Class of
2005
Bio: John cuts highlights, teases, VOs, and packages for the Southern California Sports Report on FSN West or West 2, and occasionally for other FSN shows like the High School Spotlight. He does not have an office, but he always uses the same computer, and that computer is in the Staples Center, which makes him feel good about himself.
ATVN positions and duties: An exhaustive list of the 12 positions I held at ATVN would impress no one, but I challenge anyone to hold more. The notable ones were: Sports Director, News Anchor, and Sports Anchor, although I did teach a Photoshop class once.
How did ATVN prepare you for your current job?
I was already prepared for my current job after my sophomore year in ATVN Sports. I worked in the newsroom for sports my first four semesters, and it’s that work that I now duplicate for the Southern California Sports Report. That’s not to say my last two years were worthless, it’s just that ATVN is an absolute gold mine of experience and contacts.
What is your advice to aspiring journalists?
Be open to every opportunity that you’ll be presented with at ATVN. It’s silly to say, as a sophomore, something like “oh, I’ve decided I want to produce” and stop reporting or trying to anchor. It’s equally silly to concentrate so heavily on on-camera work that you don’t learn the elements of quality production. When I applied for reporting jobs, I was offered several jobs as a news producer (albeit in places reasonable people avoid) just because my resume indicated that I had plenty of experience. I owe that to Serena and Willa (and Zeus) insisting that I take the producing class and learn to produce news. Also, I learned after I graduated that no amount of foresight will allow you to know without doubt exactly what you’ll want to do. You may want to produce, you may want to report, or your priority might be location rather than occupation when you graduate, and you’ll want to have the skills to do whatever it takes.
What are the top three skills college journalism students should be working on in order to be prepared for their first broadcasting job?
1 - Work FAST. Learn to do your best work as quickly as you can. Always concentrate on going faster. ATVN is a relatively low pressure environment, especially for freshmen and sophomores. Take advantage of that, as the faster you work, the more your producers will trust you, and the more your producers trust you, the better the opportunities will be for you in the future. 2 - Think about your resume tape FIRST! Everything you’re either assigned or you produce on your own should be done with your resume tape in mind. “Could I show this to an employer?” you should constantly be asking yourself. The harder you have to work to make your piece “resume-tape-worthy,” the better the piece is likely to be. ESPECIALLY if you’re a senior… that last year will go by faster than you think. You can’t afford to “waste” packages. Work hard! 3 - Have fun! My friends from ATVN became my best friends, and I miss them every day. Enjoy every minute of it!
What is the most important thing a college journalist should know when he or she is trying to negotiate his or her first job?
Make sure you learn as much as you can at ATVN. I didn’t negotiate a contract for my job, since most of us at FSN are freelancers, but I DID step into a job that most people have to intern to get, since FSN tends to hire from within. Aside from knowing Zeus Ayter who knows everybody, I brought a resume to the table that was packed with ATVN experience, and I think it convinced my boss to hire me essentially sight unseen. ATVN will prepare you to do almost anything, so make sure you can go into your interviews knowing that you can do (immediately) whatever you’re asked to do, and more.
What prepared you most for your current job?
Prepared?! I’m John Bishop! I was born ready.
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