People skills - it’s vital to be a valuable contributor in the ATVN news room.  No matter what job you have, you have to work well with others, being able to lead as well as follow. 

Writing - know how to write for print, online and broadcast.  You’ll appreciate having all of those skills. 

Learn how to do everything - ok, that’s vague.  What I mean is try to be a jack of all trades in the newsroom.  The broader your skill set, the more marketable you will be.  You might end up getting a job in a somewhat related field or doing something you initially didn’t envision.  Journalism skills and the technical skills associated with it are valuable assets in all communications fields.

Executive Producer, Sports Anchor, Weather Anchor, Producer, Reporter, Assistant Director, Camera Operator

ATVN gave me a great foundation in broadcast writing, facilitated my creativity, and provided me with valuable leadership experience.

Be patient.  You’re not going to land your dream job right after college.  Take everything step by step and if you keep working hard and be patient, you’re going to be successful.

The most important thing is to get your foot in the door and meet people.  I wouldn’t worry about negotiation right away.  Obviously, you don’t want to put yourself in a negative situation.  Just make sure you’re doing what you want to be doing and work hard at it.

In addition to my four years at ATVN, I also worked 3 years for the USC Athletic Video Department.  By having access to the teams, players and coaches in a variety of ways, I learned what it was like to work for a sports team and how to interact with all personnel.  When I started my first job with the San Francisco 49ers, I already knew what to expect.  Obviously, the NFL is much more professional in terms of the entire operation, but I went in there with a good basic understanding of how things worked.  I also had all the technical skills and journalism skill which allowed me to report, edit and write for our website and Gameday publication.