About Darling

Darling Hill was born in California. Since then, she’s lived in Virginia, Washington D.C., and several cities in Florida. She has also traveled to Chile many times throughout her life. She speaks Spanish fluently, and at the age of 18 graduated with an Associate of Arts in Mass Communication from the College of Central Florida. Now a Senior at the University of Florida, she is pursuing a double major in Telecommunications-News Track and Political Science. She will graduate with both Bachelor’s degrees at the age of 20. Darling knew since 7th grade that broadcast journalism was what she wanted her life to be about. Not only did she start her own show for her middle school that year, she also won third place in the Marion County Media Festival for the instructional category. That year made her realize that journalism was where she wanted to be, and that it made sense, because she comes from a family of journalists which includes her grandfather and both of her uncles. She went on to place 1st in the Marion County Media Festival her senior year for a public service video. She currently works as a journalist, videographer, and Producer for WUFT-TV, a CNN and NBC affiliate. She is also an Associate Producer for GTN News, a CBS and NBC affiliate, and the Studio Manager for GTN’s “The Friday Night End Zone.” She interns at the Gainesville Police Department and is a reporter for the Gator Chapter of the National Association of Black Journalists’ online magazine site,  Zion Magazine. In the past, she has Interned with GTN News, as well as been a Radio Producer and Journalist for WUFT-FM 89.1, an NPR affiliate.

Darling Hill Resume

I believe the number one thing preached about in the University of Florida’s Journalism School, besides reels, are resumes. Resumes are the key to success. Every job will ask for a resume, even if they don’t ask or require a cover letter or letter of intent, because it is a list of your work experience, skills, education, all rolled up into one or two sheets of paper. So for this blog post, I thought I would go ahead and allow my readers to look at my resume. Once again it is available on my website (also on my LinkedIn) at this link: Darling Hill. Feel free to critique, make comments, or even pass it along to any hiring managers you may know :).

Marketing Yourself

Having a job in the media is interesting. While regular people submit resumes and cover letters, although you do that too, you are also asked to submit a reporter reel, sports reel, sometimes even a producing reel. Or you are invited down to show off your talent. But, nowadays, there is more to marketing yourself than just a reel, but a website to show off all of your work. I began my website a year ago, and since then I have watched it grow from one piece, to many pieces. My website is customized by the stations I have worked at. I have WUFT-FM, WUFT-TV, GTN News, and ZION Magazine showcased on there. My portfolio is my website, and it shows you every piece I have done, not just the ones I end up putting on my reel. It has a mixture of my “Okay” work, as well as my best work. I have even used one video in particular, that can not only be found on my Youtube Channel, but also in my last post.

In media, marketing is everything. If you don’t put yourself out there, how do you expect to get a job? If you do not make sure your face is out there (minus Facebook and Instagram posts), how do you expect people to know who you are? Make that professional Twitter account. Create that website. Upload your work. Show off your talents. Someone who tries their hardest to show their characteristics and that is a go-getter and tries to reach their ambitions, is far better than someone who just sits back and waits for great things to happen to them.

An Intern is Hired

August 28, 2015 will always be a day I never forget. Why? Because it was the day I was given the chance to prove myself. I had been interning at GTN since January of that year. Never in my life, would I have imagined that only a few months later, I would be hired part-time.

On top of that, I was hired for something, I didn’t know and wasn’t sure I would enjoy. One word: SPORTS. It was scary knowing GTN wanted to hire me for something I really wasn’t experienced in, and that I didn’t really enjoy, but now I am thankful they gave me a chance.

I have learned so much since being hired as an Associate Producer and Studio Manager. I know how to manage people, I know how to write in sports lingo, I know what to look for when shooting highlights, I know what questions to ask coaches and players, and more than anything, it has made me grow as an individual.

It has provided another bullet point of experience on my resume, and I know it has given me future opportunities, given sports is a huge part of the American culture. I am happy to be able to say I have experience in football, basketball, and by the end of the week I can add gymnastics to that list. And from here on out, I hope that the list only continues to grow. And looking at this picture, I know how hard I was thinking and considering the position in front of me. But, who knows….maybe I’ll end up being a sports reporter or sports producer one day.

 

My 1 Year Anniversary

On Monday, January 18, I celebrated a year at the Gainesville Television Network, also known as GTN News, and now CBS 4 and NBC 9. The picture above is the first picture I ever took for GTN, and the first I had ever taken as a News Intern. Celebrating 1 year at GTN has made me reminisce of the ups and downs at the station.

GTN is where I began my TV career. As an Intern, I would shoot footage for reporters, practice standups, and write VOs, VOSOTs, Readers, and Web Stories for the station. I would also get assigned to special projects, sometimes with another Intern, and other times on my own.

A lot has happened since my first day at the station. I have helped with the production and creation of Sweeps pieces, specials, watched the station begin to construct a studio, because we do not have one. I have also watched us go from a station of two reporters, to one of four reporters. Working holidays and breaks also helped me get promoted. I am the first Intern to ever become an Associate Producer at GTN. And remember that studio we constructed? I became the station’s first Studio Manager for the new football show we began in August. GTN has helped me learn how to be a producer, a reporter, an editor, and a manager. And it has given me plenty of stories to tell you all through my blog. So, I would like to officially welcome you to “The Adventures of Working in Media.”