Today we’d like to introduce you to Rachael Sneed.
Rachael, let’s start with your story. We’d love to hear how you got started and how the journey has been so far.
I love writing but had no sense of direction when it came to making it a career in college. So, I obtained my Bachelor’s in Literature at the University of Houston and ended up working in digital marketing after I graduated. Blogs were becoming popular for many companies and they needed someone to write content for them. I had my own blog (it’s gone now, that domain name is done) so I used the “blogger” title to get jobs working for consulting firms, IT agencies and e-commerce brands. At the time, I thought this was the only career option for me because honestly, it was the easiest way for me to get jobs. But, I HATED it. The content I had to write was boring, it left no room to be creative and some of those companies were doing some shady, unethical business that made me want to get out of white-collar environments.
It wasn’t until a day I vented about my career at a wine bar to my now-coworker. That I got the opportunity I needed. He told me about a Digital Producer position at CW33 with qualifications that were pretty similar to what I did for my blog. My blog that I used as only a creative outlet had consistent content, featured interviews, engaging lifestyle topics and a voice that showed how well I could match any company’s tone. A few interviews later, I’m working for the TV station, and have been here for almost two years.
Has it been a smooth road?
It was definitely not a smooth road to get to where I am, especially because I never thought I’d be here. Growing up, the only thing I knew I wanted to do for a career was write. But, when I got to college and enrolled in creative writing courses, the only career options that were offered to me were either teaching or technical writing. Kids and I only get along for a few minutes and technical writing was, well, boring (apologies to those who love technical writing. I commend all of you but, my brain doesn’t work that way). Not knowing where I could go helped me learn that I’m not just a good writer, but a great storyteller.
I’m an introvert and hate doing it, but networking really works. I got into digital producing because of who I knew and what people around me taught me. I bothered photographers and journalists to teach me how to use a camera. I taught myself WordPress while I was blogging and sent out questionnaires for my first few interviews until I had to force myself to walk up to someone and initiate conversation. I still give myself pep talks to not be so awkward when I have to interview someone. I’m still a little awkward, but those talks help.
You need to have aspirations and goals, but it’s OK if you don’t know exactly how to obtain them at first. My favorite quote that I found on Pinterest says, “Be stubborn with your goals, but flexible with your methods.” I’m now able to write and enjoy what I’m writing about, but if I would never have had some of the opportunities I did, I wouldn’t be where I am.
So let’s switch gears a bit and go into the CW33 / KDAF story. Tell us more about the business.
CW33 / KDAF is a local television station in Dallas. We’re an affiliate station of The CW so we air all those superhero shows including Arrow, Flash, Supergirl and Black Lightning. We also have two local news shows Morning Dose and NewsFix. I’m a Digital Producer for the station, which means I produce and create content that goes on our digital platforms. That could be putting out local and national news updates, digitally amplifying reporters’ stories that air on our shows, promoting Prime Time shows and their info and producing original, digitally exclusive content for the station.
My official title is a “Digital Producer”, but I love to go by “Storyteller.” I have my own digital series with the station entitled, Take 33 that highlights local Millennials in DFW positively influencing the community. The idea came about during a brainstorming meeting when it was brought up that we need to engage with our community more. DFW Millennials are amazing, especially from what they give to our continuously growing environments, and A LOT of them don’t get the recognition they deserve, especially Millennials of color. I enjoy sharing their stories not only to give that recognition but acknowledge that the community sees their efforts and encourage them to keep going. During my time at CW33, I’m most proud of Take 33 because of the reward I get from making the people in these stories feel good about what they’re doing.
How do you think the industry will change over the next decade?
Digital content is growing, fast. In the future, that will be the main source of information. For me, and a majority of Millennials, we get our news and entertainment digitally. We stream instead of watching TV shows when they air. Netflix, Hulu, and YouTube have become my go-to sources of entertainment and news sources’ Facebook, Twitter and Instagram pages have become my source for national and international news.
News will never die, but the way it’s distributed will continuously change, and digital content is the new distribution source.
Contact Info:
- Website: RachaelDions.com
- Email: rachaeldions@gmail.com
- Instagram: @rachaeldions
- Other: CW33.com/RachaelSneed
Getting in touch: VoyageDallas is built on recommendations from the community; it’s how we uncover hidden gems, so if you know someone who deserves recognition please let us know here.
