Dawn Pellas
WTAJ, Altoona
Age: 37
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Dawn Pellas
Current position: Co-host, WTAJ's Central PA Live
Family: Garret, husband; Saffron, daughter; and dog Pepper
Hometown: Patton
High school: Cambria Heights High School, 1993
College: Indiana University of Pennsylvania
My first job in TV: WWCP FOX 8/ABC 23
How I landed in my present job: My uncle saw the job posting online and emailed it to me. I sent my resume and reel, and a few weeks later, I was hired!
My earliest influences in TV were: In television news, it was Tom Brokaw and Dan Rather, also the late Peter Jennings. Late night, it was Johnny Carson!
The most interesting person I ever interviewed was: Barry Leonard, one of the passengers from the "Miracle on the Hudson" plane that went down in the Hudson River near New York City. Hearing the story of how that plane crashed - first hand - from someone who went through it was just amazing.
What I like best about my job: I love showcasing all of the things that make Central PA great! When I moved away for work in the television news business, I took my home area for granted. But now that I am back, I am discovering so many great things about home that I didn't know!
What I dislike most about my job: There are not enough hours in the day to do it!
How the TV business has changed: When I started, we were using tapes. Now everything is digital and more television news operations hire multi-media journalists, rather than traditional reporters. In addition, social media has created a new urgency for news. It's not just writing a story and getting it on television for a single show or newscast. We also write and update stories for the Internet and we make regular posts to Facebook and Twitter. But it's still fun!
Advice I could give to someone interested in making TV a career: Get ready to work very hard! Overtime is a given ... and get used to living on a budget ... but if you enjoy being different and you can handle the rat race, this is the career for you!
