My husband and I met while working in TV news. I was an on-air reporter and he was a videographer, and now we both make video content for different organizations. He works for a university and me, for a municipality. Working from home during this pandemic while caring for and educating our boys has been a challenge. Luckily, we have a combined 12 years of experience in one of the most unforgiving and arduous careers to fall back on. Here are a few things we’re glad we already knew how to do before life in quarantine:
- Work at an incredibly fast pace– When the pandemic hit, my department turned into 24/7 crisis communications, and his department of online education suddenly acquired the entire student population. Luckily, we used to churn out multiple news packages a day in time to go live at 5 and 6, so we know what it’s like to move at full speed.
- Portability– I remember editing video on a laptop in a booth at McDonalds for several days straight while covering wildfires in Southern Arizona, or writing scripts in the back of a live truck on the way to a scene. When it comes to carrying on anywhere, we can grab what we need and go. Although this time, I went back to my office for my cushy desk chair. I’m not in my 20s anymore, I need lumbar support.
- Use what you’ve got– My six-year-old’s room has become our sound booth, as we retreat to record voice-overs for projects we’re working on. Whether it’s a makeshift tripod, a soundproof hoodie over your head, or a stack of books to stand on, when you work in news, sometimes you have to use what you can find. Luckily, our house has no shortage of cameras and accessories.
- Keep it light– Working in news can be real grim. If you don’t keep a sense of humor it can wear you down. Newsrooms have so many running jokes it’s hard to keep track, because when you have a front row seat to the community’s worst tragedies, you have to laugh so you don’t cry. We’re in the middle of a world-wide crisis with a death toll that’s escalating every day. In my mind, there’s no better time to make someone laugh.
- Teamwork– Drew and I worked so well together in news that we used to be able to set up a live shot faster than any other reporter/photog team, which means we’d get assigned every ridiculous breaking news event happening fifteen minutes before showtime. Nowadays, that means seamlessly shifting between fixing a snack for the boys while one is on a conference call, or tagging out when we’re just too swamped to break up yet another sibling argument.
Our house, like the news business, is chaotic, crazy and a little challenging. But it’s also full and fun. We get to spend more time with our boys and teach them these skills. And who knows, they might just come in handy someday.
Our Life in A-Z 