PORTSMOUTH, Va. (WAVY) – The Hampton Roads Show has given me, Toni Blanchard, the hands-on learning I didn’t know I had been longing for. With in-the-field learning or on-the-fly learning I am making the steps toward my career.
For example, on September 29 I took a scenic trip to the beautiful Williamsburg, Virginia, where I had the privilege of shadowing an in-the-field producer. There, I handled cameras, learned about the composition of shots, and how to tell a short, concise but compelling story for the Hampton Roads Show’s viewers.
I’ve learned so much in the studio too, from running teleprompter to shadowing a director during a live show I know that my role as an intern is not that of unimportance. I come in ready to make sure that the Hampton Roads Show has the space to flow smoothly, meaning that I have to work well under pressure. On Sept. 26, I came in that early morning expecting a normal workflow, turning on equipment, helping guests around the set, and floor directing, but shortly after the show started our main guests for the morning got lost on their way to the station. So, in their place, I mic’d up someone who came to give the original guest emotional support then I gave the new guest a script to go over and told her she would do great. Within 5 minutes before we were on air, I found someone else to take their place and let the director and production manager know about the changes that had to be made to the script and the on-screen crawl.
I walk into the warm, welcoming, WAVY TV 10 building knowing that there are so many people who just want to see me excel and learn. From something as simple as micing up guests to going to Williamsburg to learn the intricate art of being a camera operator. With each step I take with my education, I know that I am laying down the bricks for my career.
