Vince Norman

Born on a mountaintop in Tennessee...I left the bear-killing to those better suited and instead focused my life on the creative arts. Whether trying my hand at figure drawing, writing or shooting video, the process of being creative has always influenced my decisions. A graduate of the prestigious, (and somewhat infamous) Full Sail University in Winter Park, Florida. I discovered a flare for visual storytelling, a talent that served me well during my time in the television news business.

I began my career in news as a videographer at a very small market station, WCJB TV20 News, in Gainesville, Florida. The term, "Johnny on the spot," may have actually been coined to describe the character of a news photographer. When news breaks, the first wave of troops are the photographers. With camera in hand, and a firm resolve to be the first on the scene, I bent the laws of the road, to capture images of those bent on breaking laws, and the tragedy resulting from their actions. Equally comfortable around the softer stories, I matched my visual style to the written words of the reporter I was paired with each day. I fostered relationships among the sometimes mercurial personalities I worked with on a daily basis, and managed to showcase the visual images needed to help tell compelling stories. Just months before my move to South Florida, I was fortunate enough to receive an AP award in the, "Best Short Light Feature" category, for a holiday story I shot entitled, "Tow Truck Santa." This helped pave the way for my move to a higher market, since award winning photojournalist is a pretty nice sounding title for a demo-reel.

That "higher market" turned out to be WPTV, Newschannel 5, the highest rated station in all of Florida. After spending a year as a photographer, a cost cutting initiative designed to cross train the news team allowed me to showcase my writing talent, and garnered a promotion to the position of Multi-Media Journalist.

This was a major turning point in my life, allowing me more creative control over my work, but also strengthening my time management skills. A job in news is a race against 5 different clocks, each denoting a future deadline; today, tomorrow, the following day. Every morning a new challenge, a new destination, and a new story to tell. As my feet hit the floor, the clock started the inexorable countdown to deadline. Steering wheel in one hand, phone in the other, the miles on the odometer clicked away