By Aaron Holcomb
October 16, 2008
ORLANDO, Florida— Local Floridian and former Oklahoma native, Dan Shepherd, delivered a spur-of-the-moment lecture to a class of journalism students this past Thursday on his life as a freelance producer and the test and trials of the job as well as the possible pay-offs.
Shepherd graduated from University of Oklahoma in 1986, with a Bachelors of Arts in the field of Journalism. Shepherd graduated on a Saturday and then promptly started work on the following Monday.
His work experience has led him to cover stories for all the major networks (ABC, NBC, & CBS) as well as some privatized work for various other companies and production teams including: Disney Cruise Lines, The Oprah Winfrey Show, Americas Most Wanted, The Discovery Channel, and Fox Sports.
“My job as freelance producer is primarily to locate and find ‘experts’ for interviews,” said Shepherd when asked about his current role in journalism.
Shepherd’s covered and produced a multitude of major news stories over the years such as, the Terrorist Attacks of Sept. 11, the destructive 2004-2005 Hurricane seasons (including Hurricane Katrina), and also responsible for the coverage of the Shuttle Colombia Tragedy; February 1, 2003.
“Sometimes as a producer, when I have a really good story, I will go knock around some heads in order to really pitch the story,” said Shepherd, “though it is a delicate balancing act because you do not want to upset or insult your employer.”
“The nice thing about being a Freelancer is that you can always say ‘no’,” says Shepherd. However producers want dependable and flexible journalist covering their stories, so availability is just as much as important as the quality of work you deliver.
“The thing about this business is; it can change at any moment. One year you are making six-figures and the next you are barely scraping by. You have to be flexible in this business and be ready; you are always on call,” says Shepherd.
“The best way to get into this business is through word of mouth, references, and recommendations. Make contact with people and then stay in contact with them and follow their progress. Once you get your foot in the door and finally get your chance, DON’T SCREW IT UP,” said shepherd in answering one students question about the business.
“Most of all, ask a lot of questions,” said Shepherd.
Dan Shepherd continues to work as a remote coordinator and freelance field producer for NBC and many of the other networks. To contact Dan Shepherd: Soundbite@cfl.rr.com
Tuesday, October 21, 2008
Thursday, October 2, 2008
Dodge-Ball for Charity
By: Aaron R. Holcomb
ORLANDO, Florida—September 27, 2008. What were you doing this past Saturday morning? The members of Orlando Baptist Church and roughly 400 athletes and spectators spent their Saturday intentionally hurling rubber gym balls at one and other all for the sake of charity.
That’s right folks, charity dodge-ball. An event sponsored and organized by the members of Orlando Baptist and The Independent Dodge-Ball League in support of the Nicole Ganguzza Foundation; a fund set up in memory of the late UCF student murdered June 10, 2008.
“Our church has always wanted to organize a dodge-ball tournament for the community, though it was Kristi Strampach (former classmate of Nicole’s at the University of Central Florida) that suggested a charity event for Ganguzza,” Said Brittany Walsh. “There is a $ 500.00 prize to the winner of the tournament and a $100.00 prize to the second place team, after that all proceeds and cash go to Nicole Ganguzza Foundation.”
As one might guess, this event was festooned with all the usual suspects: sweat bands, knee-high socks, and hot-head attitudes typical of any dodge-ball tournament. Dodge-ball is a team-based sport watched primarily for the humorous accidents and injuries that occur to every contestant. And in the case of this tournament, each match had its fair share of the classic peltings , the well-placed accidental face blocks, and the colorful team names such as: Shake-n-Bake, Chuck Norris, The Team for the Children Who Can’t…, and the winners, Probably the Best Team Ever.
Though even in light of this comically painful competition, it was obvious that each team understood what they were playing for.
“I am doing this for Nicole and her foundation…the tournament…all of this is for her,” said Kyle Underwood, a member of The Flying Dutchmen.
Each team of the total 50 teams in the tournament contributed a $50.00 donation toward the charity, along with all the proceeds from food and raffle sales. In total, over $2000.00 was raised as the first deposit in support of the N.P.G. Foundation Inc.
“We needed to do this,” said Youth Pastor Derek Janney, “for Nicole, and for the entire community as a whole. It is our mission as a church to reach out to and impact the lives of our UCF and Valencia college students.”
“I am so grateful for everything that has been done in honor of Nicole’s memory,” said Brendan Ganguzza, husband of the late Nicole P. Ganguzza.
Following the tournament, Brendan Ganguzza was found shaking hands and exchanging words of gratitude with the winners ‘Probably the Best Team Here,’ and Orlando Baptist's youth pastor.
“Nicole was a real prize winner. This is just the start of the good things that will come from this foundation,” said Ganguzza.
To keep up with the upcoming events taking place at Orlando Baptist’s FUSE Ministry, you can look them up on www.fuseorlando.org, or to follow the future events and current status of the Nicole Ganguzza Foundation please go to www.npgfoundation.com .
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