Resume EXPERIENCE WPTA-TV Fort Wayne, IN 2015- Present Anchor Anchor primary weekday newscasts. Work with producers to craft daily rundowns. Develop and pitch story ideas. Produce special reports. Manage nightside resources. Use social media to grow audience reach and identify news sources. Represent the station at community events. “The List” Phoenix, AZ 2014-2015 Host Host and producer of marquee consumer franchise “What’s The Deal.” Researched, pitched and produced timely stories with a consumer, financial and tech focus. Worked with affiliate stations to generate content and coordinate field crews. Field reporter covering daily stories throughout the Southwest region. Reported extensively on the Jodi Arias trial and the deaths of the 19 wild land firefighters. KNXV-TV Phoenix, AZ 2010-2012 Reporter/Fill-in Anchor Live reporter covering breaking news for market-leading morning show. Substitute anchor for morning newscast and midday talk show. Led coverage from the field during Arizona’s biggest wildfire and the shooting of Representative Gabby Giffords. Worked with photographers and editors on assigned stories. Utilized social media as a second channel for viewers and to cultivate sources. Operated live trucks and field equipment as a one-man-band reporter. WPTA/WISE-TV Fort Wayne, IN 2008-2010 Reporter/MMJ Served as a multimedia journalist across all platforms. Covered local government, breaking news and feature stories. Planned and implemented market-exclusive live coverage of Barack Obama’s first inauguration from Washington DC. Anchored assigned newscasts. EDUCATION Ball State University, Muncie, Indiana — BA Telecommunications, 2012 SKILLS Strong writing ability with graphics design knowledge. Ability to anchor sustained, live programming without scripts. Skilled in the use of social media to cultivate sources and communicate with viewers. Experience operating live trucks and field equipment. Knowledgeable in the use of desktop editing programs including Avid, Edius and Final Cut Pro. Thorough understanding of news values and community standards in Northeast Indiana. Solid ability to lead a newsroom and make quick decisions under pressure.
Brien McElhatten