On September 30, 2013, Padua Academy’s Multimedia Journalism and TV Production students gathered together to listen to a presentation from NBC10 reporter, Tim Furlong. Tim Furlong first shared some information about himself. He attended Salesianum for high school and he now lives in Wilmington with his wife and two kids. Aside from working with NBC10, he also teaches a TV and Production class at Widener University.

Tim Furlong has covered stories from NASCAR to New York Fashion Week to following around celebrities like Justin Bieber, but despite all these crazy adventures he still has to make the story relatable to his audience. One tip that he shared for writing or telling a story is to “Tell it like you’re telling your mom.” While using examples like parking problems and train crashes, he likes to think of his job as a baseball game. He explains how sometimes writing a story is like hitting a single. Its ok, but you want to try to hit a triple or a homerun. Tim Furlong also keeps a list of “evergreen stories,” stories that can be used at anytime, just in case he needs ideas. He also turns to social media, which plays a big role in his job.

He explained to the classes how he shoots and edits his own footage for his reports. Using an app like iMovie, he sets up his iPad and hits record. While he records using his iPad, he has to stand still. He prefers to have a photographer so he can move around and show examples. When he is finished recording, he looks back through his footage and logs the time of the footage he considers using. Logging the information makes it easier for him to go back and edit the footage. Each report is usually about a minute and a half long, so he can only pick the best and most interesting clips to show in a short amount of time. He also has to be very cautious with time. Because he has to drive to the location, he has to plan his approach beforehand so he can make it on time for airtime.

From meeting Tina Fey, Joan Rivers, and Justin Bieber, Tim Furlong didn’t start out interviewing these huge celebrities. He started out at a station in Charlottesville, Virginia. To expand his options, he made dozens of tapes and sent the to many TV stations, but none of them responded to him the first time around. Despite this, Tim Furlong eventually worked in Baltimore, Providence, Rhode Island, and currently Philadelphia. He also hosted a food show called “Foodies.”

In the conclusion of his presentation, Tim Furlong and some of the Padua Academy Students went outside to take a group picture in front of his NBC10 car. Tim Furlong’s visit is the first in an anticipated series of special speakers for Padua’s Communication Arts students.