There are a lot of stories about people moving to Portland. Here’s my story and I hope that you will let me be a part of yours.
I got the letter in the mail. This was 1991 and the word “email” wasn’t in anyone’s vocabulary. It said “Donkey Basketball Tonight” at Days Creek High School. I grew up in Los Angeles. I had a vague idea what a donkey looked like but I had no idea if donkeys could play basketball. I had to go. Suffice to say that Days Creek, Oregon is a little off the beaten path. I walked into the gym and couldn’t believe my eyes. People were actually sitting on donkeys and playing basketball. If that’s not a “Welcome to Oregon” moment I don’t know what is.
So that was my introduction to Oregon and believe it or not I’m still here.
At the time I was working at KPIC-TV in Roseburg, Oregon. It was my first television job after graduating with a Journalism degree from Cal State Northridge. Roseburg was a great experience. I learned how to operate a camera. How to write quickly. After all, Friday night football at Roseburg High School is a real big deal. And I had to do it all. I went to the game, shot the highlights, edited the highlights, wrote the scripts and made it to the set to present the game highlights to the people of Roseburg and Douglas County. All that prepared me for my subsequent jobs. After two years it was time to move on.
I went to Medford. Then to Eugene. And then I finally made it to Portland which was my goal the whole time. Covering the Portland Trailblazers was a great experience. They weren’t always good during my time in television but it was never dull. But it wasn’t just the games I enjoyed. I loved telling stories and presenting those stories to the viewers on tv.
I won a number of awards throughout the next several years:
- 2007 Best Sportscast in Oregon
- 2006 Oregon Association of Sportscasters Best Sports Story
- 2004 Oregon Sportscaster of the Year
- 2003 Best of the West- Sports Story
- 2002 Oregon Sportscaster of the Year
- 2002 and 2000 Oregon Associated Press Best Sports Stories of the Year.
I really enjoyed my time in Sportscasting. I met a lot of great people and worked with some wonderful people as well.
Real Estate is obviously a completely different ballgame. But, as in business, it’s all about relationships. When I was in television I had a relationship with the viewers. I did a sportscast and people trusted me when I told them who won, who scored the most points, and who was playing poorly. Now I am transferring those skills to the world of Real Estate. People need to trust the person who is representing them in a Real Estate transaction.
That’s my job and my responsibility.
Trust me- I won’t drop the ball.
