KLVX, Las Vegas PBS

If there is one job that I still miss to this day, and one job that I actually learned and grew with, it was KLVX Channel 10 in Las Vegas, Nevada.

I'm sorry to disappoint, but this will not be a blog about who I hated, what I hated, or why I hated it. Rather, this will be a nostalgic look at a job I never should have left, and one I should have stayed with. KLVX-10 was a PBS station serving most of Southern Nevada. It was the station that covered Harry Reid's debates in 2004 while I was there. It was an experience that I wanted for so long, yet I let it slip away.

Working there was the most relaxed environment I have ever been in. All the directors were so knowledgeable and helpful (there was a team of four or so). The Producer, Tom, was by far the best boss I have ever had. The Program Director was a funny guy that I could impersonate quite well, Mitch. During my time there, I worked sound, camera, floor directing, and grip work. I learned more in my too short time there than in the three years of schooling I had.

I worked part time through the production department. Most days I worked the mornings doing a distance education program of Nutrition with this pumped up steroid guy. He was a nice guy too, but working on the program wasn't too challenging because it was a stationary shoot (meaning the camera never moved, like a Kevin Smith movie). But, before the show, the prep work, was where you would learn more. Doing mic checks, getting the lighting right, making sure the chromo keys were set up properly, were all important aspects to getting this simplistic show taped.

Every week, I also worked on "Inside Education" with Ray Willis. Ray was a great guy and we kind of bonded together during my time there. He liked my work, and my Mitch impersonation. He taught me a lot about being an on air talent, and how talent works seamlessly with the Production team. Part of working on "Inside Education" was going out on location to get a variety of shoots. Mostly, we'd visit schools of the Clark County School district, but sometimes we'd get lucky and get to go to the "House of Blues" or something like that.

Also, every week, I'd work on our live program, "Nevada Week in Review". Man, I loved working on that show. It was fast paced and exciting to be part of a live broadcast. It was also exciting being part of a politics forum. I got to know a few of the panel a bit. But, working on the show was always a treat.

I also miss working with Steve. He was like the man at arms there. He did all the lighting, all the mic work, most of the soundboard, and he was generally just an all around great guy who may have loved The Butterfly Effect just a bit too much.

My time there was short lived because Marion was jumped by some piece of gutter trash when she was walking to work one night. I still don't get all of why that happened, or any of the specifics of the situation, but I felt so alone when I was sitting in the ER. Granted, I knew her injuries weren't life threatening, but she and I were scared beyond belief. It was when reacting to this fear that I feel I made a grave error. I decided to move back to New Jersey and leave Vegas behind. It was an error because there were so many good opportunities for me out there, and I do miss the place. I miss waking up and seeing mountains. I miss how alive the place was. I miss the Strip. I miss damn near everything about Las Vegas.

It was a mistake to come back to New Jersey just as things were getting started for me. Sure, there were roadblocks and I made mistakes before Marion's attack, but the way we reacted to the fear (which is natural in a situation like that) was not the proper way for us to react. It led us down the current path we are on now, which as I've said has been the most trying, sad, and depressing time in my life. I do regret coming back to New Jersey, and if I can ever find the means to leave again, I will as soon as possible. New Jersey is just such a depressing place no matter where you are in the state (maybe Cape May isn't).