University Life

So you've  guessed it! I am officially settled into my new place in Sudbury. I am taking Communications for two years and so far I'm loving it. I'm keeping busy with homework and meeting new people so I haven't had much time to post to this blog (apologies!). Hopefully I will have more time to keep you updated, but I am also working on making a travel/ food/ makeup blog. I'm planning for it to be up in the next few months!

Anyway, just wanted to post an update, it seems almost as if I have fallen off the face of the earth for the last few months but I do assure you, I'm back and I will be updating more than ever! So stay tuned!

xo T

Summer Fun

Well, it's definitely been a while since I've posted a blog post!

What new with me? Not much to be honest, it feels so strange to me that I'm not in school, even though it's clearly the summer. I'm trying to keep myself busy, and sometimes even the two jobs I'm working isn't enough! I'm working at a cute little coffee shop in my town (it's more slow paced, which is nice) and I also work at a golf course in my town at the restaurant there. I love both jobs, and it gives me a great mix of people, atmosphere and more. At the course, it's a bit more fast paced, but I love that about it. The busier, the better (and more tips! $$ ... that will soon be gone to pay tuition and residence for University in the Fall).
Other than work, I have kept pretty busy spending time with my family. It's nice to be home this summer, because last I was in Barrie working for Central Ontario Broadcasting. I loved that job but being away from my family was quite hard. It's nice to be working at home, helping out around the house and spending time with the ones who matter most. Today, I helped my mother plant some flowers in the garden (I love flowers) and helped with some Spring cleaning.

I think this summer will be full of fun, and I`m really enjoying it while I can. When Fall rolls around the corner, school will be the number one priority, and frankly, I am freaked out with the fact that I`m actually going to University (PINCH ME). Again, I am way too excited to move up to Sudbury for two years, and get my B.A.

Anyway, this summer I will be posting several blog posts a month, when I can to update everyone on what silly old me is up to. I also may have a few little surprises to share as the summer comes to an end (exciting news) and even a few little surprises. Stay tuned, and wish me luck! I`ll give a bit of a hint, it involves a possible job opportunity in my field. I am also super excited about getting to Toronto to meet with a few industry professionals that are on my list to chat with. And I really hope that I have time this summer to stop in and see how everyone is doing at The Morning Show (where I interned in the Winter).

Until then, have a wonderful beginning to the Summer (AHH, and June 18th is my Birthday, the big 22.. scary, yet exciting!)

xo

Tara

Summer Plans and Opportunities

So summer is fast approaching (for me at least!)

This means that in two weeks I will be back home. My plans so far are great, I have a couple job interviews so that's exciting. I can't wait to move forward. Fanshawe has been great, but I just can't wait to move on to the next chapter. I have a lot of plans for the coming weeks like meeting with a couple awesome industry professionals (I'll let you know who they are soon) and volunteering for Rogers TV. In the next few weeks I have also been asked by a past writing teacher to come in to her high school class and speak to them about Broadcast Journalism. Super exciting! Especially when I feel that I can give the students a sneak peak into what Broadcast Journalism is like. Really looking forward to showing them some of my best work too.
I have a lot of work to get done though before I think too hard about the summer. It's crunch time, and I'm really wanting to keep my GPA up for the end of the semester.

Also, I will be adding tons of new audio and writing work to my blog in the coming weeks as school wraps up.

xo Tara

Ending it with a Bang!

So I finally accepted my offer from Laurentian University in Sudbury. I will be attending for two years starting this fall, for a B.A. in Communication Studies. This excites me so much, because it makes me one step closer to getting the job I love. Sudbury is about 6 hours away from where I live, which is super scary for me, but also exciting. I'm hoping that being far away from home helps me with my independence and also helps me to concentrate and excel in my studies. I will miss everyone, but it's time for me to concentrate on myself. I will still be blogging and adding to my portfolio while I'm there (also hoping they have a newspaper or a radio station on campus!) so that I can participate in that sort of way. This summer holds lots of opportunity as well, I am going to be volunteering for Rogers TV Kitchener, and am actively searching for a paid position for the summer (University is not cheap!!). Wish me luck, and keep following my journey, I can assure you that it will be worth it.

I am just three short weeks away from graduating at Fanshawe as well, which is super exciting. I am leaving with a Diploma in Broadcast Journalism, and I really have had a great time. I have managed to make several connections and even more opportunities have come my way. For the next few weeks I will be reporting on the entertainment beat here in London. I have a strong passion for it, so I really want to end this year with a bang. Also, applying to tons of awards for RTDNA, Fanshawe and Laurentian. Busy busy few weeks ahead of me, but hey, I'm embracing it.

I have never been more determined.

xo Tara

My Week at 570 News

I have started my week at 570 News in Kitchener. 570 is a green station and is run by Rogers Communications. They broadcast news, traffic, weather, sports and talk all day long! I am half way through my week here, I decided to spend my reading week here because I really want the experience. I am hoping for a summer job! (Fingers crossed). I am doing Voicers, Actualities and more for the station right now, also editing news stories from The Canadian Press for use on air. I'm enjoying my time here, it's a very small newsroom and a small group of people working here but it makes it a lot more comfortable and easier to meet everyone.

I am here until Friday, then back to London on Monday for 106.9 The X. I have been and will be posting more news reports and stories with 570 News on my Broadcast Work page. Feel free to check it out!

xo Tara

The Home Stretch to Graduation!

Lately I have been feeling very determined and excited to see what University holds for me when I graduate in April. I am looking for a summer job, which will hopefully be working in radio or TV near where I live in Kitchener/ Waterloo. I have had so much time at Fanshawe to not only build but perfect my demo to show to employers. The only thing I feel I need now to make sure I have every qualification to be my dream job is to complete my University Degree in Communication Studies. This will come soon enough, with hard work and determination.

Right now I'm working on a video documentary, which has been fun but challenging at the same time. Over the next few weeks we will be learning about TV shooting and continuing with documentaries, hosting and much more in my documentary rotation. Next up is reporting, which will be my last rotation.. and then GRADUATION!!

I am working on adding more writing to my portfolio under the "writing" tab up top ^^ and also linked to all my other social media platforms in the "contact" tab. Feel free to keep up with my newest work and also check out how far I have come since my very first newscasts and audio pieces.

xo Tara

Back to School/ University Applications!

So I am now officially settled back in London, Ontario and am back to work in the newsroom for XFM News and 106.9 The X. I am also finished applying to Universities, which is a relief because it's a very long process to choose the program you will be taking for up to four years. But I narrowed my choices down to York in Toronto, Laurentian in Sudbury and Laurier in Waterloo. All, AMAZING schools, so I would be happy attending either one. They are all Communications Degree programs! Hopefully this one day will come in useful when I work in the field as a producer, announcer, host, reporter or director.

Also, I have added TONS of new audio work to my "Broadcast Work" page, so feel free to check those out as well. I will have some new ones up quite frequently as I'm keeping myself super busy!

Thanks for all the support from anyone who even glances at my blog, and even those who express to me how proud they are. I wouldn't be anywhere in my life without support from friends, family and co-workers.

Wish me luck and I will keep everyone updated on my University Applications!

xo Tara

Third Week at Global/ New Years

So tomorrow I start my third and final week interning at The Morning Show. Truthfully, even having a week off for Christmas was boring for me. I really enjoyed the family time, but missed the rush of news, information and learning opportunities that Global has given me, along with the people who work there on the show. I really won't want my third week to end because I've been trying to embrace every opportunity that I can in the short time that I'm there. Normally internships there are 6 weeks long, which could have potentially given me a longer time to embrace even more and get into the groove of things.

So this week I will be hopefully taking lots of photos and writing a lot on my blog, so make sure to check it out. I will also be putting the video of me on the show up for everyone to see!

Wish me luck on my last week at Global, and I am so excited to New Years as well. I'll be posting an update about my New Years night and such. This year I have AWESOME plans. I have plans for lots of change, lots of opportunities and much more.

I've got the rest of the world ahead of me and I intend to shoot for the stars.

P.S. Feel free to check out/ follow me on Instagram, Twitter, and check out my LinkedIn and SoundCloud profile under my "Contact" Tab of my blog! Lots of new and exciting things to see.

Happy New Years!

xo Tara

The End of My Second Week at The Morning Show on Global

So it has now been two weeks since I started my internship! I have gotten really close with the staff here at 121 Bloor Street East including producers, directors and hosts. I have had so much fun so far and have met so many great people. Some people include; Rick Campanelli from ET Canada, Kristine Stewart (Head of Twitter Canada), Kardinal Offishall, and so many more talented people.

 I have had fun setting up contests, booking guests, assisting with things around the office and also have been invited to a couple events and staff lunches hosted by Global. I will be back for a third week the first week of January to help out as well, and am hoping that the connections I have made here will continue with me throughout the future. I really hope I left my mark on The Morning Show and have successfully assisted in running a smooth show, each and every day. I will be back with another blog post when I return for my third week!

Rosey Edeh, she is gorgeous and such a strong, talented woman. She was an Olympic runner and represented Canada THREE times! She didn't always want to do what she's doing today, but an opportunity came after she hung up her running shoes and she took it. She is wonderful and always smiling around the office. Antony Robart, such a cool, chill guy. He really is easy going and hilarious to be around, I swear he always has something funny to say. Liza Fromer, such a wonderful host. You can tell how much experience she has and how casual she can deliver information and stories. She is gorgeous and definitely deserves to be right in front of the camera. Leslie Roberts, what can I even say about this guy that everyone else hasn't already said...He is such a talented man. He knows what he's doing and I really don't even feel like I can say anything more just because he is such a knowledgeable person. Kris Reyes, the pregnant woman on TV! She is beautiful and absolutely so talented at what she does. She has this glow to her that illuminates the room that she's in. Liam Vu! What can I say about this social media guru.. he is absolutely amazing and just adds that bit of fun to the show. He know how to be goofy and ultimately make people laugh, he is creative and talented beyond words.And then there are all the people behind the scenes that help this show run properly; Nakita, Mackay, Ryan, Donnie, Alex, Steph, John, Todd, Jessica, Kieran, Mark, and ANYONE that I forgot..These people are all so talented. That is all I have to say.. it shocks me how amazing all of these people are and how they work so well together. Everyone adds their own little bit of pzazz to the show and the daily meetings. These people have all worked so hard in everything that they do and I am honored to even work in the same office that they're in each and every day. I hope to, someday be even one percent of what these people are. It is incredible how all these people have come to be such an important part of The Morning Show. Global News Toronto is lucky to have such a wonderful group of people. I hate to be corny, and I sincerely apologize for my corn-bagness... and usually I'm not like this, but Journalism in TV is what I aspire for and I don't think any of these people truly realize this, because I'm not going to lie - I try to keep it "cool" around the office, just so I can fit in with a professional environment.

In conclusion, so far I am so thankful for this opportunity, and it has really opened my eyes to what happens behind the scenes on the BEST Morning Show in Toronto. It has been a pleasure working with such talented, wonderful people and embracing every single opportunity to meet someone  new. The people here are beyond talented and wonderful to work with, I could not have asked for a better internship this winter.

P.S. I will be posting tons of photos to my blog, Twitter and Facebook of people I met and experiences I've had. Stay tuned for updates.

Happy Holidays!

xo Tara

My First Week Interning for Global TV on The Morning Show

So it has now been three days of my internship at The Morning Show, and it's safe to say that I absolutely love it (as lots of my friends can tell by how much I've been posting to Facebook and Twitter about it). The team is really small here at the studio at 121 Bloor, but it makes coming to work a little bit more interesting and comfortable. I have already learned a lot about what goes on behind the scenes for the show, and not only that, but I've BEEN ON TV! I participated in a "Spa Trends" segment on the show. You can see it here: globalnews.ca/video/1020498/winter-spa-trends
I've had a great time greeting guests, doing research for important interviews and doing errands around the office. So far I am loving it here. All of the hosts are just as nice as they seem on screen! I was at first very timid when it came to being around the hosts (they have worked so hard to get to where they are), but now it's pretty casual and I find myself mostly working on the same computer that Leslie Roberts works on.

I think that so far, these three days have been nice. The morning meetings are also very interesting, as we talk a lot about how the show went, and what is next for the rest of the week. A lot of planning and hard work goes into the show and it really is crazy how such a small group of people manage to pull it together so well. Essentially, I would much rather be on screen, but this placement has given me a great new attitude towards working behind the scenes, whether it be setting up interviews through public relations or setting up the show with scripts and topic sheets. I can't stress enough how talented everyone is here, all of the producers, camera guys, editors, writers and more work so hard, and I can tell that they have definitely worked very hard to earn their spot on such a prestigious morning show.

I hope that I continue to learn more and grow within this company within the next week and a half!
I will try to take lots of photos to share on my blog and Facebook as well.


xo Tara

Internship with Global News Toronto.

I have learned that you should always aim high and shoot for the stars, so that's exactly what I'm doing in December. I start my internship with Global News Toronto on the Morning Show on December 9th for two weeks! I am super excited, but a bit nervous about working in such a large newsroom and company.
This is a great opportunity for me to emmerse myself in the feel of TV News. I am so very excited and will keep everyone updated along the way with photos, videos and updates through my Twitter, Blog and Facebook.

Wish me luck!

xo Tara

Second Year at Fanshawe with 106.9 The X

My second year has kicked off and is off to a great start.
This year we have rotations, which is really nice because it gives us all a chance to switch up what we do.
Currently I am on news casting, which I am loving. Next is documentaries.

I am loving the freedom of this year, so that we can all find our personal interest when it comes to which type of media, news we'd like to do in the long run.

Also, I am experimenting with the Entertainment aspect of news this year!

PS. I have a few new clips, reports and interviews in my Broadcast Work Page.
I will be adding a lot more this year as I do them! Be sure to keep checking back to hear my new stuff.

I cannot even begin to explain...

how much I absolutely love being outside for the summer (even for my job!)
It's honestly just too much fun, and I'm really loving the promotional aspect of working for radio stations!

You can check out photos of my at events at 1075koolfm.com/Photo_Gallery
And I'll also be posting photos here for you to check out.

I've recently uploaded my first promo for Kool FM to my "Broadcast Work" page, feel free to check it out! It's a work in progress, my promos should get better and better as I record new ones every week. I'll probably be uploading 2 more as I do them throughout the next few months.

I'm looking forward to the rest of the summer :) & bonus: my birthday is in less than a month!
The big 21. Uh-oh.

Summer Fun!

So I have officially started working for Rock & Kool in Barrie, mostly for Kool doing Kool Days of Summer!

That includes Kempenfest, Ribfest, Promenade Days, School BBQs, Live on locations and many Festivals!
Blasting music, giving away free swag and chatting it up! (what I do best)

& recording promos for Kool throughout the summer!

Also, I'll be posting a few photos of my journey with Kool FM & Rock 95 so far on this blog! Besides awesome times at work, I'm starting to eat healthier and work out more.
Here is a photo of the Promotions crew!

Summer 2013 at Rock 95 & Kool FM Barrie!

I have been offered a job at Rock 95 and Kool FM in Barrie Ontario for the summer and rightfully accepted.
I am super excited! This will give me a chance to broaden my promotional background in radio. I can't wait to attend events and festivals all around Barrie this summer!
Wish me luck, and I will be posting about my endeavours with Rock 95 and Kool throughout the summer.
Also, I will be adding a photo section to my blog as well.

I was one of three nominated at the Broadcast Awards for the Martha Blackburn Women's Broadcasting Award! So exciting, my goal for next year is to win one. Shoot for the stars!

Best regards, I hope everyone has a wonderful summer! And remember to check my blog for new updates in sound projects and newscasts.

First year coming to a quick closing.

With my first year almost over, I'm pretty satisfied with the progress I've made.
I've become so comfortable around the microphone, sound board and extremely happy with my editing progress when it comes to working with audio.
I love news, I have officially become a news junkie! I find myself just touring the "Google News" pages at random times during the day to keep myself up to date on local, national and international news.

I'm excited to post my 8-10 minute documentary on Cystic Fibrosis too! It should be up by the end of April, I've been working super hard on it so hopefully the work pays off in the end and I'm completely happy with the finished product. Also, my music sound FX project will be up within the next few weeks as well. That project is basically a fun one where I can play around with songs and mashing them together to make a story and have it flow nicely.

Broadcast Awards Night is April 20th, which I am so extremely excited for! This is what we`ve all been working so hard towards and it should be a very memorable night. I have applied to 4 different awards including a scholarship (wish me luck!).

And, summer job search is on! I can't wait to apply my experience from this year to a radio job for the summer.

As for news shifts, my final shift for this year is on Falcon, on Tuesday March 26th at the top of the hour from 6 - 9 pm. I will also be bantering at 10 to the hour, each hour.
The link to listen to me live is here.

My Career at 106.9 The X in London.

So far these couple of semesters have been wonderful, it`s really opened my eyes to how awesome broadcasting actually is, and how much I enjoy it.
I have been doing desk shifts, news casting shifts and reporting shifts and have really gained experience with using the news booth and also getting more and more comfortable with talking on air.

Feel free to visit the website of The X, you can stream and listen online!
I will be on air covering news, weather and sports. Wednesday, Feb 20th at the top of each hour from 6pm - 9pm on CFRL. Also Wednesday, March 6th at the top of each hour from 6pm - 9pm on The Falcon.

Also, tune in 10 minutes to the hour to hear bantering on certain things in the news!

http://www.1069thex.com/

Last Words - Media Class.

Overall, this media course has helped me really realize what's going on in the world of advertising and media around me. It helped me learn things that are really, truly important to learn these days. In my opinion it's really important to know what's going on in society and the world around us. This was by far my favorite course this year, just because it was a lot of things that helped me determine what I'd like to pursue. I found that this course helped me with my knowledge in the world. Taking writers craft and this course really helped me decide that I'd like to go to college for journalism and new media courses next year. This course had taught me a lot about who I am, and how much I enjoy knowing about what's going on around me. This course left me with lots of motivation in the future and has helped me along the way in finding what I'd love to pursue most.
I've honestly been recommending this course to people I know in grade 10 and 11 lately, and have told them how awesome it is. The teacher wasn't so bad either. I'm sure that's an understatement, I'll definately be missing this class and the awesome lessons about rock and roll music. I'm definitely going to take what I learned from this class and apply it to what I want to be in the future. Wish me luck! So long high school.

Writing Portfolio.

Please, please check out my writing portfolio. It includes my poems from this semester, and I will also be adding more writing to it throughout next year.
Let me know what you think!

Free Music!?

Should music be available for free to everyone as part of our public domain? Well, that's a good question. I'm sure they're many opinions on this topic, since it's a well known issue these days. In my opinion, music is already available to people for free, and everyone's getting pretty used to now paying for music. But this leaves artists and independent bands with no profit, not even much money for record companies. Companiies have been looking towards advertising in their music videos, because they're not getting much money from the music itself. I can't help but think back to the days when musicians were talented and were independent, when musicians went out and sold and owned their own music and made profit that went to themselves. These days, music is altered to be catchy, original and perfect sounding, it's also owned by major companies looking for money. I keep thinking that music should be part of our public domain, but then there's a part of me who doesn't want it. I think that we should get access to music for free, because of the lack of purity in music these days. But then the other side of me feels for independent artists who are trying to make it on their own. If music continues to be free, singers and songwriters won't be earning any money at all, and neither will large companies running mainstream music. If I were to say yes or no to this question, I'd have to stick with no. I'd also have to say that record companies shouldn't be around either. With each year approaching, I feel that our selfish, money-ruined society is loosing grasp of what music really is. Music isn't advertising in music videos, Altering voices to be pitch perfect or Making sure artists have a top 40 hit. Music shouldn't be controlled by money, and that's why I think that if our music was the way it was back before all this nonsense, artists and song writers would actually have a chance to make it on their own. In conclusion, The public domain in my opinion, is no place for music owned by independent artists, although I believe it does if it's owned by major corporations, when profits don't go directly to the talent themselves.