I had the opportunity to go to Covenant Medical Center yesterday to interview a family who gave birth to a leap year baby. The family was so sweet and their daughter is gorgeous. They didn't think that the baby was going to be a leaplet (what they call leap year babies) because the clock they were looking at said 11:57p.m. but the nurse told them that it was actually midnight when she was born! 

I was able to do everything on my own for the first time remembering every step when editing. This was the second day in a row that I had a VOSOT on both the 5 and 6. I need to be careful when shooting though because when I was doing the interview, there was a window behind the mother so that threw the color of my shot off. I was able to correct it in post production thankfully! POA: When filming, try not to shoot subjects in front of windows. It will make editing much easier and the product will be much better quality! 
 
Yesterday I completed two VOSOTs (voice over, sound on tape) on Wartburgs efforts in recyclemania. I mentioned in an earlier post that I went to Waverly to talk to Emily Rogers, the student leader, about how they are increasing their recycling efforts. She was great and showed me around campus. I had a VOSOT on the 5 and 6. 

I am finally getting to know Avid! It is a touchy system and you have to know each little step when setting up a project. This is finally sinking in with me. 


Half the reason I love this career path is the fact that it is so rewarding. After airing a piece, you know that you are bringing information to the public that they may not have known if it weren't for you! It is well worth the effort you put in. 
 
The days at KWWL have been flying by! I am trying to learn as much as I can in the remainder of my time there. The story I am currently working on is a package on Wartburg's RecycleMania efforts. RecycleMania is a nationwide competition that encourages students to increase their recycling habits. Seven schools in Iowa are taking part in the competition this year. I met with Emily Rogers who is their student leader. Emily was great to talk to and showed me around Wartburg's campus highlighting where they recycled. This should be on air sometime this week. 

Last week there was a breaking story happening in Vinton, IA. A woman claimed being shot after coming home to two intruders in her home. I went to get more information and met a photographer there. When I arrived, not much was happening. Our primary information source was the woman's neighbor. Our photographer set up and I asked her a few questions. POA: I have learned that the more specific you are in the questions you ask, the better sound bites you will turn out. Even if it is rewording the same question or asking a question pinpointing a smaller aspect of her previous answer. 

I only have about four more weeks left at KWWL and I will make the most of them! 
 
I have officially gone out to my first accident. I was sitting at my desk when the scanner piped up and alerted us about an accident involving a tractor. Our news director was already out shooting an accident earlier that day so it was my turn. 

I grabbed my gear as fast as I could and was off to the intersection of Kimbal and Orange in Waterloo. When I arrived, I noticed that it was very low key. A tractor was turning left and the woman driving behind her failed to notice his signal and went to pass. She was hit on the passenger side. Everyone was okay and her car suffered minor damage. 

This was still a challenging shoot because the road was so narrow. I didn't want to get in the way but it was hard with the police car, tractor, and car on a narrow road. I managed to get some good shots for the show that night. 

I love the rush of jumping up, grabbing everything you need, and getting to where news is happening. Then getting back to the station to edit the video you shot before the closest show. I love the atmosphere of the news room and the news business in general. You never know what is going to happen.  POA: Be ready for the unexpected. You never know when news will break and they need you to go get video. Especially in Iowa you never know what the weather will be like so it is handy to have back up clothes/boots in your bag or car. 
 
I arrived at the station on Friday expecting a typical day of assisting producers write stories for broadcast and web but when I asked our news director what I would be doing that day he had something else in mind. I joined the team that would be covering a mother's surprise visit to Orange Elementary. It was her son's 6th birthday and she had been gone for about four months serving our country in the Marine Corps. 

I could hardly imagine how the mother of D'Kylan Woods felt as she was approaching the classroom. When examining her face, she was beaming with excitement and couldn't wait to have that special moment with her son. When she walked in, it took D'Kylan a moment to register who it was because the class was expecting a "celebrity reader". Shakelia (D'Kylan's mom) was not suppose to return until July this year so when D'Kylan recognized his mom he took off running towards her and found himself in his mom's arms again. 


This was incredibly emotional for everyone who witnessed it. I even found a few tears running down my face. The two of them are headed back to Washington D.C. It was a very special day in my news career. POA: It is these experiences and how you handle them that shape who you are not only as a person but as a reporter or news entity. Record these memories so you have something to look back on and see all of the experiences that have shaped you. 
 
I have had a few experiences that really stick out in my mind. First, I went with a photographer and reporter to shoot an interview with Governor Branstad. Setting up the shot was not the easiest thing because of the awkward shaped room. We finally got it figured out and had a quality shot of the interview. It was a real learning experience when watching a great reporter conduct a high profile interview. 

A few days ago, Barack Obama was in Cedar Rapids to speak at the Conveyor company. When I was told about this, I jumped at the chance to go. POA: Even if you don't want to wake up early or if something doesn't interest you, if it is going to be a learning experience go! And act excited about it haha your employer will notice if your really not that excited to go and that doesn't look good. 

I was up at 2 and at the station by 3. I was again joining a reporter and photog. The three of us were in Cedar Rapids by 4:30 just in time to get set up for our first Live hit at 5 o'clock for the morning show. Between 5 and 7:30 we did about 5 Live hits from the airport. By the 4th and 5th, I was setting up the shots on my own! 

We had to be away from our equipment from 8 to 10 for security sweeps so we went and grabbed some much needed food and coffee. When we got back, I snuck in a 15 minute nap and then we were off to be checked by security. Once we got on the media lift, Airforce 1 landed soon after which was good because the wind chill was unbearable! It was the coolest thing though. Everyone knows how many security personnel travel with the President, but seeing it is surreal! 

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In this photo, there are only three of the twenty vehicles pictured haha. After Barack Obama left for Conveyer, we were done shooting. My hands were so cold that there was pain going up and down my arms but it was so worth it! It has been the best experience I have had thus far. I learned so much by being there and hearing the reporter report on what was happening and setting the scene. I also got a quick intro as to how to set up ENG shots from the satellite truck. Not that I remember everything haha but it was a great intro. 

Before we left, we watched the President speak from the satellite truck. After he finished we headed back to the station. What a great day! 

"Small opportunities are often the beginning of great enterprises." Demosthenes

 
So far, I have been doing so many different things during my internship. A few of those things include helping the 5 o'clock producer, Janelle Haible, write and edit stories for the 5 o'clock show and writing stories for web. The first few stories I wrote got completely torn apart by Janelle haha I think I was trying too hard! POA: When writing stories for broadcast, make them conversational, they are understood by all audiences and are much more fun to listen to. I wasn't making them conversational enough but I have gotten much better :). The corrections now are very minor and subject to personal preference. 

I was trained on the news room's camera and audio equipment and the following week was asked to go out on my own for the first time to Vinton, IA to get footage for a VO SOT on their new mammography unit. This was going to be a lot of firsts and I will admit I was a little overwhelmed. My initial reaction was "uhhh I have no idea how to get there" haha I am directionally challenged at times and am very bad with highway names. Eric, the News Director, was very helpful with helping me with directions and I made it there just fine. Driving one of the company's Ford Escapes was fun too! I have to drive really well though because it is basically a KWWL billboard. 
 

 
Many exciting things have happened so far so I am going to catch everyone up! First, I was emailed one day by my boss giving me the heads up that I needed to dress very nice the next day like in a suit or skirt etc. Well I didn't exactly have anything that nice and professional soo in my typical style I went to the mall to look around. I found a really cute/professional outfit at Express...which wasn't cheap haha but I figured I would be wearing it quite a bit. It was so worth it! I had no idea that I would be featured on their corporate website. http://www.careersatquincy.com/. 
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Here is the photo with my spunky yet professional outfit :) 
Piece of Advice: When purchasing clothes for the job, especially if you are a college student, buy pieces that you can wear when you go out as well. I know more people are wearing blazers now when they are out and I love how they look so I wasn't afraid to spend the money. 


 
Welcome everyone to my new and first ever blog! 
I guess I'll start by sharing a little bit about myself. I am a small town girl from Fort Atkinson, Iowa. Currently, I live in Cedar Falls where I am a junior at the University of Northern Iowa. My major is Electronic Media with a minor in Journalism. I began my college career with an Education major then moved to Nursing for it's practicality but that did not last long haha. It was then I found UNI's electronic media program and have never looked back! My dream is to be a TV News Anchor one day but know I will have to work hard to get there. 

Last summer I scored an internship with the local TV station, KWWL. I was so excited to have this opportunity and counting down the days until it started, but one day I received a call from their news director saying that it wasn't going to work out because of insurance purposes. I was really let down but I couldn't really do much about it. During the following Fall semester I received an email saying that Quincy (KWWL's Corporate Company) is going to start offering paid internships. Needless to say I jumped at this opportunity and applied the same day to work in the KWWL news station. Being that I received the internship already and it didn't work out I had a really good feeling about it this time. Months passed and I was beginning to lose hope and thinking that they already found someone else.

I am a very persistent person, so I emailed the news director. When I didn't get a reply after a few weeks I called and they said they still have not chosen. A few weeks later I received the call saying I was going to be the first Quintern (Intern) for the Quincy company in the KWWL newsroom!!! And here I am. I am a few weeks into the internship and loving every minute of it. 

With being the first Quintern, it has been a whirlwind of excitement. I have already had many opportunities and shining moments that I want to share and do not want to forget. This is what has sparked my blog. I want to record all of the experiences that I encounter on my way to the top and give advice along the way for those who are also chasing after a career in the media industry. Much of the advice and inspirational pieces I will share will be applicable to any career path! I hope many of you will join me on this journey because it is going to be one with many ups and downs but it is going to be one hell of a ride!