when I would be sitting at a Lewis University Television Network editing system until midnight.”
When John looks at his career, where it started and where he is currently in the industry, he has nothing but praise for Lewis’ Director of Television Operations, John Kilpatrick.
“I was fortunate enough to study under Mr. Kilpatrick and I will always feel indebted to him for my success. I’ve worked on one of the most famous shows of all-time (The Oprah Winfrey Show) and now I’m at the Big Ten Network editing features and documentaries – I love it! Had it not been for Mr. Kilpatrick’s dedication to my success, who knows what I would be doing right now?”

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