Creator, Producer, Editor, Mentor
She stands nearly six feet tall, perhaps just a bit taller than me. She has an assertive, firm handshake and I can tell that she means business. She is dressed in a manner that is professional but not overtly intimidating. Her voice is warm and commanding yet reassuring. She quickly leads me up a flight of stairs and apologizes that interns are not granted security badges to access the office spaces. She begins to rattle off different bits of information about Dearborn city hall, and her operation. She shows me the camera and equipment room and then walks me through a narrow hallway. “This is where they keep us”, she states. With a swipe of her security badge I am now standing in the heart of CDTV. She quickly tosses names and faces in front of me before adding, “and of course you now know me, Patricia Maurier.”
Patricia has been with the City of Dearborn Television since the 1990s. “When everyone started getting cable in the 80s, all the cities set up a TV station. There are only a handful in the area I can think of that have an operation this size,” stated with a sparkle of pride in her voice. As a pupil from Henry Ford Community College, Patricia earned her associates degree and continued to work online through the University of Arizona. “It is way different now,” she recalls when thinking about how editing happened before everything made the leap to digitalization. Patricia’s first project for CDTV was edited in a manner where tape was sliced and pieced together through a machine. “If you made a cut, that was it,” she says. Perhaps it is that traditional method of editing that helped mold Patricia into the editor/producer she is today.
Mentors through her career also certainly helped to mold Patricia. Doing freelance work for the early days of Comcast she encountered different producers that she remembers fondly. One of those producers even taught her the interview skills that she takes with her when going out on assignments. Her first boss at CDTV, René, was not only the one to start her current career but he worked hard to teach her everything he knew. Even though the operation is larger than most, CDTV was a much bigger entity twenty years ago when she started. As a volunteer she was eventually hired, began producing and worked her way up to her current tittle, Broadcast Media Manager.
CDTV produces seven original shows per month and has constant projects happening on the sidelines and behind the scenes. Patricia assigns people to shoot footage of interviews and b-roll, has employees in the office producing and writing different segments, and has a programmer putting media on air. “A lot of things are going on every day to get programming for the website and station,” she says. With something constantly happening in and out of the office, you can find her either in or out of the office alongside her employees, getting her hands dirty. Most work weeks are around the forty hour mark but several special events throughout the year will add on another five or so hours. The upcoming Dearborn Homecoming event in August is one such event.
When asked what she found most rewarding in her current position, she says, “With CDTV sometimes the government side is not super exciting,” she says. “In addition to the mundane kind of normal stuff its always nice to get those one or two really good stories or projects that brighten up the content.” The most surprising thing for her about working at CDTV is “scrutiny of residence” she stated. “They pay attention to everything everyone is doing and they will call you and express their discontent with how you said something or when it went on or ‘why isn’t it on yet?’. They are just so particular sometimes.” This is an extremely helpful forewarning for anyone looking to get into a public domain, not exclusive to multimedia. As a government entity, programming options are limited. If Patricia was given the opportunity, more “creative human interest stuff” would be broadcast.
The ability to learn new things and adapt to new technologies has been an important theme during this experience. Learning new software, cameras, lighting, microphones, etc. has helped Patricia continue to dominate in her position. Writing from a young age, even if it was on a typewriter, “I probably shouldn’t say that” (she says while laughing) has also been extremely helpful in creating new and exciting content. “Writing has always been something that I’ve had an affinity to,” she says. When asked what it takes to be successful in an industry like this one, she states two important things. “Number one, you have to be creative and number two, you have to be willing to work as a team.” The importance of working as a cohesive, creative team is apparent the moment you step foot into CDTV’s office.
In only ten years much has changed at CDTV and the world around us. The first iPhone debuted then and a world without one would now be chaotic. This is the same sentiment Patrica has towards the digitalization of mass media, and the instantaneous technology at our fingertips. SD cards and portable memory have revolutionized the way CDTV works. At the same time, “now everybody has a phone,” she says. Competition is fierce because everyone has the ability to record and share the things happening in the city before a polished and professional video is debuted. The shift to shorter video clips published online has also happened at the station recently. As the methods of consumption change, so to must the methods of distribution. “The numbers and statistics on our YouTube channel don’t lie,” she says.
For future students looking to make it into a similar career she offers these words of advice: “Learn as much as you can. You can’t be specific, you have to be able to do everything because they want everything. Entry level positions are asking for all qualities. Learn as much as you can and be proficient in as much as you can.” A heavy emphasis on the Adobe Creative Suite was recommended to those looking to make it in this field. As the software has the capability to blend seamlessly between operating systems, it is extremely attractive to future employers. Many businesses are moving content to Twitter, Instagram and other social media platforms to feature quick bits of information in attractive packages. This is something Patricia plans to incorporate more of into CDTV’s programming.
Unwinding from a day at the office means watching TV for Patricia. “I love TV, I’m not afraid to say it.” She claims not to do anything too exciting but excitement is a matter of perspective. As an avid writer, Patricia has written several film scripts for TV movies and has published several documentaries. “People probably think its weird but I love to write them” she says when referring to film scripts. “I make the mistake of doing more than one at a time and the characters are intertwining and in my head I think ‘she would never say that’,” she says, laughing. Documentaries are also something she enjoys producing however she finds that, “its a lot of work for not a lot of reward.”
An alternative career for Patricia is hard to imagine but she recalls a fondness of working as a hotel desk manager before pursuing a career at CDTV. With a whirlwind of change over the course of twenty years, its difficult for Patricia to imagine where we will be in ten more years. When asked how her colleagues would describe her, Patricia says, “I go out of my way to look for their input and to work with them as a team, not their boss. I would say they think I’m fair and I work hard to make CDTV the best it can be.” Spending time in the office or out in the field, anyone could easily observe those exact things Patricia mentions happening. “I am sure there are days that we have creative differences, they want to put me outside, ‘When is she leaving?’,” she says laughing. Over twenty years of experience has hardened Patricia Maurier into the professional she is today. I am extremely grateful to have the opportunity to call her my mentor.