Words For The Future Producers Of ATVN
Being a part of Annenberg TV News has really been the best experience for me at USC. It has taught me so much about myself and about my abilities as a journalist. It was a very bittersweet moment for me when our last show ended last night. I felt such relief because so many of my responsibilities were relinquished to the next group of producers. I was disappointed because I wouldn't have the same opportunity to get my hands in EVERY story in a day's newscast! And I was so sad that I wouldn't be able to work with the same team I had worked with all semester to produce some of the best shows ATVN had seen!
Our studio crew was so understanding of all of our late videos, all of our messy rundowns, all of our decisions to float and change stories late in the day! Without them, the show really would not have gone on! Working with Alexis and Meagan and Alex was such an amazing experience. We worked really well together as a team and I honestly think my experience this semester was a rewarding one because of them!
As a producer for ATVN, you have the opportunity to work with all kinds of different people. You work with people of all different backgrounds, all different experiences. You want to kill yourself, and then you want to jump for joy! You will be proud of yourself and what you produce, and then you will be embarrassed. It's all a part of the process! It is something I have enjoyed very much. Though I don't believe I personally want to go into producing, this experience has really been the best I've had at USC. I have learned the importance of working together. I have learned how to manage stress. I have learned that putting a show together is a long and hard process and I have developed a new respect for producers and the process in general. I have learned so much about myself, and have developed a sense of confidence I never thought I would have.
I was a reporter for 402 last spring. I remember going into that class with a serious sense of PANIC at the beginning of the semester. And I remember ending the semester with a serious sense of pride! Never in a million years did I EVER think I would be able to manage the work required in that class ALONG with everything else I do on campus. Well, I survived it! And I didn't just survive it, I was pretty darn successful! That is the exact same feeling I had with producing! I was so apprehensive about the class. I was so worried that I would be overwhelmed! And at first, I was. I was really scared and insecure. Now, I look at the blank screen on our computers at the start of the day and say, "this is GOING to happen and it's GOING to be GREAT!"
My advice? Take all of your nervousness and use it to be successful! Being nervous means you care! It means you care about putting on a good show! If you aren't nervous, if you don't feel that anxiety when breaking news comes in, and if you think the whole semester is going to be a cakewalk... then THAT is when you are going to have a problem! Embrace the nerves and the stress, and remember you are going to do great!
If I could do it, so can you!
