@JoelECarlson – Hello everybody, and welcome to the Twitterview of @actheisen of @kstp news. It’s Monday, so lets start it off right.
Amanda – Happy Monday, Joel! I’m ready!
Q – #1 Having grown up in WI but now living in MN, do you get teased about that much?
Amanda: Every now and then, but especially during football season! It’s a little tough being a #packers fan in my newsroom!
But I’m in good company…we have several #packers fans in my newsroom
But it’s all in good fun, though! Overall, MN people are very nice to WI people. We just point out each others quirks
Q – #2 What kind of schooling did you get, and how did that lead you to working as a producer at @kstp?
Amanda: I went to @UofStThomasMN and got degrees in broadcast journalism and mass. comm. but I did a lot outside class
I worked at the campus TV station, joined #SPJ, and did 3 internships, one at @wbay in GB, and 2 and @kstp
All that “out of the class” prep really helped me as I applied for jobs and went on interviews
My first job was at @wsaw in Wausau, WI where I was a reporter/photographer for two years
My goal was always to return to the Twin Cities, so I used my @kstp connections to get into producing
Q – #3 Having good networking skills and connections is important these days. Are you a producer of 1 particular time slot?
Amanda: No, I’m what you’d consider a “utility” producer. I’ve produced almost every @kstp show at one time or another
And if you watch @kstp, you know we have a lot of newscasts!
I worked on the AM show for 3 yrs. Now I mainly do early evenings and 10pm on Fri/Sat
I’ve also done field producing, which is similar to reporting, except I’m not on air
Q – #4 I see. Does a news event like the gas-explosion last week in Minneapolis really test a new producers skills?
Amanda: It really does. When it’s happening there’s a lot of behind the scenes work that goes into getting stuff on air
You’re working with other producers, reporters, assign. desk folks to get the right information and get it on air
@JoelECarlson . . . I meant news producer.
I know…as producers we’re trying to get the right information into the show and get it to reporters/anchors
Once the event is over, then the challenge becomes, what other stories can we tell from what happened?
That puts a producer’s critical thinking skills to the test. That’s how we end up building our newscasts
Q – #5 Keeping it fresh & interesting! I understand you and your husband are part of a special group for journalists. Explain.
Amanda: We’re both board members of @mnspj, a local chapter of the Society of Professional Journalists
@mnspj does a lot of work to bring journalists around MN together with educational events, social hours, etc.
My husband @stheisen and I actually ended up meeting through #SPJ.
I’m also the regional director for @spjregion6. So I oversee pro and student chapters in MN, WI, SD, and ND
Q – #6 Busy lady! Lets shift to your FAVORITES: Restaurant, store, comfort food, area of the Twin Cities and Nat’l news anchor.
Amanda: Restaurants, too many b/c I’m a big foodie! I did just go to Bar La Grassa for the first time and loved it!
Store: for clothes, I love The Limited! I also love kitchen stores like Kitchen Window, Crate & Barrel, Williams Sonoma
Comfort food, you can’t go wrong with my mom’s chili. Pasta is fantastic, too
Twin Cities area, I love visiting Uptown and Lake Harriet.
Nat’l news anchor, I really admire Diane Sawyer
Q – #8 As a foodie, do you like to cook yourself? Are there enough options for you in MSP as a foodie?
Amanda: I love to cook, as well! I’m also discovering lots of new options for food in the #twincities
A great food blog I look at is @heavytable…they have a lot of great insight into new restaurants
Q – #9 What kind of foods do you like to cook? What’s your specialty?
Amanda: I love making all kinds of food…steaks, chicken dishes, pasta, desserts, etc.
I also did an experiment in January where I did a lot of cooking with vegetables
That’s where I discovered my love for mushrooms!
@JoelECarlson – Thank you very much @actheisen for your time and comments today. Enjoy your exploring of restaurants to check out in the TC.
Amanda: Thank you very much! It’s been fun!