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What do you do?
I am the senior special projects producer at KVBC-TV in Las Vegas. As such, I produce special reports for the main anchors. That includes coming up with story ideas, researching them, setting up and doing the interviews, logging the tape and writing the stories. For the past couple of years, my main focus has been on the health beat.

How did you get your job?
I started out in the business as a line producer in Anchorage, Alaska. I did that for a year, then moved into the Tampa market as an associate producer. At that station, I worked my way up to being a line producer of the most watched new program in the city. From there, I moved to a new Time Warner 24-hour news startup in the Tampa area as an executive producer. After discovering I didn't care for management due to all the personnel issues and missing the hands-on work on stories, I moved to Las Vegas as a special projects producer. It's been my favorite job to date as I find it's a nice mix between producing and reporting. I appreciate the variety and because each day is different, I don't feel like it's a daily grind.

Best professional lesson learned at J-School?
I learned to carry myself with an air of confidence due to the education and training I received at one of the very best journalism schools in the country.

What would be your best advice to current students?
Always be a team player, diversify yourself with as many skills as possible and aim high. Also, never burn a bridge. As big as it may seem, this field is very small. Most people in management know each other and talk. If you do burn a bridge, it will very likely come back to haunt you.

What makes you good at your job?
I am highly organized, which I believe is critical for a producer.

What do you consider to be your greatest professional achievement?
Producing a week-long series of stories in the country of Ecuador, truly making a difference in people's lives when it comes to health issues, winning three EMAs and being nominated for many others.

What is your secret to success?
I love people and hearing their stories. I'm always looking for story ideas and asking people for them. Not only strangers I meet, but also my friendsand family. I'm also highly involved in my community (Toastmasters, Junior League, church, etc.) which has led to countless contacts and connections, which have helped immensely in producing stories.