What have I done!!
Before I knew it, I felt I was a storyteller, and that has shown in my 20+ year career in broadcast journalism. I thought I wanted to be a print journalist, but after a few twists and turns, having unexpected meetings with people who would become mentors and friends, I found myself carrying a twenty-five pound camera for many years. Why journalism, and why feel the need to tell stories about other people?
I was a comp lit major at Southwestern College in Chula Vista in the early 1990’s, but while I was reading important books from important authors, I felt I needed a bit of excitement, a kick of adrenaline. Well, the saying of be careful of what you wish for took on a whole new meaning and at times, that wish had physically slammed my body around. Very painful. Anyway, the thought of getting into journalism randomly came to me and I joined the college newspaper, The Sun. I was there for about 2 years, and I made very good friends. My instructor at the time, Sara, introduced me to members of the California Chicano News Media Association. Whew, a mouthful. I joined the CCNMA San Diego Chapter around 1992 and I volunteered for about 5 years trying to make an impact in promoting Latinos/Latinas in SoCal journalism.
At the CCNMA San Diego Chapter, I met Carlos Gonzalez, a reporter for Univision San Diego (KBNT). He became my first mentor and he taught me the basics of operating an ENG camera. After shooting a couple of stories at my first internship, I felt I could do nothing else. I was bitten by the journalism bug. Carlos gave me my first job, and that led to several years of working at KUSI, San Diego City Schools, KSWB in San Diego, and then eventually, I arrived at KTLA in late 2007. Carlos continues to work at Univision; informing and empowering the Latino communities. He is a prime example of dedication to one’s craft, and everyone knows of his generosity to share his knowledge of journalism and of San Diego County.
I was hired by KTLA’s News Operations Manager, Pat O’keefe. He became a very important mentor and a good friend. Because of Pat’s influence, I had to push the boundaries of what I could learn and accomplish. “Go big or go home…or go down in a fiery crash.” That was one of the quotes I remember from many conversations. He taught me about leadership, looking beyond a person’s shortcomings (I have a few of my own), and to look at the big picture of a business operation. I also learned to seize the moment, and to take the time to say thank you. Pat left us in June 2017, but a month before he passed, I had the chance to shake his hand and say thanks for the mentoring and all that he had done for me and my family.
But the beginning of my unfinished story has to start with my parents, Juanita and Manuel. My brother Diego and I have to be the luckiest guys to have these two as our parents. When Diego and I were teenagers, my parents hammered into us the necessity of having a good education and to prepare for excellence in whatever we decided to do in our lives. My Mom taught us to not take ourselves so seriously, to question everything we come across, and to finish whatever we started (that means higher education). My Dad would always say to be the best at what we decided was going to be our careers. If you’re the best in your field, no one can question your career decisions.
Whether I was holding a pen and notepad or carrying a camera, I saw that people wanted to tell their story. Why do they do that? I think it comes down to some of our basic human instincts. We have a desire to connect with one another. I have talked to people who pushed through their intense grief to share their pain, but I have also talked to people who wanted to share their happiest moments and achievements. I remember many of those moments, and even though they were not my life’s events, those moments would influence me over the years.
We’re always looking for ways to better ourselves, and the give and take of storytelling gives us strength and direction to better ourselves. Just like I’m reaching out to you on the World Wide Web, knowing that someone else has listened to our story gives us a strength to carry on as an individual and as a community. Seeing that happen gives me a rush, and I hope I can share that love of storytelling with you.