it's official.

i've known for a little over a week now...but fox 13 has asked me to freelance for them! 
i work as an associate producer part-time, and i love it!
it pays DOUBLE what i make at starbucks too, so that's a bonus ;)
i'm super excited for this great opportunity. it will lead to an awesome full-time job when i finally graduate!

the newsroom.

 

welcome to where i've spent the majority of my summer.

with the studio currently undergoing renovations (as in pretty much getting completely rebuilt), we have all been squished into the area behind the anchor desks... not a lot of space for anchors, reporters, editors, producers, etc etc. tension runs high sometimes, especially when there's a lot going on! i've seen people at each other's throats, yelling, or wondering where their live shot is, or having to step outside to BREATHE. too much togetherness sometimes!
however there's also been amazing memories made here. bob evans loves singing musicals, hope has the best sense of humor ever... i also love gene kennedy's band drop dead julio who we love to sing in the newsroom on the weekends. ben winslow will always be my personal favorite since he got me the internship...he is a "robot" of news since he always seems to know what's going on.
the producers are all amazing and so patient with me as i pick up on how to do everything! other than the occasional slow news day where we sit outside and BBQ or read, there's always something going on and something needing to be done.
i truly love the busy lifestyle of working in news...even if it gets a bit crazy sometimes!

DIY.

i've been on the lookout for do-it-yourself projects over the past couple days. the boredness that ensues between 7 and 9 at my internship is getting to be a little too much for me. so i figured i ought to come up with some things to do to occupy my time! these cute bracelets are sure to keep me entertained...i'm off to buy thread tonight after i leave fox 13 studios actually.
other things on the list of stuff to do during slow hour:
-work on my portfolio
-reread the hunger games series
-apply for jobs [starbucks is getting a little old for me]
-offer to write more stories!!

despite the slow times between when the 5 o'clock ends and the 9 o'clock begins...my days consist of being busy busy busy.
today was no exception. i work 17 hours total! today was a great day at the bucks though...we got to make coffee for ty burrell, the actor who plays phil on modern family!!

 

here he is signing autographs for all of us starstruck baristas.

and for those who are curious, he drinks black coffee...a manly man.

and he had a sexy beard. and was one of the nicest guys ever! 

life in the newsroom

 

fox 13's ben winslow found my dieting very comical this past week.

he called it the "dinner of champions".

i've learned there is no how-to book on being good at communications.

while you can take 3 and a half years of classes about it, you don't know a damn thing until you put those skills to practice.

but over the next few weeks i will do my best to share what i come across.

all this coming after i received several messages from people wanting to hear more about what i do at fox as a producer :]

for now i'll share a few tips on surviving 17-hour work days, and other tips for working in communications.

[on the weekends i work from 5:30-12:30 at starbucks, and then from 1-10:15ish at fox 13. awful, right?]

1. as you can see from the picture above, you can never have too many snacks. 

  good for munching on to keep you awake, however, beware the scale!!

2. learn to have a backbone. when people swear at you, calling you the b-word and a "dumb byu bimbo," because you won't transfer them to someone already on the phone, don't cry, get even.

3. take initiative. after sitting at the assignment desk for a week i was so bored i wanted to punch something. so instead of doing that [that would be a bad life choice], i simply asked to do something cooler. worked wonders and now i get to write the fox13 quickcast every night!

4. caffeine. caffeine. caffeine. if you don't like coffee, learn to like it because it will be your lifeline when you're crashing at around 4 o'clock.

5. make friends. since i'm here a lot, i might as well enjoy it, right? which by the way, i TOTALLY do.

the best day of my internship so far.

i actually wasn't even scheduled to work my internship today, but ben winslow invited me to help him out at the sentencing of brian david mitchell. i couldn't pass up the chance to see a reporter in action! and it was a crazy awesome, stressful, crowded day. we waited outside the courthouse to see the results of the sentencing [life in prison, without parole...awesome] and then did interviews with brian david mitchell's step daughter as well as elizabeth smart herself.

she was very polished and calm...and i won't lie, she did bring tears to my eyes. so much for keeping my cool! this woman has been a great example to me and many others though. i am so glad the sentence was so just. very rarely do perpetrators get the full sentence they deserve.

me and some of the fox 13 team discussing what to do next for the 5 o'clock news.

all in all, a great day to be an intern.

PUBLISHED.

for those who are interested, check out a couple of my first published online articles here and here. i was trained on writing for the web this week...talk about my kind of fun! i love writing more than anything, and writing for tv is a lot different than what i am used to. writing online articles is way more in my comfort zone!
hope you enjoy... happy friday!

busy!

i started my internship at fox 13 news this week!
the past 2 days, i have worked at 5 or 6 am at starbucks, and then worked at my internship 1 pm to 10 pm. needless to say i DEFINITELY slept in this morning.

but i love my internship, it's totally worth it!! the first day was a bit overwhelming... the newsroom is constantly busy and bustling, and it was a lot to take in! they had me answer phones and listen to the police scanners..something that i found very entertaining. haha. the only thing that really jumped out was at about 8:15 pm when there was a report of a near drowning in kearns. we got a live truck out there to get a report on it and it was crazy to see how quickly they got a story together for the 9 o'clock news. so much goes into what you see on your television every night and i had no idea!

i took this on my first night there for the 9 o'clock news. this is the news control room, where most of the producers [what i'm interning for] spend their time! they make sure everything flows smoothly and that everyone who is live is ready to go.

yesterday was my second day and it was awesome. i still answered phones but this time i got to do a little more producer type things.. i wrote teasers [the "coming up next" things you always hear the anchors say] and looked up national stories to use on the news. 

all in all it's only been 2 days and it's already been a great experience! i'm so excited to learn all i can about broadcast journalism. it's so much fun!

happy friday the 13th everyone!