People often ask me, “How did you get into the TV or video production business? Did you go to school for it?”

Yes I did. But that’s only part of the formula. My father repeatedly told me that I had to be better than the best at whatever I did.

I volunteered while in college, and worked on-air and behind the scenes as a producer. One opportunity led to another, and in 1998, I was offered a job in Tampa at WTVT, Fox 13 News.

I probably got the job in part because the news director in Tampa, knew the news director at the Washington D.C. station where I was working at the time. “They” say it’s not what you know, it’s who you know, but it doesn’t end there.

The news business is demanding. You often have to move around. The hours can be down right brutal sometimes and unfair. If you want to work in TV news, get over it.

It’s called paying your dues, and the price can be high.

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