TEMPLE TUFF

Still looking to fill your Hard Knocks fix this football season? Be sure and check out Temple TUFF on Comcast Sports Net. From the practice field to the pregame speech, each 30 minute episode takes viewers behind the scenes of Temple football. This season I have been working for Temple TUFF which is produced by 20/20 Visual Media, a production company launched by two recent Temple graduates. Only in it’s first season, Temple TUFF is quickly picking up an audience. Recently ,one of the episodes received a 0.8 rating which means more than 24,000 Philadelphia households were watching. This high rating for a prime time show in the 4th largest media market in the United States is a true testament to how well the show is produced by Patrick Rosenbaum and Rob Czyzewicz. You can watch the next episode of Temple TUFF when it airs November 2nd at 6:30 on Comcast Sports Net. In the meantime you can catch up on previous episodes by watching below.

SUMMER IN THE CI’][‘Y

Tomorrow might mark the official start of summer but students at Temple have been soaking up the sun since the beginning of May.  One of the perks about being a Temple student is the highly anticipated (extra long) summer break. Some students use the summer months to do an internship, study abroad, or  take classes. While the majority of students move out for the summer months there’s still enough people that do stick around to keep things exciting here on campus.

So far this summer I have been taking a journalism class and have been participating in an internship at NBC 10 in Philadelphia. Working in the sports department with NBC 10’s John Clark on a daily basis was one of the main reasons I chose to intern at the station. I got to meet John in middle school. Here’s a clip from I segment I regularly produced in middle school called, “60 Seconds with Danny McKinney.”  Ironically the funniest part about about every segment was the fact that every video lasted over 60 seconds.

ROLL OUT THE RED CARPET

Last week I attended the premiere of Tigre Hill’s highly anticipated documentary, “The Barrel of a Gun.” The movie is based around the 1981 murder of Philadelphia police officer Daniel Faulkner. This film is getting a lot of attention here in the city due to historical significance and also the controversy surrounding the case . You can see the trailer for the film by clicking here. Some prominent figures in attendance at the premiere included Mayor Michael Nutter. Tigre, the director, is a Temple Alum and hired me as an intern back when I was in high school. Some of the footage I shot actually ended up in the film – pretty cool! Below is a picture of the producer, Tara Nurin, the director, Tigre Hill, and myself on location at one of the shoots.

IN THE TUNNEL

Pandomonium erupts as Philadelphia Union soccer players exit the locker room into an area known as “the tunnel.” Just beyond the tunnel lies thousands of screaming fans anticipating the team’s grand entrance. These brief moments inside the tunnel give players the chance to collect their thoughts and most importantly focus on the big game ahead. Check out this video I put together for the Union and experience what it’s like to spend time inside the tunnel moments before kickoff. Be sure to watch in HD!

BEHIND THE SCENES @ CBS 3

Life inside a newsroom so far this summer has been exciting to say the least. In the past few weeks I’ve been out with various reporters covering everything from escaped fugitives, the BP oil spill, and this week’s duck boat crash. My day begins at 9 A.M. when everyone reports for the morning meeting. This is when I’ll usually try and plug Temple for a few stories. One of my favorite things about the journalism business is the fact that no two days are ever the same. One day I might become an expert on gun control and the next day I’ll have to learn about refinancing a mortgage. Jim Donovan, the reporter I’m interning for, asked me to make a few behind the scenes videos in the hope’s his Facebook fan page will gain more popularity. Take a look at the video below and don’t forget to add Jim’s Fan Page on Facebook!!!

THE WAIT IS OVER…

The gates to PPL park opened Sunday afternoon and 18,000 plus fans stormed inside Philadelphia’s newest home for soccer. Sunday’s game against the Seattle Sounders sold out in just under 4 hours – no one wanted to miss their chance at witnessing this historical event. Not even the 100 degree temperatures put a damper on the day’s events, which included a ribbon cutting ceremony with Chester’s, Mayor Butler. Sunday’s inaugural home opener had all the perfect ingredients for a memorable night including confetti, smoke bombs, and also fireworks. But the perfect ingredient came in the form of three goals and a win. It’s not everyday you go to work knowing you’ll be helping to open a brand new stadium.  June 27th seemed like a lifetime away when I joined the Union organization three months ago…and now it’s already in the past. However the events that occurred Sunday proved to be historic not only for the soccer team but the city of Chester. Take a look below at the newest pre game introduction video I put together for the home opener sunday. This video aired in the stadium moments before the players took to the field.

HOME SWEET HOME

25 DAYS AND COUNTING….In less than one month the Philadelphia Union will open their new home PPL Park. This new state of the art venue will seat just under 20,000 fans for Philadelphia Union soccer games. I’ve always had a love for stadiums so it’s been cool watching PPL park transform week by week. Currently Panasonic is testing out the new video board and LED’s that will wrap around the stadium. Be sure and check out this special look video I did inside PPL park which aired this past weekend on the Fox Soccer Channel.

A NIGHT TO REMEMBER

April 10th 2010: The smell of freshly cut damp grass filled the stagnant air inside Lincoln Financial Field. All the last minute preparations were being completed as the home of the Philadelphia Eagles was busy being transformed into a mecca for soccer. Players, coaches, and fans had been waiting two years for this day and soccer to be officially welcomed to Philadelphia. April 10th proved to be a game full of firsts including the team’s first ever hat trick. Check out this video I did below which aired on the Lincoln Financial Field jumbotron before the Union’s game this past weekend.

Here is the Director’s cut of “A Night to Remember” let me know which version you like better!

Listen to the story below on “A Night to Remember” I did for my radio news reporting class.

GET PUMPED!!!!!

Moments before the Philadelphia Union took to the field silence fell over the fans. Saturday the team was looking to keep their unbeaten record at home when they battled FC Dallas. Check out this video I put together that aired on the Lincoln Financial Field jumbo tron before the players were introduced. 2010 Philadelphia Union pump up video.

AMP’D UP

Last night I traveled HERE ^ to the Red Bull Arena in New York for the Philadelphia Union’s qualifer game in the Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup. Unfortunately the Union lost 2-1 but the trip was a success. There were plenty of highlight that I’ll be sure to post soon. Over the course of the night I probably drank about 5 too many Red Bull..but at least they were FREE! The Red Bull was clutch because we were working late uploading all the post game interviews uploaded to the website. You can catch the Union in action this Saturday at 10:30 p.m. against the L.A. Galaxy.