Tim Calahan is a broadcast journalist turned social media genius behind Covenant Media, a concept he created to highlight the untold stories of former and current foster children.  Before making what he describes himself as a “leap of faith”, Tim most recently worked as a reporter and anchor at KGET-TV in Bakersfield, California. He is still a journalist in his new role – but now – he is able to focus his energy exclusively on an issue he is very passionate about. Kudos from us Tim, for your entrepreneurial spirit!  Tim explains in this installation of BiB Soundbites, the skills he developed as a television broadcaster are making a big difference in his new venture…

BiB: Please tell us a bit about you! How did you get started in broadcasting?

Calahan: My enthusiasm for broadcast journalism and story telling began in my senior year of high school. My “senior project” was an extensive yearlong effort to study all aspects of broadcast news operations, working with and guided by the professional staff at KING-5 News in Seattle. While at KING-5, I learned about all aspects of broadcasting, as well as the rewards of quality, unbiased journalism. The experience at KING-5 was one that ignited a flame inside me to explore the world of broadcasting After completing a broadcast degree program, I moved to Bakersfield CA, where I began my career in television at the NBC-News affiliate, KGET. During my three years as a general assignment reporter, I won the Kern County Press Club award in 2009 for excellence in a serious feature story.

BiB: What advice would you have for a broadcast journalism student hoping to follow in your path?

Calahan: Recognize your story telling passions and pursue them. If you have the energy and enthusiasm for telling the story and the determination to expect your best every day, you will succeed.  As journalists working in a “post” television era and an ever-expanding digital age, it’s easy to be led astray from the heart of story telling, which is the passion and the pursuit of honest, integrity filled fact finding.  I think the greatest accomplishment aspiring journalists can make fulfills that ideas.   During my television career, I learned that while the business of broadcasting may be constantly changing, the need for honest reporting remains constant.   Even though budget cuts, station downsizing and an ever-shrinking audience may affect broadcast news as we know it today, adapting to these changes and remaining flexible, is essential. Additionally, searching for new avenues to tell the story will reveal the true journalists in today’s world and beyond.

BiB: Please tell us about your new venture, Covenant Media! How did you transition into your new role?

Calahan:  Our mission at Covenant Media is to give a voice to the voiceless and provide hope to foster youth in Bakersfield as well as around the world.   Having covered several stories about foster youth while at KGET, it was evident that many foster youth lack a voice in today’s media.  Additionally, the majority of stories told are negative and slanted toward the “system” and not the youth.  In March of this year, I began cultivating the concept for Covenant Media. By capturing the “untold”  story of former and current foster youth, we can share meaningful thought-provoking stories of success that can bring about change in foster care. I believe when people hear about a foster youth’s success, the stigma that is often associated with foster care can be reversed. Covenant Media offers foster youth employable skills in journalism, broadcasting and digital media production. Covenant Media equips youth with the skills to share their own story with the world, as well as provides an outlet for these kids to be heard in a positive light – something I felt was not happening within the media arena.  Covenant Media also provides production company services including television commercials and corporate training videos.  We differentiate   ourselves from other production companies because we employ foster youth in the process.   Transitioning into this role was quite simple.   I knew I wanted to share my love for journalism and broadcasting, and utilize my reporting and storytelling skills to make a difference within the foster care community. Covenant Media provides quality, unbiased journalism in today’s ever changing media industry.   Covenant Media is the perfect fit and I have an opportunity every day to help foster youth be successful.

BiB: Why did you decide to make the leap?

Calahan: I like to call it my leap of faith.   Doing a broadcast every night and sharing stories with viewers is my passion, however my job became too comfortable and spontaneous stories were difficult to find. Therefore, I knew I needed to make a change. I felt a desire to take my reporting career to the next level; however I didn’t know quite how to channel it. That’s when the opportunity for Covenant Media presented itself. As a result, I needed to take a leap of faith in my career, a move I have not regretted.

BiB: Do you feel that your skills as a broadcast news reporter/anchor are transferrable to your new role?

Calahan: Absolutely!  In television news, reporters and anchors are constantly under strict and sometimes impossible deadlines and intense scrutiny -while expected to deliver a meaningful and factual product. Under these conditions, my role as a reporter was to develop a story, research the facts, conduct interviews, write and edit my copy and frequently shoot my own video, as well as interact with people throughout the community.  Reporting is not just about delivering a quality story it is about relationship building. I am able to use all these skills and knowledge and apply them to my current role at Covenant Media.

BiB: Can you give us a sneak peak of things to look forward to in the coming year with Covenant Media?

Calahan: Over the next year, we plan to expand our impact in a variety of ways. Covenant Media will continue to partner with local businesses to “get the word out”, and generate support. We are planning to employ more foster youth, and begin embarking on new projects and stories. Follow Covenant Media during the next year and you’ll be amazed at what we have planned!

Thanks Tim! For more information about Tim Calahan’s Covenant Media, check out the website at covenantmedianow.com. You can also follow them on Facebook here.

Krista Homiak is the Senior Production Manager at A3 Media Network, formerly 5280 Mobile in Denver, Colorado. She submitted the winning video entry for the National Association of Broadcaster’s 2010 video contest “I’m a Broader-caster,” and her 60 second short does a terrific job of showing how media platforms are merging in the eyes of consumers to work together in content delivery.  Krista specializes in planning and executing large productions, working on a mix of film, TV productions, and professional photography.  I really enjoyed her take on media convergence, so I asked her a few questions about her experience at NAB in Las Vegas last month.  Quoting Krista’s Linkedin page, “my dedication to production management shines as my true passion.”  It’s fun connecting with other people who love what they do, sharing experience and advice!  I hope you enjoy Krista Homiak’s perspective, on BiB Soundbites…

BiB: Congratulations on winning the National Association of Broadcaster’s video competition!  The topic was on “broader-casters.”  What does that word mean to you?

Homiak: To me, a broader- caster broadens the means in which you can receive and view content. No matter where you are in the world you have the ability to stay connected through any device.

BiB: How was your experience in Las Vegas at the convention?

Homiak: This was my first time attending the show and it was quite an information overload. I enjoyed geeking out with all the equipment in the exhibit halls and sitting in on classes to learn more new technologies. For me it was so exciting to have decades worth of knowledge all in one place and try to collect as much of it as I could. The days I attended flew by and in the end I wish I had stayed the full length of the show.

BiB: Was there a speaker, event, or topic that stood out to you most?

Homiak: I was mostly interested in the use of DSLR cameras to shoot video and the ways in which you could create amazing quality footage and audio.

BiB: Where was broadcasting ten years ago? Where is it now? And, in your estimation, where is it going?

Homiak:  Ten years ago I was walking across campus to go view a film for class. Now I can watch a movie or read an ebook on my mobile device from a bench next to a lake. In the future, media will be interactive on a whole new level. No device will be limited to one function and you will be able to access media no matter where you are in the world at any time.

BiB: Your video highlights the convergence of online and broadcast platforms. Can you explain the importance when it comes to sharing content?

Homiak: Online blogging and content sharing connects broadcasting platforms by engaging people to share their interests and concerns easily within your community both locally and globally.

BiB: Last question, promise! Please tell us about some of your latest and greatest works!

Homiak: I’m currently working on an art instillation piece in which you physically interact with video in a way that makes you forget you are not actually experiencing that moment in time for yourself, but allows you to feel everything as if you were. It’s a global community piece in which we encourage people from everywhere to submit content to help create the experience. For more information please visit: http://breathedenver.com/gutterbunny/

Thank you Krista! For more information Krista Homiak, 2010 winner of the NAB Video Contest, check out her Linkedin profile here.

Lindsey Davis is a graduate of the Washington State University Murrow School of Communications. Her first on-air job was in Lewiston, Idaho, where she worked as a news reporter and weather anchor. I worked with Lindsey during her internship at KOMO-TV in Seattle, and she stood out as a hard working, fast learner with tons of talent! She’s a great example of someone who beat the odds; Lindsey was able to get her first job during the worst part of the recession. I am thrilled to have Lindsey Davis kick off our first installation of Soundbites!

Davis: “My love for broadcasting started back when I was in Junior High. I interviewed to be in a special broadcasting class where we produced the morning announcements daily. From there I continued growing with the class through high school, where I became the executive producer and the host of our zero hour production Tommie Talk. From there it was onto college. I chose Washington State University because of their excellent Murrow School of Communication. After some great training I was ready for my internship. Close to home, I was lucky enough to land at KOMO TV in Seattle. I loved every second of my internship! The real world hit hard when it was time to get my first broadcasting job. I landed in Lewiston, ID as a part time weather anchor. I absolutely loved the job and the experience was great, but I couldn’t survive on the $8 an hour for a part time gig. Currently, I am working back at KOMO TV as a Local Sales Assistant. I am so excited to still be involved in Broadcasting and can’t wait to grow in this industry!”

Davis: “I’m currently working as a Local Sales Assistant at KOMO TV in Seattle. Although I’m not in front of the camera at the moment I am so grateful for the experience I’m getting in all areas of the industry, and feel that it can only make me more marketable in the future.”

Davis: “I love to be in the know.”

BiB: Tell us about your internship. How did you get it?

Davis: “After emailing and emailing, I finally landed an internship at KOMO TV. You have to remember that everyone in this business has a million things to do and you have to pursue them. I finally got the right person and landed an interview. The rest is history.”

Davis: “I was one of the people who absolutely LOVED my internship! For the first week, I worked the assignment desk and familiarized myself the station and the people who were all wonderful and very willing to help me grow as a young broadcaster. From then on, I was out on stories with reporters and photographers. Some people say to always do your internship in a smaller market, but I disagree. I got first hand experience in all areas and had the best of the best giving me tips and taking time out to look over my tape (Thanks George!). I was actually sad when my internship came to an end.”

Davis: “It’s all about a great tape and the people you know! Use your resources!”

Davis: “Be patient! I’m a firm believer that everything happens for a reason. Just keep at it and be persistent!”