I am one of the newest members of the WHIO team, joining Cox Media Group in May 2013. I have started out my career as an anchor, reporter, and producer for WHIO-AM/FM and will also report on traffic for both radio and WHIO-TV. In my short time with the company I am grateful for learning and working with some of the best in the industry. I was born in Hamilton, Ohio and attended one of the GCL’s finest schools, Stephen T. Badin High School. It was during my time at Badin I discovered what I wanted to do for my career as I fell in love with the broadcasting industry. I was the public address announcer for many sporting events at Badin, and I had a desire to take the next step into radio and television as a play by play man. If I couldn’t play sports, I wanted to be around them. I came to Dayton to pursue my dream of working in the media by attending the University of Dayton. I graduated Cum Laude with a degree in Communication with a concentration in Electronic Media and a minor in History. My time at UD directly affected my personal and professional development. I was very active in many parts of campus, mostly the student radio station WUDR and the honors communication fraternity Phi Beta Chi. At WUDR I was a manager for three years, first as the Public Affairs and Sports Director for one year, and a combined role of General Manager and Sports Director for two. I also held the position of Vice President for one term with PBX. Like previous sports directors before me, doing play by play for WUDR led to some great opportunities, including traveling to the Atlantic 10 Tournament in Atlantic City, New Jersey twice and Brooklyn, New York once. My first year in Atlantic City saw the Flyers make an improbable run to the championship game, but fell short in the final game. Two of my childhood idols, Verne Lundquist and Bill Raftery, calling the game for CBS, featured my crew and myself on national TV a few times, making it one of my early career highlights for sure. My senior year at UD led to an internship with WHIO, which is why you are reading this now. I am ecstatic to continue to learn and grow in the Dayton market with all the versatile roles I am asked to do with the great people I work with. Q & A Where were you born? Hamilton, Ohio Where did you grow up? Hamilton, Ohio What was your favorite TV show then? SportsCenter, I would always pick sports over cartoons growing up if I could. What was the first thing you ever wanted to be? Meteorologist for TV How might someone have described you in high school? Smart, hard working, very involved, has a voice for radio and TV. What was your first job? Doing yard work around my neighborhood and for family friends. What was your first job in radio? General Manager of WUDR, but technically WHIO is my first commercial radio job. What do you like about your job? The opportunities I have doing just about everything in radio, from reporting to sitting courtside at UD. Never a dull day. What do you not like about your job? Anchoring during a “slow news day.” It’s a challenge to find anything to air, and then I’ll second guess myself if it’s worth talking about. What might people be surprised to know about you? I would rather stay busy and work than to have a lazy day of just sitting around and doing nothing. I think it’s because I hate being bored. What is the hardest thing you ever did? Continuing to work and attempt to carry on like usual while my grandfather was dying (his wishes) What would be a perfect day for you? Hosting a gathering of friends for a sporting event like March Madness or a bowl game. Any combination of entertaining and a sporting event is perfect. What advice would you have for someone wanting to go into the business? Stay versatile! It takes patience to get where you want to go, but if you always improve on writing and stay willing to do anything, opportunities open up. If you could only keep one 5-minute tape from your career what would be on it? Lots of UD basketball highlights, a few of my reports immediately following the verdict in the Trayvon Martin case (my first breaking news experience). Favorites Favorite book: Battle Cry by Leon Uris Favorite radio program: Bob and Tom Favorite dream car: McLaren F1 and Ferrari FXX Favorite food: Chicago Style Pizza Favorite hobby: Fixing computers and other pieces of technology Favorite Miami Valley place: The great campus of the University of Dayton Favorite movie: Anchorman Favorite music: I’ll listen to just about anything, mostly classic rock and electronic genres. Favorite travel destination: Western United States