How genuine connections create the best stories

As I’ve moved from market to market, I’ve grown more comfortable with networking. I can attest to the fact that it can feel very unnatural at times to go up and talk to strangers, but as a journalist I’ve found it to become very valuable.

About a year ago I was attending a networking event hosted by the Midlands African Chamber. We went around the room to introduce ourselves and share what we did for a living. After my introduction and a few others, a man named Rodney Bennett stood up to speak. He shared how he was starting a business venture and one of his products was dedicated to the person who donated a kidney to him. He shared that because of this donation, he was able to have a second chance at life and wanted to use his business (SunFlare Brand Company) to pay it forward.

In that moment I’m sure he didn’t think anything of this being worthy of media attention. But I did. At the end of the event I made a beeline to find him and let him know that I really wanted to tell his story. So, we made the connection and set things up.

In our interview he shared that he was on the search for his donor family. Through a letter, he wanted them to know that their loved one was making a tremendous impact even after their passing.

We also had an opportunity to watch his process of creating candles. It was really awesome to see!

(The first story I did on him is below)

Fast forward to now.

Rodney participated in the Midlands African Chamber’s Pitch Black competition, where he won a cash prize and other resources to support his business. We connected there since I was the event’s emcee.

And recently, Rodney reached out to me with exciting news that not only did he find his donor family (they wrote each other a letter), but he also made it to his five-year anniversary of his kidney donation.

He invited me to join him as he gave out candles from his business to the medical providers who cared for him. It was truly an honor to see this story through.

Not only that, but his story helped bring awareness to the need of kidney donors and the process that it takes to potentially connect with a donor family. As Rodney told me, sometimes recipients hear back from them and sometimes they don’t. He was very grateful to be one of the ones to get a response.

I know that networking can be tough. Stepping out of your comfort zone and breaking out of your shell can be hard. BUT… you never know what you’ll discover on the other side of that “hello”. It could end up bringing you one of the best stories you’ve ever told.

The day I went national

While it isn’t every journalist’s dream, going national is mine. If I have my way it wouldn’t be long before you turn on TODAY and see me there whether on-location as a correspondent or at the desk with Hoda and Savannah. It seems far fetched when you’re on the local level, but after getting a one-off opportunity to experience being on national television it felt a lot more feasible to me.

Unfortunately, the opportunity came at the expense of many lives. Some lost and others changed forever. In June of 2022, an Amtrak train crashed into a dump truck in the area of Mendon, Missouri. It was about two hours away from where I was working in Kansas City. On the night of the crash, I got word from one of my managers that there was a potential for CBS Mornings wanting us to provide them with coverage since they did not send a correspondent of their own. It was truly all by chance since I happened to be the only reporter that morning.

My usual call time to work was around 3:30 a.m., but that morning I had to come in around 1 a.m. Our colleagues from CBS News in New York drafted up a script for me to record and send to them so that they could compile the story. Then once we arrived in Mendon, I’d send back the live look at the scene. In the midst of such a tragedy, I knew it was my time to truly step up and show what I could do. Deliver gut-wrenching, heartbreaking news to the best of my ability as a local reporter in a sea of correspondents from any network you could name. They were all lined up with their big trucks, bright lights, umbrellas, music stands to hold their papers and field producers. It was simply me and my photographer.

On the way to the scene I made sure to send out a Facebook post letting family and friends know for probably the only time for a while, they could finally tune on their televisions and watch me do what I do best. Not only would they see me report, but they’d also see Nate Burleson tossing to me and Gayle King wrapping it up by thanking me for the report.

I worked through my script the whole way there. In between doing hits for our own news, I was then tasked to record several “in and outs” for the various CBS entities. For the main morning show, the local affiliates and their streaming service. It was a lot of work but it was riveting and it proved to me that I can do it.

While I’m not a face on the network just yet, I believe deeply that it is on the way with each passing day. And I am certain that I will be ready. If I did it once, I’m confident I can do it again.

Never burn the bridge!

Me and ted hall of vwlt

We often hear the saying “it’s a small world”. I’ve heard it a lot in the news business. But let me say, in these last six months I’ve found it to be incredibly true.

Before coming to Omaha I worked in Kansas City for a year-and-a-half. I was supposed to be there for three, but ended up leaving early because it wasn’t the right fit (more on this story in the future — stay tuned). When I walked out of that building for the last time I just knew I would never go back. But, man was I wrong.

It was February 14th when some major breaking news came out of KC. At the very end of the Chiefs’ Super Bowl victory parade, shots were fired. Sadly, a woman was killed and many others hurt. I turned on the livestream of my former station because I was so worried about my friends and former colleagues. I sent a text message to a few of them to make sure they were okay. I said and prayer and thought that would be it.

My first day of coverage following the victory parade tragedy.

I went to work the next day. While at my desk my news director came up to me and shared that they were sending me to my former station to help them with the coverage. After covering the lead up to the Super Bowl, the actual game and tragedy that followed, some people needed a break. So they reached out to several stations within our company to bring in reporters to help. My boss felt I was the best choice since I once worked at that station and knew the market.

To say I was shocked would be an understatement. I also felt I was being “Punk’d” by God. Never did I think I’d return to where I’d just left, let alone be back on their air. I won’t say too much right now about why I felt that way. But again, it simply wasn’t a good place for me when I was working there. Needless to say, I had very mixed feelings about going back. However, as a journalist I have a duty to serve not only our viewers but also our colleagues when they are in need. So, I hopped in the car and drove to KC.

What’s even more about the world being small, the KC news director was a person who was part of my interview process when I was seeking a job position in Atlanta a little over a year before. Even in the midst of tragedy, the experience became a blessing for me. I was able to work with former colleagues that I loved and was received back into the community by viewers as if I never left. The team was so gracious and valued my work. It was awesome.

My former photographer, edwin

TERRANCE, A KC VIEWER, CAME TO VISIT ME DURING MY LIVE HITS!

Months later, I had another “small-world” run-in. Here in Omaha, we host the Men’s College World Series. News stations from all over the country flock here especially if their college team is in the competition.

We had a station out of Tennessee that needed some extra hands as their college team went further on in the series (spoiler alert: their team won it all). I was planning for a major vacation and could use any overtime I could get my hands on, so I offered to help and serve as a photographer. I did that just to find out that the news director of that Tennessee station was my news director back in Indiana. It was a delight for me to know that we’d be working together again in some capacity. He was the first to give me an on-air opportunity, so there was a special place in my heart.

ted hall doing his thing. i LEARNED A LOT JUST BY WATCHING HIM!

It was yet another blessing for me to give back and support someone who supported me all those years ago. Plus, I made a new friend in news anchor Ted Hall!

I write this post to say it’s always important to leave former stations on the best possible terms. Some experiences aren’t the best, sadly, but at the end of the day you must do your best to keep it professional and have your reputation in tact. As you see here, you can easily run into people from your past. It can and likely will happen. Plus, they could have a hand in deciding your future opportunities.

You truly never know. And that is why you should always stay on your P’s and Q’s and be the best YOU!

I won my first award!

One afternoon while sitting at my desk, my co-worker leaned over to me and told me he had a secret to share. Once I made my commitment to keep my lips zipped he told me to look at his computer screen. It was an e-mail listing me as a winner of one of the esteemed Eric Sevareid Awards by the Midwest Broadcast Journalists Association. While it didn’t specify where I placed, it was more than good enough to learn that my work was finally recognized by my colleagues and peers.

Yes, I’ve gotten a number of compliments on my news stories through the years. But It wasn’t until year five of my reporting career that I had a piece of hardware to show for it. I certainly don’t work in this field for the sake of accolades and acceptance of others outside of our viewers. However, when you once worked in a newsroom with no regard at all for your talent or worth it feels good to know that you are seen.

Earning this award also taught me not to be too hard on myself. My co-worker who told me the exciting secret was also one who helps to choose which stories make it from the newsroom to the judges table. They saw my work fit enough to be shared. The stories I submitted, I wasn’t so sure about. After I chose them I certainly felt I could have picked better. Something more exciting, riveting and punchy. But I was wrong. It was stories from the heart that were more than enough to earn me an Award of Merit. No, it wasn’t first place and that’s okay. That time will come. Even when I get it (the EMMY I aspire for), it’ll never supersede my first award. The one that came from the heart and soul of a young journalist like myself with the mission above all to tie my community together by the telling of our stories.

In the video below you’ll find my story submissions:

Three stories shot, written and edited by me. Two of the three are enterprise stories.