FORT WAYNE– Whether it’s margarita making, cooking, or breaking news, Digital Journalist Ruben Solis is making an impact on the Fort Wayne Community one social media platform at a time.
Solis, a Multimedia Journalist for WANE-15, joined the classroom discussion at Indiana Tech on Thursday afternoon. Solis spent three years in Indianapolis working for FOX59/CBS4 as an associate producer. Solis joined the WANE-15 crew in July 2018 and now is a Fort Wayne local.
“I’ve always wanted to be a reporter so I thought it was just time to go for it,” he said.“ I knew I should always be in front of the camera, then realized that digital was my fit.”
Ruben Solis
Solis creates digital content for the website, newstation, and his personal accounts to help promote the community following base in the Allen County area. Some of his content includes entertainment, breaking news, and information from outside sources.
“Once this digital thing happened it was a big conversation at work of who would switch to digital,” he said. “But no one was forced to do digital. I don’t love the uncertainty of reporting, so that’s why I moved away from reporting to digital means.”
Ruben Solis
“[Seven] people are dedicated to digital content only at the station,” said Solis. “Two times a week I’m a digital MMJ.”
Solis and other MMJ Reporters are taught to take a photo of whatever scene they attend and then take a 30 second video before even retaining information for whatever story they are reporting. Pictures and videos in this work environment are crucial due to money and engagement of the audience.
“Fridays we team up with Ivy Tech where we talk with a student chef and he/she will teach me how to cook, it’s just a small entertainment piece that I’m happy about honestly.”
Ruben Solis
The ability to go digital especially at a news station is crucial to the engagement of the viewers. Fun pieces like cooking or margarita making are what grasp the attention of viewers, and create a more personable foundation for the station and an opportunity for the reporter to be involved in the piece.
“I prefer the entertainment news because they’re more informal and I can also be involved within the story,” he said.
Many challenges come with reporting however Solis’ experience with reporting helps with the process. Some advice he suggests to future journalists is to look outside of the box and be creative to avoid uncomfortable situations.
“Some challenges involved with digital are the small tech equipment and needing to be more creative,” he explained. “[Also] you really want to stay calm under pressure…everything else needs to go in the trash if you have new information.”
Solis came with a lot of insight into the world of Journalism from the digital perspective. Although reporting is seen more as news breaking, the outbreak of digital has made it easier to incorporate more uplifting pieces that the viewers are sure to love.
“My best piece of advice is to look outside of the reporter and anchor job if you want to be part of a news organization.”
Ruben Solis
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