Producing: what it’s all about
There are three very important guidelines that I created for myself long before college in regards to picking a future career. First is that I would not work in a cubicle, but instead would be out interacting with other people. Second, that every day at work would be entirely different. And third, that I would find a career in something that I felt passionately about. Producing clearly abides by these guidelines.
Ever since getting started in broadcast journalism, a future in producing was always the route I imagined myself taking. Albeit at the time, I was making this decision without having had any practical producing experience. I always looked forward to the opportunity to produce at ATVN to confirm and solidify the fact that this was the right career choice for me. After a semester of producing and now having the opportunity to reflect on my experiences, I can say with confidence that while every day has its ups and downs, it is undoubtedly something I could see myself doing for years to come.
On my first day sitting in the lead producer chair, I would be lying if I said I wasn’t nervous. Terrified, might perhaps be a more accurate term. But these nerves only fueled me in preparing the night before and working throughout the day. I love the freedom of creating a rundown and the ability to make decisions along the way. On day one, this sense of freedom and decision-maker role was large, and came with a great responsibility and sense of nerves. But today, while the role is still large and the responsibility is still great, the nerves have toned down and been channeled into excitement and a positive attitude that anything in our newscast is possible.
There is an unbelievable sense of pride at the end of the day from the moment the show begins to the second the show concludes. Watching the studio crew use our rundown as a road map for the show and put complete trust in our day’s work is gratifying. As a Thursday producer and a Wednesday director, I understand the different work and needs of both positions, and yet the equal yearnings for that perfect show. I know that every day comes with its challenges, its workload, and its fair amount of stress, and that there are so many things I still have to learn and improve on. Every rundown will have its issues, and we will undoubtedly run into problems with access or securing interviews from time to time. Sometimes video is transferred at the last possible moment before it is taken on air, and other times the signal from the live shot we hoped for just isn’t good enough.
And yet, at 6 o’clock a show is live on air. Every ounce of work, stress and effort is made worth it once we get to the studio and see our completed show.
I am far from in a cubicle, but instead I am in a bustling newsroom, interacting with dozens of multimedia journalists, reporters, graphic artists, assignment desk editors, and anchors. To say every day is different would be an understatement. The unpredictability of every news day is daunting, but a huge part of what makes the task of producing so exciting. And there is no doubt that when I am producing I am passionate about what I’m doing. The amount of the time and effort spent doing the work during the day with the sense of pride at the end...I could easily see this experience continuing in the future.
