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Alan Blackwood
Producer
You have to keep learning; you have to keep stretching yourself.
Alan Blackwood
Taking photographs from a helicopter. Shooting footage from the MacDonald Bridge. Chasing snowplows for a video in Yarmouth. Alan Blackwood has done it all over the last eight years as a producer with Communications Nova Scotia (CNS). "I get to spend a lot of time on the road of our great province – from Cape Breton to the South Shore and everywhere in between." He also gets to work in a wide variety of roles, including editor, camera operator, and sound technician.
"My job has a lot of variety which really keeps things interesting."
Because of that variety and the deadline-based nature of the business, Alan's job doesn't always stay within the boundaries of the 9-5 world. He might have to pull an all-nighter or work a weekend to meet a tight timeline. It's a reality he learned to love early on through NSCC's Radio and Television Arts program.
"Our instructors all had real life experience and they did a good job showing us the ropes." Alan has stayed in touch with the College since his graduation in 1999, occasionally upgrading through additional courses. "The Radio and Television Arts program has continually adapted and changed with the industry," he says. "The students are really getting a cutting-edge education."
It's these students that Alan has the opportunity to mentor through work placements at CNS. One of his key messages to this next generation is that education never ends. "I think they see that when they enter the workplace. You have to keep learning, you have to keep stretching yourself. Especially nowadays, with the changes in technology."
Alan feels lucky to be doing something he loves every day. "If I can encourage someone else to pursue a field they love, that's what I want to do," says Alan. "I feel incredibly fortunate to wake up every morning eager to go to work."
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