Job Shadows: What You Saw, Part 1

Here's a sampling of some of the various job shadows done by you all (this will be updated as job shadow reports are turned in, so please check back frequently). Take a look and see what you can learn from everyone's visits. There's a lot of good stuff here to help you decide what you want to do with your lives; what you need to be doing to get there; and what to expect when you do get there.

Please give each one of these a quick read as they come in, will you?

*****

I had a great time show shadowing for this report. I shadowed Derek Kevra, a Broadcast Meteorologist for FOX 2 News, Detroit. Derek graduated from The University of Michigan with his degree in Atmospheric Science and Meteorology. After working in smaller markets around the country for 4 years, Derek got the opportunity to come back home and join the FOX 2 News team, where he had interned while in college.

When I arrived at the station, which is located in Southfield, Michigan, Derek was standing at the back door waiting for me. He showed me to his office, which was located at the back of the station and had a bunch of computers and weather maps. We sat and talked for a while about his schooling and how long he has been in the business. He also showed me some of the meteorology programs and how he made his weather predictions and graphics for his newscasts.

After, he began to tour me around. We started in the newsroom, where there were at least two-dozen people huddled behind computers, gathering information for the nightly newscast. Derek introduced me to several people, including producers and news gatherers. We then went to a small area off the newsroom, which had several different editing bays. I got to see some of the editors working on different graphics and designs for news programs and commercials.

We then exited the newsroom and he took me to the first of 3 production studios. The first was the set for the nightly news, which I immediately recognized. The second was a more hip, flashy set he said was used to target a younger audience. The third was set up to look like a church for a show that airs on Sunday mornings. To get from set to set, we had to go through the prop warehouse, where I got to see all sorts of different set pieces and studio art.

After we finished touring the sets, we went back to his office, where I was able to continue asking him questions about his job, what his favorite part is and his likes and dislikes of being in the public eye. He offered me some really great advice about where to look for my first job when I’m ready, how I should be prepared to start small and relocate, and how much he loves his career. He suggested I take a look at TVJobs.com and that after graduation, I should consider getting an agent. He also gave me suggestions on putting together a good reel and told me how important it is to get a lot of field experience in school.

Overall, I learned a lot about the news industry and what goes into making a newscast/forecast successful. Derek was an exceptional person to shadow and I look forward to keeping in contact with him in the future.

Derek.Kevra@foxtv.com