The Search is Over...for Now...

After updating my resume, gathering my references, and going to interviews...my summer plans are finally set. I was so worried about what I was going to do this summer when a number of opportunities came my way all at the same time. I was relieved to know that I had choices, but it was hard to make a decision...especially since this is the last summer before I graduate. Just learning from other broadcast majors at Westminster College and their past experiences, I realized that a powerful internship the summer before graduation can lead to a possible job right out of college...or at least it will look good on a resume when looking for jobs elsewhere.

After much deliberation...I decided to take the internship at Newchannel 5 in Cleveland, working for the noon news. I went to an interview when I was home during spring break. Besides not knowing where to park, the whole experience went rather well. First, I met with the internship coordinator who wrote down some of my general education and experience information. Then, we went down to meet with the Noon News Producer for Newschannel 5, Ellen McGregor. It wouldn't be fair to say I wasn't nervous, but once I sat down and started talking to her, I felt pretty comfortable. Ellen was really nice and asked pertinent questions...such as what I consider when producing a show, what experience I have in regards to producing and reporting, and why I was interested in this internship. I answered the questions honestly and as best I could. At the end, she said she would contact me by Friday of that week. Also, before I left the station, Ellen showed me around the studio and the newsroom.

The week seemed to drag on forever, and when Friday rolled around, I was checking my e-mail every 30 minutes. By the end of the day, I was pretty bummed...I was fairly certain that Ellen would contact me either way, but now I wasn't so sure. After the weekend passed, I wasn't expecting anything...but a surprise came my way on Monday when an e-mail showed up in my inbox from Ellen. She said she was sorry that she didn't get back to me right away, but that I had gotten the internship!! I will be working three days a week (Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday) from 7:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m. My responsibilities include helping with the production of the show, writing some news, going out with photographers and assisting them, greeting and making the guests feel comfortable, and much more. I think this internship will be a great learning experience into how a television station runs in a bigger network area.

Also, I think this will help me to figure out what I want to do as a career after I graduate. Right now, I'm split between radio and television. I had an internship with the Fish radio station last summer, and now I can gain TV experience with Newschannel 5. I was rather proud of myself because I was the first intern Ellen contacted. She may bring in another intern to work the other two days, but nothing is certain yet.

Funny thing is that right before I sent an e-mail back to Ellen telling her I would take the internship...I checked my mail at school and found a letter from WKYC, the NBC news station affiliate in Cleveland. The letter said that the station would be conducting interviews this coming week for their internships and the I should call to schedule one!! I had sent in my resume to WKYC before the beginning of the year and was surprised to hear back from them as well.

In the end, I decided to just stick with Newschannel 5, the ABC affiliate. I knew that the internship at 5 was a for sure thing, and most of the WKYC internships were full-time positions, 40 hours per week. At least with Newschannel 5, I will have the opportunity to baby-sit two days a week and make some money to pay for expenses this summer. However, I'm going to contact WKYC and thank them for the invitation to interview...because you never know where you may end up in the future....

So...for now...the search is over, but I know that not too far off, I'm going to be busy looking for jobs that I could do after I graduate. I have a feeling that senior year will fly by, and soon enough I'm be back in the "real" world...until then, I'm content to intern and learn as much as I can from those who have been in the business for years!!

This is the One Thing that I Know...

I've been thinking about a lot of things lately...but while I was home I began to realize what's really important in my life: my faith. As I was reflecting during this Holy Week, I was inspired to create this video montage of pictures to one of my favorite Jars of Clay songs, Liquid. Although I used only still images, I feel the video evokes a lot of emotion out of its viewers. A couple of semesters ago, I created a video for my Video Production class using still images from my family's Thanksgiving. This project made me realize the power of still images, and I've come to like creating my own video montages using photos. Sometimes, I think still images can say so much more than video...it captures one moment in time that could never be understood by video. A still shows that exact point...something that cannot be put into words. I hope you all enjoy this video...and Happy Easter!! Remember what Jesus Christ did for us all....

Too Many Opportunities?

It seems kind of impossible doesn't it? Too many opportunities? In the world of broadcasting, having a variety of different options is normally a good thing. But at the semester winds down, I find myself caught in the middle of a crossroads...I'm not sure what I'm going to do this summer, and I'm still trying to narrow down my ideas for my senior capstone project...

As I got ready for spring break, I started to seriously think about the summer and realized I have ton of opportunities this summer, and I can't seem to choose. And it all hit me this week...

In mid-February, I received a letter in my school mailbox from WEWS Newschannel 5 in Cleveland. I had applied there for an internship when I was home during Christmas break before the New Year started. After more than a month had passed, I wasn't really expecting anything, but then there was that letter sitting in my mailbox. The letter said I should call and set up an interview for the internship of my choice. I called a couple days later and set up an interview for the Noon News internship, which involves working with the show producers. My interview is this coming Monday...I'm pretty nervous, mainly because I've heard these internships are pretty competitive. I'm just going to give it my best, and see what happens...

I thought that I was pretty lucky to hear back from WEWS, but just this past week, another opportunity was passed my way. A couple of weeks ago, my senior capstone class was required to attend a job/internship fair at the college. I walked around the fair with a few other broadcast majors, and when we stopped at the WKBN/WYFX TV table, I decided to give the station a copy of my resume. I figured it couldn't hurt. Well, this past Wednesday, I got an e-mail from the executive producer at WKBN saying she had been flipping through resumes and came upon mine. She said I would be a perfect fit for an internship there, and if I didn't have anything lined up for the spring/summer, I should give her a call!! The station is in Youngstown, close to school, so maybe when I'm out at college, I could do an internship there. The summer is a little bit iffy, since it would be a long drive every morning, but I'm keeping my options open for now...maybe I could do something there during the fall next year? We'll see...

To top it all off...I'm still working for Newsradio 1200 WKST in New Castle as a part-time news producer/anchor and board operator. I know that the radio station wants me to work for them over the summer...but I don't think it's really feasible as I'll be living back at home in Cleveland and can't really afford to live on my own out at school during the summer. Plus, I'm welcome back at the Fish radio station where I interned last summer...or I can work a little for Buckeye Distributing, a Red Bull distributor, where I worked the two summers before the last...

I think it's safe to say I have too many choices, because I'm still not sure what I want to do as a career, and what I choose to do this summer could play an important role in what I could do later on in life since this is my last summer before I graduate...plus, whatever I choose to do, could help me figure out what I want to do for my senior capstone project.

For right now, I think I'm just going to wait and see how the interview at WEWS goes, and take it from there!! Good luck to everyone else who is busy with interviews right now!!

My Competitive Edge...

Sometimes it amazes me how much I can learn about myself from certain personal experiences. I tend to think that I know myself pretty well, but I'm always discovering new things that hide underneath in my sub-conscious mind. And one team-building activity helped reinforce my self-confidence this week…

My senior capstone class gathered this past Thursday with Titan Traverse to do a variety of activities which centered around communication, teamwork, and trust. Titan Traverse is an organization at Westminster College that sponsors and organizes outdoor trips and activities as well as conducts many team-building activities for all kinds groups on campus.

At the beginning, the Titan Traverse members had my class find a partner and present them to the group, using markers, paper, and play-dough. Then, we played a couple more ice-breaker type games. However, after that, they broke us into two teams and told us we would be doing on our version of the Amazing Race right here on campus!

One of the responsibilities of my capstone class is to apply to the actual Amazing Race TV reality show, by filling out the paper application with my partner (my boyfriend Dave) and creating the video to go along with it. I never really thought that I would be a super contestant on the Amazing Race, but after the activities we did in class I'm not so sure anymore...

I was so competitive!!! I felt this drive to succeed, to get ahead of the other team, to win. Our "Amazing Race" consisted of each team doing a couple of tasks and solving clues together that would take us to our next destination. The race included many tasks such as a maze of items through which two members had to walk through blind-folded while the others gave them verbal instructions and a group activity where we all had to line up in number order while being blind-folded and not speaking. The last task was definitely the hardest as my team had to use stomping, squeezing each other hands, or writing the number on each other's hands to communicate. In the end, my team won!!!!

After the race, we gathered again as a group to talk about our experiences. My class realized that many of the skills we used during the activities...teamwork and communication especially non-verbal communication...can be used to succeed on the Amazing Race show, but also in our own journey in the broadcasting world. We need to utilize our skills...and try new things to do well in this business.

However the most important thing I took away from this whole experience is the fact that I'm more competitive than I thought. I've always wanted to do well and get into this business, but I wasn't sure I had the drive. But I proved myself wrong...if I want it enough, I can do it!! I was cheering on my team the whole time during class, volunteering for tasks, and getting involved as much as I could...and that's what I'm going to do with my broadcasting career. Although I may appear shy at times, I'm just quietly preparing for the next step!! And I can go far...with my competitive edge...

Right Hand Man...

I always like to read the blogs of my fellow capstone classmates, and this week I was inspired by Doug Kunst's blog post. He wrote about his role as the director of the County Line, Westminster College's TV news magazine show. He said everything was always up to him...all the responsibility for what went on air fell back on him.

And I know what it's like...I've directed a couple of County Lines myself, and I also direct the sports interview show at Westminster College in New Wilmington, Pa., Coaches' Corner, during the football and basketball season. I've felt the same pressure, the weight on the shoulders. Like Doug, I feel it's a valuable learning experience. Which brings me to this week's blog topic...when I'm not directing or anchoring the County Line, I really love running the switchboard!! I think it's exciting, and I finally feel like I've come up with my own system on how to make everything run smoothly. I always work two steps ahead of what's on air, plus I put the next source in the preset box, so I can check and make sure it's going to be what we want. In addition, I'm constantly checking with graphics to make sure I put them in at the right time.

The TD is in charge of switching back and forth from cameras to videos to graphics using a special board with a number of levers, featured in these pictures. Our board at school has two mix-effects banks that allows the TD the ability to mix different elements on the board. I normally use this when I want to mix a camera with an over the shoulder box graphic for an anchor intro to a package.

This past week, I TDed while Doug was directing, and we worked well together. Doug was like the "coach" of a football team, the crew were the "players," and I was Doug's "right hand man," like an assistant coach. Just like it's important for coaches on a football team to work together and to communicate, I think it's important for the TD and the director to work well together, because they are the role models for the entire rest of the crew. The members of the crew all look up to the TD and the director for guidance, and if those two are positive, resourceful, and responsible, the crew members will also follow their lead. I'm continually learning the importance of good leadership in broadcasting. Nothing beats an inspiring and confident leader...and the "right hand man."