WCTV - CBS TELEVISION AFFILIATE - TALLAHASSEE - FULL TIME JOB
TALLAHASSEE
From the Spring of 2017 and throughout my senior year, I worked full-time at WCTV the CBS affiliate (top station) in Tallahassee while attending FSU with a full credit load. My job entailed working in various aspects as a producer, cameraman, interviewer, script writer, editor and at times a reporter. I also supplied and updated stories on our website. The position enabled me to put into practice most of the elements of communication and media fundamentals that I had been studying over the years. See a sample of my work below (just click on the videos).
While returning from Christmas break up north, I personally experienced the way cutting-edge technology is changing the industry. My news director called and asked if I could do a story from New York on how travelers were handling weather delays and cancelations at major airports. With my iPhone I was able to quickly film three takes at different locations in the airport, as well as background shots for the lead-in and promo. I sent the videos in online before I boarded the plane at 4pm and the story appeared on the 6pm news that night (see Winter Travel video below).
EVENTS:
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went on assignment to Puerto Rico to report on the progress the island has made since Hurricane Maria. Stories appeared during the February 2018 sweeps.
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covered pro- and anti- gun demonstrations at the capital in response to the Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School shootings
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covered Hurricane Irma in northern Florida
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reported on sit-ins at Senator Marco Rubio's office
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was the pool cameraman for the quadruple murder trial of Henry Segura
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interviewed the mayor of Tallahassee - Andrew Gillum and the governor of Florida - Rick Scott
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covered the reaction at the University of Florida to a white supremacist's speech on campus in Gainesville
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covered the death of an FSU fraternity student attributed to binge drinking
In January 2018 Anchor Ben Kaplan and I were assigned to Puerto Rico to conduct a fact-finding report of the status on the island's recovery from Hurricane Maria. Ben was the reporter and I ran all the equipment...but I also managed to do some of my own filming and reporting online.
It turned out to be a week-long series of stories that aired on both the 6pm and 11pm newscasts in February during the rating sweeps. Much of the area we covered was high in the hills around the city of Jayuya. Recovery efforts are very slow there because of the terrain, but the people's spirits are high, and resilience is embedded in their character.
By: Ben Kaplan | WCTV Eyewitness News
January 24, 2018
PUERTO RICO (WCTV) -- WCTV is on the ground in Puerto Rico four months after Hurricane Maria tore through the area.
Ben Kaplan and Michael Hudak landed in the capitol, San Juan, around 2:30 p.m. on Wednesday, and got a full view of the city as the plane landed.
They saw several blue tarps on roofs, temporary fixes from the damage.
While driving through the city, you can still see reminders of Maria; windows on high rises boarded up, a huge billboard ripped in half and damaged street signs.
However, the sights in San Juan pale in comparison to what other parts of the island face.