Portsmouth, Va. (WAVY) – What can I say about my time here that I haven’t said before? I came in knowing next to nothing. I had never used ENPS. I hadn’t touched Adobe. Any script I wrote before this was just on a word document. And somehow, I still got the opportunity to work here if only for a short few months.
My first day, I was working with Craig Loper to put together the sports shows. I had to write scripts and put in graphics to the rundown. Yeah, I got familiar with ENPS real fast.
On my second day, I went out in the field with Brian Parsons. We went to Powhatan Field to film highlights from a girls’ soccer match. After Brian caught the one goal of the game, I got some time with the camera. It was my first time with a real camera, and I didn’t get anything remotely usable, but it taught me the basics.
A few weeks later, I went with Nathan Epstein to work on a story at Harbor Park. It’s still crazy to think I was in the press box of the ballpark that I grew up seeing games in. We were there when Gunnar Henderson hit for the cycle. I’d also add that I filmed a home run that made air that night too.
Bouncing around to other departments was fun. I shadowed various people who were more than kind enough to let me tag along. But I always wanted to get back to Sports. Every day was trial by fire, mistakes being made and corrected. Always learning how to be better the next time.
For my final project, I wanted to do something other than a reel. I’m not interested in being a television reporter. My goal is more to be an anchor. In that spirit, I decided to put together my own Sportswrap rundown and record it. I used everything I learned in my time here: writing, stacking, editing, graphics etc. And I think it turned out just as well as I could hope. There are certainly mistakes, but every broadcast has mistakes.
I can proudly say that I now have the basic skills necessary to go out and get a job at a small station. I’m still not sure if that’s what I want, but I’m more than happy to know that I can do it. All because of the people who have helped me and taught me how to be at the level I hope to one day get to. And of course, just when I feel I have a handle on how basic things operate, it’s my time to leave. If I do end up in TV, I hope I get to come back here where I can say it all started.
