The James Bond of the News
Taproom feat. Alex Presha
Welcome to Taproom, where I introduce you to some of the wonderful humans I've gotten to know over the years. I aim to share their stories and a lesson or insight that leads you to interesting explorations of your own.
This week’s Taproom guest is Alex Presha, a multi-platform reporter for ABC News. I’ve known Alex for fifteen years, having first met him when we were both undergrads at Northwestern University (Go Cats!) He’s always been wise beyond his years, with a style and voice made to be listened to by millions. Luckily, he has found his calling. He’s covered everything from Presidential elections to horrifying murder trials, to the Olympics and technology. Having previously worked at NBC, MSNBC, and the Big10 Network (while at Northwestern), he’s got a tremendous grasp of how to capture the important and salient points of a story and effectively communicate them in a short amount of time. Here’s a recent clip of Alex in action:
A self-described sneakerhead, gummy bear sommelier, and dog whisperer, I know you’ll enjoy the discussion. In this interview we cover:
📰 Becoming a journalist
🎥 How to nail the shot
🔀 How journalism has changed
👟 Sneakers, sneakers, sneakers
Let’s jump in!
What’s your story?
I was one of those kids that knew pretty early on that I wanted to be a journalist. My mom always had “World News Tonight” on around dinner time. Peter Jennings was the anchor at the time and I thought he was just a smooth dude – the James Bond of news. That planted the seed. Then, in my freshman year of high school, a teacher recommended me for this journalism camp in Texas through the Asian American Journalism Association. Yes, I went to journalism camp in high school, but it hooked me. From then on I knew I wanted to be in the business. I came back, started a mini news show at school. And everything after that was geared towards a career in TV news: college choice, major, internships, and extracurriculars.
I decided to go to The Medill School of Journalism at Northwestern University. It gave hands-on training and a great springboard into the business, but for someone who is now on-camera, I kind of took a detour. I always had the itch to report, but the first job offer I got out of college was a producer role in New York. Call me naive, or confident, but I figured I’d be able to work my way on camera. It didn’t really work. I spent eight years in NYC producing in various capacities. I was successful but still had an itch to do what I really loved – report. So, at my last producing gig, I made a conscious effort to change that. Things took off from there.
When did you decide to be in front of a camera instead of at a keyboard?
I was working as a digital producer at “The Last Word with Lawrence O’Donnell.” I had that role for a couple of years, so I was starting to look at new opportunities. I had a few recruiters cold-call me for gigs, and was also coming up on my 30th birthday. And after a lot of honest reflections, I came to the realization that if I didn’t pursue my on-air passion, I probably never would. And that would be a life-long regret. So I made a deal with myself: I would cobble together a resume tape and shop it around and I only look at opportunities that put me on air. That meant, I’d likely have to leave NYC (where I was living at the time) and I made peace with that.
Most people watching the news don’t know what goes into setting up a segment, whether cutting to a reporter at the scene or a voiceover with clips playing in the background. What’s involved with getting just the right shot?
The short answer? A lot. I’m responsible for about one minute and 30 seconds worth of packaged material. If I have an intro and tag after my piece, tack on an additional 30 seconds. Two minutes isn’t a ton of time to most people, but our team works extremely hard for each of those reporter packages in a show.
Each correspondent usually collaborates with one or more producers to put a piece together. That’s a process that can take hours – gathering elements (including shooting interviews), discussing sound bites, and editorial & drafting. Then there’s the script review process. Usually, each show segment is assigned to a senior producer who goes over the final draft of a script with the team. Sometimes anchors even give input. Then the script goes through the legal and standard review process. Once everyone has signed off, it is tracked and edited. It’s a very collaborative process. Fast forward to the show. A correspondent may only be on camera for 30 seconds total during their hit (15 seconds at the top and 15 at the back end). Still, their camera operator, audio technician, and field producer are usually there at least an hour and a half beforehand to set up and stay an hour and a half after to break down. Not to mention we may do different versions of the same piece for different time zones – especially on stories that are breaking.
You’ve covered everything from Presidential elections to horrifying murder trials, to the Olympics. Do any moments, any reports, particularly stand out? Why?
Believe it or not, I remember my first overnight shift. It was a piece on former President Trump and Covid. I’ve done countless pandemic pieces since. But this one stood out because it was the first time my family was able to see me on national television (though they had to wake up at 4am to do so!) Are there other things? Sure! My first time flying on Air Force 1. It was a short trip to a manufacturing facility in PA, but it was still pretty cool traveling with the President. Covering George Floyd, a (very eventful) Presidential debate, the 2020 Inauguration, an impeachment trial, the Arbery case. At this point, I’m listing every big story that’s happened in the last two years, but in my defense, they all stand out in some way. I also like some of the enterprise stories I’ve gotten a chance to do — like the couple that’s struggled with miscarriages. The husband decided to sell off his sneaker collection to fund their IVF treatment and they’re currently pregnant with a baby boy. Following their journey has been pretty special.
To say that journalism has changed a lot over the last decade would be a gross understatement. Most people can describe the change in how and where they consume the news. But how has the job of a journalist changed?
The logical starting point for this answer is just how much more quickly news moves today – especially international news. We’re much more connected now. Sometimes we can get instant translations, independent of human translators or fixers. We recently took a live shot from the South Pole. This is stuff that simply wasn’t possible ten years ago.
I think another big difference is the role streaming is playing in news. Every network has a streaming channel that it is intent on growing and that will continue to evolve. Companies know it’s important to their future. Best practices for streaming are still being developed. It’s an uncertain, but exciting place to be.
The last difference I’d point out is just how much more (in my opinion) dangerous the job has become. When I first started my career, security details were more the exception. Now it’s the norm.
On the print side of the house, platforms like Substack have emerged with folks who have big brands like Matthew Yglesias, Glenn Greenwald, Anne Helen Peterson, and Zeynep Tufekci going direct to their audience. Do you think there is an opportunity for video journalism to make similar moves?
Absolutely – in fact, I think we’re already starting to see it on social – especially in some industry-specific sectors. But the one big difference between print and video is the level of production. It often requires significantly more people to churn out a similar amount of content as our colleagues who write. That’s an infrastructure that’s hard to build and because of that – legacy shops have a significant advantage.
You’ve got a mean shoe game and are a closet sneakerhead with if I had to guess, over 40 pairs of shoes. What’s your go-to pair when you’ve got to be on site for a shoot?
LOL. I can confirm there are more than 40 pairs in my closet. There are people that have significantly larger collections than I do though. My favorites to wear are Jordan XI’s – either the “Concord” or “SpaceJam” colorway. If I’m getting sent somewhere on assignment for a while and I don’t know what I’ll be getting into I usually travel with a pair of ACG boots and waterproof running shoes.
When do you break out the Mars Landing Air Max 90s, because those are nice?
Haha! I should break them out soon. Maybe they’ll send me to cover a SpaceX launch and I’ll have an excuse to wear them to a story. I’m actually a big fan of that shoe. A lot of thought went into it and there are tons of cool details. Believe it or not, Mars Landings sat on shelves and for a while even sold under retail at different sneaker resellers. That’s OK. I think they’re dope, so it makes me happy you called them out specifically.
What’s a pair you’ve got your eye on?
It’s so hard to buy at retail these days! I’ve taken a break recently (meaning I haven’t bought anything yet this month!) There are a lot of Georgetown University-themed releases this year – including a pair of Air Jordan 1’s that are cut like the original 1985 model. I’d love a pair. There’s also a really cool Nike x Tom Sachs collab in the works…but those are likely wishful thinking.
I hope you enjoyed this episode of Taproom! For more from Alex and all things journalism, gummy bears, and sneakers, watch him on ABC. And if you enjoyed this week’s issue, why not click the button below and share it with someone else!
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