Illinois Gardener, Talking Point, Black Perspectives, One-on-One, Ask the Managers, Young Musicians, Fund Drives

Director, Technical Director, Audio, CG, Floor Director, Camera, Segment Producer, Studio Lighting, Set Design and Construction

WILL-TV is a PBS affiliate operated by the University of Illinois (Urbana-Champaign). I got my start in television working on the studio based TV shows at this station. I started as a volunteer operating cameras for pledge drives and worked my way through all of the positions on the studio crew. Within one year of starting, I was training new employees and students to work each of the positions. As I worked up, I was given the opportunity to direct live and taped shows. My directing style included intense preparation before the show, so I could keep a light and easygoing atmosphere during the show.

Studio X

Producer/Director

In addition to the general work that I did on the regular weekly series, I was also the Producer and Director of Studio X, a studio based music performance show featuring local musicians.

Video Diner

Co-Producer/Videographer

Video Diner is a weekly showcase of music videos from around the world. The mainstream music video channels were ignoring many incredible videos. But Video Diner gave viewers a chance to see what artists are creating. Artists such as The Soundtrack of Our Lives, Reunion Show and Madlib air alongside bigger names such as Joe Strummer, Debbie Harry and Ani DiFranco.

Prairie Fire

Segment Producer, Lighting, Videographer, Audio, Editor

Prairie Fire was a half hour video magazine series that featured three to five profiles of the people, places and events of central Illinois. I got my start on this show by carrying a seventy pound light bag and equipment around on shoots. Even though the work was hard, it provided the foundation of my field production experience. While working on this show, I learned to set up and light interviews, gather audio and video, and edit finished packages. Eventually I was pitching stories, conducting interviews, and producing segments of my own. My love for television production can be traced back to this work, and I still have great memories of working with Alison Davis Wood and Tim Hartin on the show.

Music Videos

Audio Engineer

On the second Sunday of every month, you could find me at Krannert Art Museum running sound for this radio magazine show with performances by world class musicians from the central Illinois area. The show featured classical chamber ensembles, pianist, classical guitarist, jazz, and choral groups. The mix of music and art always made for a lively event. In addition to the live radio broadcast, the event would draw two to three hundred visitors to the museum for the free concert. While working with the shows producer, Paul Wienke, I learned the value of capturing the accurate sound of the performance while including the feel of the room.

Sidetrack (2001-2005) WILL-AM

Audio Engineer

Sidetrack was AM 580′s monthly news/features magazine hosted by Jason Croft. Each month the show would feature off-beat, and usual stories from around central Illinois and around the world. When the show featured local musicians, I would record their performances in our music recording studio. These recordings featured everything from country, pop, jazz, ukelele, rockabilly and bluegrass music.

Estrojam Music Festival: Audio Recording (2007)

Audio Recording Engineer

Recorded performances at six venues in Chicago that were later mixed into a compilation CD of the festival.

Models

Landscape

Marketing

Family

Click Images for PDF

Poetry

365 Poems Project

Every day for a year I wrote write a new poem and posted it to my poetry project page. Obviously poetry is all about revision, so these are not be the final drafts, but instead the rough versions which may someday become something better.

Improv Acting, Sketch Writing, Music Improv

This is what I wrote when I first signed up for classes at Second City:

I don’t think that I have ever been afraid of something so much in my life. At the same time I am more excited than I have been about anything in a very long time. I have always had a secret wish to act. I started acting in Junior High when a friend of mine wanted me to come along with him to audition for the school play. Turns out that I got a part and he didn’t. Since then it has been in the back of my mind to do something with it, but it never really seemed like it was a real way to make a living. Don’t know what it will turn into, but I am glad that I am starting.

Looking back, I guess the big thing for me was how much I enjoyed improv. I think that can be attributed to having some great teachers, Andy Eninger, Judy Fabjance, Craig Uhlir, and Jackie Stone. Andy and Judy were gentle and loving to get us started, Craig kicked us in the ass to get us better, and Jackie brought in the finishing touches to bring a whole show together. Our end of class improv shows were very fun and hopefully entertaining. I was really lucky to be working with such a great group of people.

We Get to be Canadians

Co-Producer, Stage Manager

Worked with Andrew Felper, Laura Bell, Chris DeRose, and a great cast to get the first We Get To Be Canadians sketch comedy show up off the ground. It was a great experience to see what it takes to put a show on. A lot of good people came together and put in a lot of hard work for what turned out to be a successful run.
Andrew Felper described the show as:

Tender moments between a insistent father and his children, Jesus and his shortcomings as a carpenter, pre-steroid baseball and senior prom moments expose laughs at the expense of American superiority and ethnocentricity as only a twenty-something liberal democrat can conceive.

Poster/Flyer Design

We Get to be Canadians

Evolver Asheville

I run hands on workshops that provide practical experience with the skills needed for today’s multimedia reporting. The best way to learn is to get out and do it. Before meeting, you will be given a short handout that gives some basic information to get you up and running on the subject. The workshops start with a short lesson with training and goals for the day. Then we go out to put the lesson into action. You’ll be using the skills you learned in the lesson to produce your own work. I will be out with you to answer questions and to give feedback and suggestions. The last part of the workshop is left open for review, questions and comments.

Web and Graphic Design

Designed the NonVotersInAmerica.com website.

Washington Media Institute (2012)

Trainer

Conducted workshops on editing with Adobe Premiere and creating project websites.

Washington Press Club Foundation (2012)

Videography

The Washington Press Club Foundation conducts oral history interviews focused on “Women in Journalism.” During this project I was responsible for setup, lighting, recording and encoding the interview for DVD and web use.

Golden Apple Awards – Central Illinois (2008)

Producer, Director, Editor, DVD Authoring and Production

The Golden Apple Awards recognize the best teachers in Chicago and the suburbs. In 2008, the Golden Apple foundation expanded to recognize teachers in Central Illinois. I organized, produced and directed the recording of the ceremony. Managed theater, lighting, video and audio departments to set up and record the show. Edited the video for broadcast on WILL TV and UI7. I also produced the DVD that was given to all of the guest of the event.

AOSSM Surgical Skills DVDs (2008)

Editor, Graphic Design, DVD Author

Edited video footage from surgeries and lectures to provide training DVDs for Surgical Skills workshops. Produced graphics for the video. Authored the final DVDs.

Tim Nugent Documentary: Uni. of Illinois (2007)

Location Videography (DC), Lighting, Audio, Video Conversion
Produced location footage for a documentary following Tim Nugent’s visit to Washington, DC for a reunion with his military unit and trip to the World War II Memorial.

Springfield Race Riot Documentary: Crowdson Co. (2007)

Videography, Lighting, Field Audio

Shot location and green screen interviews for this documentary. Also shot b-roll in Springfield and Chicago.

Estrojam Music Festival: Audio Recording (2007)

Audio Recording Engineer

Recorded performances at six venues in Chicago that were later mixed into a compilation CD of the festival.

Innocent Words Magazine (2005-2007)

Photographer

Photographed bands and editorial photos for music magazine.

Poster Design (2005-2007)

Designer – Evolver Asheville, We Get To Be Canadians

Logo, Marketing and Poster Design.

Oregon Public Television (2005)

Field Audio Recording

Boom Operator, Sound Mixing and Recording

ABC Sports (2004-2005)

Production Assistant

Set up and ran cables for college football games.

Rates (not including expenses and gear):

$400/half-day (4 hours)
$600/day (8 hour day)
$2500/wk (5x 8 hour days in any 7 day period)
$8000/month (20x 8 hour days in any 31 day period)