Back Where We Started: Do It Again

Okay---sigh---, so yeah, I don't post much here anymore unless I've got some deep thoughts or stuff going on.

And well, if you haven't heard, that's pretty much what's happening.

For those unaware: Yup, got laid off from work yesterday. The Weather Channel eliminated my team. Which kinda sucks.

But I'm not angry, I bear no ill will towards them, I understand what was going on and I know why it had to happen. Though I may not agree with it, it's business. And right now they are struggling.

It's unfortunate and while I'm not so much angry, I am a little sad. I got to work with some amazing, fun and talented people. Despite all that went on and didn't work right in that building, I could never say enough good things about the people that I worked with.

For the first time in my career, I actually worked someplace where everyone was totally devoted to the product. Totally about doing what was best for the team. There was very little of the back-stabbing or selfishness often seen in the TV business.

Great group of people.

And I'm really, honestly going to miss the people on my team. They got rid of all 9 of us. Chad Clark, Beth Hemphill, Noelle Reetz, Mandy Carranza, Mark Somers, Keith O'Shea, Jose (Joe) Hernandez, Jon (Yvegni) Spevak and John Alleva. Chad, Noelle, Beth and I were originals. We started together back in March of 2012. Along with our boss Jim Proeller, Matt Saffer, Alex Sembra and Jim Robinson, we launched what at the time was called the "Cross Platform/Video Producer" team.

Matt, Alex and Jim R. moved on to other roles but the rest of us stayed as our roles changed and never were able to be fully defined. We all had similar, but different skill sets and for lack of a better way to put it, were the utility infielders of the newsroom. We did a little bit of everything.

But we all, all of us, immediately hit it off. We all became fast friends, it was like we'd known each other for years. It was scary, we could finish each others sentences almost immediately.

We did a lot for the Weather Channel, helped them at least get on the road to becoming what they want to be. For years, they just kind of cruised along, doing forecasts, talking weather maps and never evolved with the times.

They are still having a tough time with that, but leaving the place, it's a totally different operation than it was when I walked in the door for the first time. The web and mobile teams are at the forefront. They should be. They are the future. That team does an amazing job amassing information, processing it, and getting it on the web and on your phone.

The TV folks are still struggling. Years of neglect, technology issues and lack of staff have dogged them for years. But it's not for lack of effort. There were times: Superstorm Sandy, the various Winter Storms that shut down Atlanta and others, where the work was extraordinary. We did things that Fox News or CNN could never do. With a lot less staff.

I will forever be grateful for the time I spent at the Weather Channel, I got to on occasion do some fun things. I got to storm chase with the franchise--Jim Cantore in Bermuda. They paid for me to go hang out at Sony Motion Picture studios in L.A for a week and learn about 4K video. I got to work on my writing and editing skills. And I got to lead the network in the transition from Final Cut 7 to Adobe Premiere Editing, doing all the beta testing and figuring out how to meld it into our workflow and systems.

So....now I get to look for a job...again. It's my 3rd go around in this world, I'm hoping I haven't forgotten how to do it.

I was out of work for nearly six months when Michelle and I moved to Cincinnati. But 60 resumes and tons of rejection letters later, I found an opportunity and jumped all over it.

When we moved back to Atlanta, same thing. No job. But I had a built in network. And because of that network, I found work pretty fast.

And that network has already reached out. I've got some freelance work already lined up. And some leads on open positions.

So it's time.

The resume has already been updated: Confession, I updated it about a month ago. I knew something was up, just didn't know what. My schedule got changed to horrible hours and I started the preparation process. I know better.

Sure, the timing sucks. Very few hire during the holidays. But I will start moving forward. And not looking back. I will remember the good times at the Weather Channel and I hope to stay in touch with everyone. But as the saying goes "Time waits for no one", and I'm not getting any younger.

I'm looking for stability, I want to go work somewhere where I can finish my career. I've accomplished so many things and had some unbelievable experiences. But I'm not 30-years old anymore either, I started as a journalist in 1988, that's a long time ago. I want to pass what I know on to others, I want to make people better at what they do.

I want to pass down what I've learned. I've learned at the feet from some of the best people in the storytelling business. It's a legacy that was passed on to them, they passed it on to me.

I hope I get a chance to keep passing that legacy on to a new generation....