Darren Weeks .NET

• Well-seasoned professional with 30+ years of radio & television broadcast experience
• Familiar with ATSC1, ATSC3 broadcast standards, and FCC regulations
• Maintains calm and focus to solve problems in high-stress situations
• Responsible, dependable, with a great work ethic
• Excellent communication skills
• Interacts well with all colleagues
• Innovative in finding solutions for all of your technical needs
• Contact information: (517) 879-4630 or darren (at) darrenweeks.net for inquiries.

Production

Studio cameras, as well as ran cameras for several LIVE ENG or on-location telethon events.
Teleprompter
Audio mixer for LIVE newscasts & productions
Floor directing
Studio lighting
Ripped & sorted news wire copy
Written scripts for news anchors
Editing (Adobe Premiere Pro, Final Cut Pro, 1-inch, 3/4-inch, 1/2-inch beta, DVC-Pro, and even razor blade & tape splicing)
Tagging TV and radio programs with Premiere Pro and Adobe Audition
Captioning shows for air, streaming, and distribution: embedding both 608 & 708 captions for the hearing-impaired

Operations & Engineering

Operated Live Truck for Electronic News Gathering
Live-switching commercial breaks for national network and local programming
Shading of studio cameras for live newscasts and other productions
Preparing and checking program logs
Tuning in satellite feeds for live on-air or delayed broadcast
Monitoring multiple on-air signals for quality (video, audio, captions, etc.)
Taking regular transmitter readings and corrective measures to keep stations within FCC-specified parameters
Troubleshooting, diagnosing, and remedying problems as they arise that impact the broadcast signal
Assisting with production of locally-produced commercial and promo content, including adjusting video & audio levels using waveform and vectorscope monitors and VU meters.
Preparing and running on-air crawls and similar messaging
Legalization of shows to meet strict standards for nationwide network syndication and distribution
Proficient in Telestream products: Vantage, Vidchecker, CaptionMaker
Proficient in NVerzion automation, but have used several others including Crispin, Nexio, Odetics, Omneon.
Broadcast monthly & weekly Emergency Alert System (EAS) messages pursuant to FCC requirements, using Sage, Dasdec, and TFT encoder/decoders

Leadership / Administrative

"Technical Operations Center" Team Lead
Participated in weekly meetings with senior and middle management to keep them informed as to issues and developments
Trained countless on-the-job Master Control operators, as well as university students and interns throughout career
Utilized self-taught web development skills to launch and host tutorials, including "how-to" videos
Developed processes, procedures, methodologies, and work flows for all personnel to promote efficient department operations
Spearheaded the "Emergency 201" programming, which became a standard at the station for on-air emergencies
Participated in the interviewing and hiring decisions for new department employees

Education

1990 Graduate of the Specs Howard School of Broadcast Arts, Southfield, Michigan

Learned basic broadcast skills, including:

Experience

Production

Operations & Engineering

Leadership / Administrative