Woke up this morning, big smile on my face, three little birds… The tune that kept me going in my past career. I want to paint a picture of what the life of a small town TV reporter/anchor looked like, but before I start the takeaway is … I am so grateful to have had the opportunity of living my childhood dream and the skills I made, well those stick with you. Flashback to my very first TV news job.
Welcome to Grand Island, Nebraska. #GOHuskers
I’m walking out the door at 2 in the morning. It’s dark. It’s cold.
I’m looking for what I just learned is called an ice-scraper. This girl from Los Angeles is scraping ice off her car in Grand Island, Nebraska. Blasting Bob Marley’s “Three Little Bird’s” I make the hour drive to “fill-in” at the anchor desk at the main studio. I did wake up with a big smile on my face. I’m mumbling please don’t hit a deer. Get there safely. I read through scripts. Work with the producer, we’re going over the newscast. I fix my hair and make-up.
Contrary to popular belief most news people do their own hair/make-up/styling. It’s 4:50 in the morning. Still with a big smile on my face, I sit at the anchor desk. Crack a few jokes with the meteorologist and camera operator and kick-off the newscast. “Good morning Nebraska! I’m Nataly Tavidian, filling in this morning.” It’s not a glamorous gig. It didn’t pay much. In fact I’m pretty sure I was considered well below poverty level. I was happy living my dream job. Sure there were days I faced major anxiety, loneliness, and negative thoughts but I found ways to steer clear of it. I eventually made it back to California as a reporter. Most days I was on the field, reporting for the 10 and 11 pm newscasts: No cameraperson: No editor: Nobody to give you your assignments.
The job involved pitching several stories a day, shooting your own stories, and setting up your own live shots. This happened to be the place I had to move to for my first job in television news. It’s the place I had to move to in order to discover myself. It’s the place that made my life. It changed my life. I know I’m not alone.
I hosted a forum through the talk show “Every Way Woman,” that’s when I realized the long list of challenges young professionals battle. : The most difficult of them all, staying positive. Stay positive my friends, it's clear to me to look back and see why I had to leave and start a new and learn to make the choice to stay happy, everyday. If you want to be happy, be. 12 year old Nataly would be proud. Questions? Feel free to e-mail me on the Contact US link and follow @NatalyTavidian
