Thursday, December 27, 2007

And so it begins..

When Tigers Attack

The day after Christmas I officially began my new life as a freelance news producer. I had no idea what to expect. I was praying for the best, but wasn't expecting to get a job until 2008. I had told David I may not get any work for the first few months. It was a total leap of faith to go freelance and I feel lucky that I was able to do it.

Around 6pm I got a call on my cell phone. It was a 212 number. My heart stopped. It was from NBC in NY! I thought to myself..wait a second, my last day at the station was just yesterday and I'm already getting a call!? How could this be?

It was the Today Show calling to see if I could be in Columbia, SC for a Today Show live shot. Who was I to turn down my first official gig as a freelancer! I packed an overnight back and headed South.

I got to the hotel around midnight. I met the crew at the Zoo around 5:30am. We were interviewing Satch Krantz, chairman of the National Association of Zoos and Aquariums. He was a guest along with the family who lost their son in a tiger attack at the San Diego Zoo.

Here's the link to the story:

http://today.msnbc.msn.com/id/22407114

And so it begins. Just two days after leaving my job at WRAL TV I landed my first freelance gig. I got to see an old friend Jim Knowles who runs the Atlanta Bureau's satellite truck. We compared stories and ran over the list of folks we know. I also got to meet some freelancers: Jimmy and Ian. They work for the Go To Team. That's a production company that covers stories along the East Coast. Jimmy was kind enough to pass my name along to his company for work!

I'm just getting started on this next adventure and chapter in my life...and so far I'm sure glad I did!