So what’s next?

Me with the band Alabama. This was one of my favorite days in television.

So what’s next for this former Weekend Anchor/Producer/Reporter/Photographer?  That’s a good question actually. And it turns out others who know me and/or used to watch me deliver the news are more curious in the answer than I am.
After nearly a decade of being career focused which included: being limited to what I could wear to work (e.g. no tweed, no busy prints, no stripes unless they are wide because otherwise they’ll start swirling on camera), worrying about what story to pitch, worrying about missing something the competition has and if I do what will the repercussions be?, obsessing over the next market (city) to get to hoping they’ll have an opening around the same time your contract is up AND that the news director will want to hire you over the dozens of candidates who also want the job. That’s just the tip of the iceberg.

Sounds exhausting right? Well let me tell you it is. I don’t know anyone that’s “comfortable” in the business. I know reporters and anchors in top markets that are worried about when the other shoe will drop. In my opinion whatever you’ve built at a station, despite the market size, it can all be snatched away.

It’s an extremely stressful business and it’s not uncommon for journalists to bow out when it just becomes too much. Don’t get me wrong I’ve done some pretty awesome stuff during my tenure. My proudest moments include appearing on the Nancy Grace show in 2006 (I really need to upload the video), providing hurricane coverage to several tv stations, and interviewing country group Alabama. There are a few more but those are stand outs. Those days were hurried and draining but equally rewarding. It was on those days I thought to myself, “my job is pretty awesome!”

But in life there’s time for change and sometimes you just have to strike out and do something out of the ordinary; hence moving 3,000+ miles away. Above all else, I love to write. Always have. So that’s what I’ve decided to do. I’m currently working an 8 – 5 in an office but in my free time I’m living out my passion which includes this blog. I've also started freelancing again for a publishing company (writing features and business profiles) that it did work for before I returned to television. I know eventually my passion will lead to a full-time pursuit.

“You can't cross the sea merely by standing and staring at the water.” -Rabindranath Tagore