While I was anchoring and reporting for KCBS-TV, I created a syllabus for a course called "Advanced Broadcast Journalism," which quickly became known as "the demo tape class." A demo tape is a way of persuading a prospective employer to take a chance on hiring you. Once you have the job, you have to bring the same skills to the table every day, as viewers are making instant decisions about whether to watch you. There is no such thing as "one size fits all." The qualities that make on-air talent watchable are as infinitely variable as the individuals who come into our lives via the mass media. Using this highly customized approach, I now have dozens of former students thriving as talent in markets of all sizes, national networks and new media. Whether you are a novice or a veteran, my goal is to help you reach the next level of excellence. So how do we start your personalized progress? Keep reading. Where clients are working: My clients and former students are thriving on national levels, local stations, and online, including: CBS News, C-Net, CNN, DirectTV, Extra, KCBS-TV, WTJV-TV, WESH-TV, WSB-TV, WJLA-TV, KSTP-TV, KTVK-TV, KOLD-TV, KTSU-TV, KVBC-TV, WXMI-TV, KGPE-TV, and NPR, among others.

The purpose of the tape critique is to help you do your job better. We begin with an open and honest assessment of your strengths and areas for improvement. We will go through the examples you provided and consider ways to improve your preparation, delivery and focus. We could make progress more quickly in a face-to-face coaching session, but you will come away from your critique with specific ideas for improvements you can try on your own. News directors and other tape screeners don't give you any more than 10 seconds before ejecting the tape. That's why I evaluate "first impression." By the time I write your critique, I will have screened your tape more than once, stopping and starting to make notes about your strengths and target areas. Your critique goes beyond that arbitrary decision. I will look at your entire presentation and generate some ideas to make your first impression better, thus giving all of your work a more realistic chance of being seen and appreciated. Your needs and goals will determine whether we focus on writing, delivery or other factors such as preparation and appearance. It's a lot to take in all at once. Remember that you wouldn't have the job if you didn't already have extraordinary talent. I don't want to change you, just perfect your performance. You will not become a different performer overnight and you shouldn't try. The benefits of coaching may not be apparent until days or weeks later as you prepare a piece of copy and have a moment when you say, "That's what Terry was talking about!" I offer tape critiques as an affordable way for individuals to improve their performance when stations do not provide coaching for you. So are you ready to take your performance to the next level? Get started now.