National Disaster Training Exercise

[Edit 1345 EST: VNN Crew Indiana - From left to right; Chris Green, John Lofton IV, Gary Geboy, Teresa Bruce, Matt Markovich, Chris Doud]

During the week of May 16th - 19th, a national disaster training exercise is being conducted across the U.S. midwest.

All levels of state, local and federal governments are involved in the training exercise in an effort to be better prepared for when a real disaster does strike.

Real World Media is covering the faux earthquake disaster, and all levels of government, including the White House, are tuning in to the "Virtual News Network" (VNN) to see the latest updates.

My role in the exercise is small, but crucial, for the spread of information throughout the exercise's own, dedicated news network known as , "VNN" (Virtual News Network).

VNN supplies crews, consisting of camera / reporter / editors, across the affected states to film, edit and broadcast stories to VNN live, which broadcasts a half-hour news update every hour, on the hour, from 9am to 5pm, throughout the course of the entire exercise.



My specific role is that of the 'Mobile Editor'. Using my new MacBook Pro (which is quite amazing, I might add) I must quickly ingest the footage, transcode it to the broadcast spec, edit together a story with appropriate broadcast slates and information, and then upload it to the VNN network FTP, followed by confirmation e-mails between the VNN producer and myself.





The coolest part of my role, in my opinion, is seeing the stories that we have put together broadcast over the VNN network with proper titling and graphics added. I never thought I would be a part of a NEWS broadcast environment, but now that I have been given the chance I must say there is a certain thrill in having 20 minute deadlines, the clock ticking faster than usual and expectations at a new high. It's much different than my current role as an Associate Producer at RaffertyWeiss Media, where I may have weeks or months to meet a video deadline. However, in all fairness, I do juggle multiple projects at once at RaffertyWeiss, as opposed to focusing on one story, so each job has it's own difficulties and challenges. I still remain confident in my resolve that I do, in fact, work better under pressure.



All that being said, it's been a wonderful experience working as the Mobile Editor for VNN these past few days. The exhilaration of the fast paced news environment is a refreshing challenge and I must say the crew I'm working with are a dedicated and talented group. Once the exercise is completed I will share more details as well as a photo of my VNN News Co-Workers.