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Media and information senior Valerie Dorn was in the eighth grade when she decided she wanted to go into television production. She started in a closet-sized control room and created her own marketing company to learn more about video production. She did this for three years in her community, where she did local video spots.
“I enjoyed video production so much in high school, that I decided to pursue it in college,” Dorn said. “The first thing I ever did was say the pledge of allegiance on camera in middle school and I thought that was the coolest thing. I never thought I would be someday working at an ABC affiliate station in downtown Chicago.”
Dorn wore many hats as a production assistant for the entertainment show, Windy City Live, including meeting celebrity guests, helping to write blogs and scripts, and managing the live audiences. She also helped the director with seating charts and production schedules.
“I think my favorite part of the internship was that I was working for the top third television market in the entire country,” Dorn said. “It was a humbling experience to be able to work for such a large network.”
Dorn has also worked at WKAR since the spring of her sophomore year at MSU and said it gave her a solid foundation for working in television production.
“I owe everything to WKAR,” Dorn said. “They were the first real television studio that I worked in and they really helped me and gave me opportunities to try everything from lighting to floor directing. WKAR is why I had those skills and was confident enough to apply for Windy City Live.”
Dorn is also pursuing a minor in entrepreneurship and innovation with a specialization in television production and media management.
“I’ve always been on the production route, but there’s also a business side to that,” Dorn said. “I heard about the entrepreneurship and innovation minor and figured it was a great opportunity to get a business background.”
She works at WOODTV now as well and handles promotions there.
“I wouldn’t be driving all the way to Grand Rapids every week if I didn’t love it,” Dorn said. “I love how promotions is more hands on and I get to deal with all different departments within a station. I like dealing with clients and the behind the scenes part of it.”
Production is focused on the show, whereas promotions is more creative and out-of-the-box. At WOODTV, Dorn gets to write actual content and do most behind the scenes tasks, which she enjoys.
“I am really looking forward to getting my career started,” Dorn said. “The television experience at Windy City Live was amazing and with television I feel like I have the power to affect someone’s life everyday. Whether it’s making them laugh or feel grateful, it’s just such a powerful medium. It’s amazing what television can do.”
By Meg Dedyne
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