This week was kind of crazy. We are in the middle of our shows and we are on our game when it comes to getting good stories!

I also was a little under the weather, and realized just how great Group 2 is at getting the job done without needing to be asked. I am very fortunate to get to work with such a great team!

After I posted my last blog, I was on the town shooting part of a story on the “Creepy Clown” crimes that have been occurring all over the world. Aside from Studio B, it had been a little while since I had been out shooting a story, and it was fun to join Taylor for the interview. It was also nice to sit back and see the great job she did conducting the interview. I knew it was going to be a great story, and it was.

Taylor and several others pitched their stories for the week earlier, but we still had an official meeting to discuss them on Monday. As always, there were a lot of good ideas, and with Professor Dahlia’s help we were able to come up with the best ones for our reporters to work on.

Later in the week, we took a look at the progress our reporters had made, and decided who would get to be on the show for that week. I always enjoy getting to tell people their hard work paid off, but it can be disheartening to tell someone that theirs didn’t. In the end, though, it’s all about helping them become even better reporters, and I knew from the start that it was in my job description to do so.

                                                                                                                   

Another few days, and the script was written and our reporters were back finishing their stories for show! I couldn’t believe how fast the week seemed to go. I felt like we had just finished pitching stories! Once everyone was done, we went over the script and were ready for our next taping!

I’ve found that I have a routine for every taping: get there, check on the reporters that are already there, distribute documents to everyone, make any last minute teleprompter changes, pace for a few minutes, and then hop in the chair and wait to get the show rolling.

      

I’ve been getting used to working with our director, Nate. It’s funny because we have such different approaches to instructing the people on set. He has to be quick on his feet when talking to the crew to make sure everything (camera, graphics, etc.) is where it needs to be. I am the calmer one, guiding our talent to give the best reads possible. The main difference in the control room is that he has to yell, and I have to get louder than intended sometimes, just to make sure I’m heard. It’s not a bad thing, though. It keeps the much-needed energy alive.

                                                                                                         

We got the show done in fewer takes than ever before! It shows how far we’ve come and how far we intend to keep going. It’s crazy to think that we only have two shows left, but I know they’re going to be great ones!