Videos
Packages
Saban Spring Practice Presser
Nick Saban addressed the media following the third spring practice of the season. Off-season is an interesting time and it's important to keep up with the ongoing roster changes and progress of players at UA. Saban spoke about leadership and who he expects to step up this season, along with injury status updates and more.
Alabama Basketball Wins Against Kentucky
I've attended numerous Alabama Basketball games and shot highlights for them, however, this was my first package about the team and their successful season. I recapped the game against the Wildcats and discussed what the Tide was up against for the remainder of the season.
Gordo's Tanner Bailey Signs to South Carolina
After covering Gordo's varsity football team for the past few years on Friday nights and beyond, it was exciting to share the news of QB Tanner Bailey's decision to sign with the Gamecocks. Bailey was previously committed to Oregon but ultimately decided South Carolina was the right place for him.
Shelton St. Women's Bball Headed to NJCAA National Tournament
I caught up with Madonna Thompson, head coach of the Shelton State Women's basketball team and players to discuss their successful season and how they're preparing for the NJCAA National Tournament in Lubbock, Texas.
2021 Iron Bowl Post-Game Recap
I traveled to Auburn to cover the 2021 Iron Bowl. After a nail-biter and the first overtime game in Iron Bowl history, I went to the field to recap the game for our 10 p.m. newscast. This was the most exciting story I did for WVUA and am grateful for the opportunity to cover games like this one in Jordan-Hare Stadium.
UA Softball 2022 Season Preview
I visited UA Softball's practice prior to their first weekend series to speak to Coach Murphy, , and players, and hear about what they had planned this season for Team 25.
Hillcrest Alumni Win Walter Camp Award
Two former Hillcrest High school football stars earned national awards two weeks ago. I caught up with their former coach, Sam Adams, to discuss his excitement for Robinson and Jones.
UA Sign Girl Has Lasting Impact on UA
UA Sign Girl, Hannah Stephens, has left a lasting impact on Alabama Football fandom forever. I caught up with Stephens to see how she's been and how much she thinks game day for students has changed.
Bryce Young vs D'Eriq King Week 1 Matchup
In the past few years, Alabama’s QB roster has been nothing but impressive. This season, all eyes will be on sophomore Bryce Young to see if he can rise to the top-notch Crimson Tide standard that his former teammates have set. His first test to prove himself will come at kickoff to see if he can outshine Miami’s dual-threat senior D’Eriq King.
Gordo Stadium Workday
In addition to the COVID pandemic, the 2020 season was particularly stressful for the Gordo football team due to a sinkhole in the center of their field. I visited the newly renovated stadium and talked to the community to see how these updates would impact the school and fans.
How PB&J Brought Bailey Dowling to Alabama Softball
Alabama softball freshman Bailey Dowling has been a standout player for the Tide this season and led them to a 19-1 start. In addition to her success, the reasoning behind her decision to join the Crimson Tide all started with a PB&J sandwich! This was a fun feel-good package that allowed me to use my creativity.
Sipsey Valley v Ramsay MBB Class 5A Semifinals
2006 Alabama v Tennessee Throwback
I traveled to Birmingham to cover the AHSAA Class 5A State Basketball Semifinal game at the Bill Harris Arena. I discuss that the Ramsay Rams beat the Sipsey Valley Bears and their journey to the Final Four.
During Tennesee week of the 2020 season, I researched the history of both the Tide and the Vols, and their coaches, in 2006, the last time Tennessee beat Alabama. Although I didn't get to do an interview, this was a fun archived package that allowed me to use different skills I hadn't before and learn more about the rivalry.
COVID Forces UA Football Ticket Update
The student ticket process at UA has always been simple and fair, however since the pandemic, UA Athletics has had to update the process to create a healthy and safe environment for everyone. I interviewed students to get their opinion on the changes made to the ticket process for the football season.
UA Million Dollar Band Practices in Spring
For this package, I told the story of UA's Million Dollar Band. I went to their practice during football season and interviewed band members and the director. This gives fans an inside scoop of the preparation and dedication these members commit to their squad in order to perform a great show on gamedays.
Packages w/ Liveshots
Jalyn Armour-Davis Home Town History Amid Iron Bowl
At the end of the 2021 season, I traveled to Auburn to cover the Iron Bowl. I wanted to explore the mindset of the players during such a big weekend and focused on Alabama star, Jayln-Armour Davis who was playing such a historic game in his hometown. This is my package and stand-up outside of Jordan-Hare Stadium on game day morning.
Tuscaloosa Bars & Restaurants Great Game day Option
As one of the most popular college football towns in America, Tuscaloosa has a lot to offer fans traveling near and far for game day. Due to high ticket prices and accessibility, many fans and students choose to go to bars and restaurants to watch the games instead of to Bryant-Denny. I caught up with the owners of some popular bars and restaurants to see how they prepare for such a massive game day crowd.
Aileen Charles Breaks Barriers at Northridge
I traveled to Northridge High School to meet Aileen Charles, the female kicker for the varsity football team. My news team asked me to cover this story for their weekly, "Spirit of Alabama," program due to the overwhelming interest in Charles in the community. She was inspiring and I loved getting to share her story.
Bryant-Denny Playlist Needs an Update
During this time, there was much controversy about the Bryant-Denny in-stadium playlist on game days and all over social media. Students were reaching out to the athletic department and our athletic director Greg Byrne demanding changes to the playlist. I thought this was interesting and dove more into the issue by speaking directly to the students themselves.
'I Hate Alabama' Singer Conner Smith Reveals Meaning of Lyrics
After he released the song, "I Hate Alabama," I direct messaged singer Conner Smith on Instagram to see if he would be interested in being interviewed about the lyrics and meaning behind the song. It was a viral hit at the time and this was one of my favorite and most exciting stories to cover at the station. Smith gave a great interview with lots of insight.
Kick COVID Visits UA Game Day
Kick COVID is a statewide program that visits universities weekly on various gamedays. The program visited Alabama this week and I got to highlight what was available for the public and students in regards to vaccinations and what they offered. This was a very timely story and provided a lot of people with information that could help them better enjoy and be protected on a UA Game day.
Mercer Game Day Fan Chat
This was my very first live shot for WVUA 23! My bosses wanted to see how I would do interviewing in an on the street atmosphere, so I grabbed two people right before this interview to get their insight and reactions by the quad on an Alabama game day. Although my nerves showed and my positioning was incorrect, I like to look back to see where I began and how I can grow from it.
Interviews
Interview with Director of Bryant-Museum Olivia Arnold
I had the pleasure of interviewing the new director of the Bryant Museum, Olivia Arnold about what the museum holds for fans and her plans for the future. She discussed current exhibits and showed me rare items owned by Bear, that can only be found at the museum. This was my first in-person on-screen interview due to COVID.
Interview with Docu-series Director Grant Guffin
Grant Guffin, Director of a Memphis production company, talks with me about his second documentary project titled, "Paycheck Game," which follows Mercer Football's journey to play the Crimson Tide. I got a lot of insight from Guffin about the docu-series and what he intends on covering.
Interview with Alabama Women's Basketball Head Coach Kristy Curry
I interviewed Alabama Women's Basketball Head Coach Kristy Curry prior to the first event of the season, "Tide Tipoff." I asked Curry about her opinions on last season, how the team can improve despite their success, and who intends to step up and lead this season. Coach Curry is a great role model to me and I enjoyed getting her perspective prior to the statrt of the season.
Interview with Alabama Baseball Coach Brad Bohannon
I interviewed Alabama Baseball Head Coach Brad Bohannon about his team's upcoming season and how difficult it was to end their previous successful season due to COVID-19. This was the first time I did a live interview for WVUA 23 and had a lot of fun with it.
Anchoring
This was my first air check for WVUA 23 Sports. I created the entire sports block, which helped me learn more basics of producing and familiarize myself more with the ENPS system. I had help from production with directing and cueing audio, graphics, and teleprompter so it could reflect a real sportscast. Although I didn't get to do on-air sports anchoring at the station, I was grateful for the opportunity to do this aircheck to emulate the same type of sportscasts done in the 5, 6 and 10 p.m. shows at the station.
Anchor Practice 3
This was my third anchor practice at WVUA 23. I was starting to become less nervous doing anchor reads, which allowed me to become more comfortable in front of the camera in general and begin doing the bulk of my packages and interviews.
Anchor Practice 2
This was my second anchor practice at WVUA 23, except this time, I chose to do it in the sports section of the newsroom to get an idea of what that would feel like.
Anchor Practice 1
At WVUA 23, we were given the opportunity to practice anchor reads on the teleprompter with help from one of the professional staff members. This was my first anchor practice clip and my first time behind the anchor desk since my junior year of high school at summer camp!
Penn State Broadcast Journalism Camp
At the PSU Broadcast Journalism Camp, (more details in my Resume section), we learned things such as how to create a package, work a camera, and even practice anchoring. This was the clip I got from my very first anchor read! I'm forever thankful for this experience and enjoy seeing how far I've come from this moment.
Highlights
Explore my gallery of highlight videos below to see the variety of different things I covered while at The University of Alabama. I shot everything from Alabama Basketball to local high school football for our weekly show in the fall, Football Friday while at WVUA 23. I gained tons of experience from going out and getting highlights, as well as developing an in-depth knowledge of the station cameras.
Highlight Videos
Highlight Videos
Alabama Men's Basketball vs Kentucky 2nd Half Highlights
Alabama Baseball v Murray State Highlights
Alabama Men's Basketball vs Texas A&M Highlights
Tuscaloosa Academy v Morgan Academy Highlights
Class Assignments
UA Kinesiology Classes Must Adjust Amid COVID
The Department of Kinesiology at The University of Alabama offers sports classes for credit each semester. This allows students to get exercise amid the pandemic while still earning class credit. I covered the softball course and interviewed teacher Tanner Ryan, and senior Albie Argenio.
UA Kinesiology Pkg Social Media Video
Social media videos summarize what the package is about in just a few clips and facts. I highlighted some of the most important points about my UA KIN package in this minute-long video.
UREC Back Open with COVID-19 Safety Protocol
After shutting down for the safety of students during the heart of the pandemic, Alabama's University Recreation is back open with new updates to follow COVID-19 safety protocol. This is the second package I created for class; however, the UREC protocols didn't allow me to get my own footage of thier facilities, forcing me to find old archived footage online. Although it doesn't look the best, I learned that sometimes you have to adapt to various situations in journalism.
Alabama Football Student Ticket Process Update
This is the first package I created for class, and I chose to make it about the updated Alabama student ticketing process following the COVID-19 pandemic. This was a large topic of conversation at the time, and I wanted to explain and share students' perspectives about the situation. I interviewed two students and got footage from around campus and online. It's interesting to see some of my first packages and the mistakes I made versus what I can create now.
Sports Gambling Amid COVID-19 Documentary
I was required to create a documentary, including three interviews, on a topic of my choice for class. Sports Gambling is a topic extremely prevalent in my generation and profession that affects the sports world daily. I wanted to cover what sports gambling is and highlight how it has changed, both positively and negatively, during the pandemic from the perspective of college students.
Mike Royer Interview
I interviewed Mike Royer, the managing editor at WVUA 23, for an interview assignment. This interview summarizes Mike's life and how he got to where he is today. I thoroughly enjoyed the interview process and learning more about Mike's personal life. He will be a lifelong mentor to me from WVUA 23 and has a story that deserves to be told.