Summary
Emmy award-winning TV News Producer, digital media executive and talented writer.
Flexible and determined team leader with a track record of creating top-quality content in a wide spectrum of subject areas without missing deadlines or breaking budgets.
Core Competence
•Managing creative teams in news, internet media and business communications on a basis of mutual respect and constant mentoring.
•Writing and editing of television news and entertainment programs, magazine articles, speeches and, the hardest of all, jokes.
•Combining traditional analog media with digital content and driving its profitable exploitation on digital platforms and in social media.
•Mastering new subject areas quickly and then presenting them to a wide audience without sacrificing accuracy or essential complexity.
•Building coalitions that included all internal interest groups and resulted in efficient campaigns with clear and compelling messages.
Brief Employment Chronology
2012 to Present Author
2010 to 2012 3 Roads Communications
Senior Producer /Writer
2009 to Present Independent Consultant
2006 to 2009 CNN Weekend Public Affairs
Senior Producer
2003 to 2006 CNN NewsNight
Senior Segment Producer
2001 to 2003 Independent Consultant
2000 to 2001 PanAmSat Net36
Director of Content Production
1999 to 2000 TV onthe Web, Inc.
Vice President for Production
1996 to 1999 Imus on MSNBC:
Executive Producer
1996 Fox News Sunday
Senior Operations Producer:
1993 to 1996 Independent Consultant
1973 to 1993 ABC News
Producer (Nightline,This Week, GMA News)
DETAILED WORK EXPERIENCE
Senior Producer / Writer at 3 Roads Communications Jan. 2011 to Dec. 2012
-Supervised and wrote two successful seasons of The Truth About Money with Ric Edelman (PBS)
-Wrote and Researched original documentary, Rescue in the Philippines: Refuge from the Holocaust
Independent Consultant Feb. 2010 to Present
-I wrote and produced successful video marketing presentations aimed at Congressmen and Congressional staff for prominent DC lobbying firm.
Senior Producer at CNN Dec.2003 – Feb. 2010
-As interim Executive Producer, I supervised the writing and production of This Week at War - an in-depth look at conflict and foreign policy and a program I consider one of the best I've ever done.
-Tasked with producing six one-hour documentaries in only six weeks, I recruited editorial and technical teams, supervised all editorial content, innovated cost-effective techniques, negotiated with senior managers across the company for facilities and completed a highly-regarded series with excellent ratings.
-Wrote anchor copy for Wolf Blitzer, Aaron Brown and John King and was the “go-to” person for difficult writing assignments (e.g. obituaries, memorials and speeches)
Independent Consultant 2001 - 2003
- Responsible for all breaking news during a weekly 24-hour shift as Live Senior Producer for ABC News.
-Co-created The American Family: A Survivor's Guide for Goodlife TV
-In one week produced an XML prototype of a network aimed at people waiting in line at banks
-Wrote marketing materials and technical white papers for Asgard Technology
Director Content Production Net36 division of PanAmSat 2000 - 2001
-I supervised a staff of 15 technicians, producers, and creative artists in a sales support role for Net36 – an innovative internet content delivery system using satellites to improve the quality of streaming media.
Vice President Production at TV onthe WEB, Inc 1999 - 2000
-I was recruited to this internet startup to supervise a production staff of 36 .
-I was requested to serve as Vice-President of Sales for one quarter – in which we tripled gross sales.
-I wrote primary corporate brochure and news releases, supervised all video marketing materials and led marketing teams at convention floor presentations.
Executive Producer - Imus on MSNBC 1996 - 1999
-I directed a staff of 10 engineers and producers to produce three hours of live television daily for this innovative radio-TV hybrid. Only three years after launch, Imus on MSNBC became the first MSNBC program to beat CNN in total viewers and defeated all cable morning news shows two months later.
-I directed the programming of our own webpage on MSNBC.com – a page that consistently got more hits than any program page except The Today Show. I also developed and wrote one of the first news blogs - emailed to over 18,000 subscribers. This aggressive use of online assets resulted in a measured 20% increase in cable ratings.
Senior Producer on Fox News Sunday 1996 - 1996
-I supervised all operations and live video production for the Fox Network’s premiere news broadcast.
-I wrote all anchor copy and supervised Fox's first-ever coverage of the national political conventions.
Independent Producer 1993-1995
-I worked with the President of the American Trucking Associations and the Vice President of Communications in the creation and live production of Transat – the satellite voice of ATA.
-I created several of ATA’s national marketing campaigns, including Safe Truck Drivers, The Nation’s Most Dangerous Roads and Disaster Response to 1993 Floods in St. Louis
-I brought together an ad-hoc team of writers and producers to create a 13-part series of instructional videos on the safe handling of hazardous materials for the American Trucking Associations.
-I edited and evaluated focus groups for Don Rheem & Associates and created marketing materials for Highway One, Cisco, the Harvard Club and Porter-Novelli.
-As Vice President Marketing for the Global Communications Network, I developed the marketing plan, wrote and produced all marketing materials (including a complete mockup of the proposed network) and worked the sales booth at Comdex.
Producer
Good Morning America / AM America (1973 to 1983)
Nightline (1983 to 1991)
Weekend News / This Week with David Brinkley (1991 to 1993)
-I was supervising producer for live special reports during Desert Storm, including the Iraqi surrender.
- I was Interim Broadcast Producer and Field Producer for Nightline – where I won 4 Emmy awards.
-I arranged construction of control rooms and anchor sets for Ronald Reagan’s first overseas trip
HONORS & AWARDS
1990 National Emmy Award: A Town Meeting in South Africa
1989 National Emmy Award: Tragedy at Tiananmen
1987 National Emmy Award: Tower Commission Report
1985 National Emmy Award: Nightline in South Africa
1997 Telly Award A Debt to Honor (Editor/Producer)
1999 Columbus Film Festival A Debt to Honor (Editor/Producer)
2006 Peabody Award CNN Team Coverage of Hurricane Katrina
2001 Peabody Award ABC News Team Coverage of Post-9/11
1984 Peabody Award Nightline in South Africa
2008 DuPont Award CNN team coverage of Presidential Election
2006 DuPont Award CNN team coverage of Indonesian Tsunami
1989 DuPont Award Tragedy at Tiananmen
1985 DuPont Award Gold Baton: Nightline in South Africa.
EDUCATION
Haverford College
1969 – 1973
BA, Sociology
PROMOTIONAL TEXT DRAFT
Sentence Description (200 characters, including spaces)
In this gripping thriller, a television news courier and Vietnam veteran escapes his nightmares by pushing his motorcycle to the limit–but is it fast enough to escape the death squad on his tail?
Short Description (2,000 characters, including spaces)
In his daily rounds as a Washington motorcycle courier, Vietnam veteran Rick Putnam has found that the only way to blast the demons from his soul is with the sheer speed of his beloved BMW. However, the race turns very real when he suddenly becomes the target in a lethal pursuit and Rick must find out just who is trying to kill him—and why. Courier is the high-velocity thriller by long-time
Washington journalist Terry Irving that slashes through the darkness at the heart of our nation’s capital. It’s a fast-paced, finely crafted foray into high-level intrigue, political corruption, and the invisible wounds of war that will keep readers hanging on as the danger threatens to spin out of control.
The year is 1972 in Washington, DC, a hotbed of government secrets and fractured souls, with the Watergate Scandal heating up and the Vietnam War slowing down. One day during his courier gig, Rick unknowingly picks up a roll of news film that proves the President took money from the South Vietnamese to prolong the war. This is High Treason: a transgression that would mean not only impeachment and conviction but lifelong disgrace. A rogue CIA agent backed by a Korean assassin and two Saigon cowboys is sent to recover the film and silence Rick - permanently. Rick fights back with the assistance of some of the world’s first computer hackers, two brave congressional staffers, and a motorcycle gang leader who fought by his side in Vietnam’s toughest battle. In the middle of it all, Rick falls in love with a Native American law student who may just be able to bring some peace to his tortured soul.
With its white-knuckle pace and absorbing intrigue, Courier is a heart-pumping, riveting read full of high menace, hot motorcycles, and Washington’s own brand of mayhem – the kind you never read about on the front page. It’s a must for anyone who likes their thrillers real and their motorcycles very, very fast.
Extended Biography
I rode a classic BMW R50/2 for ABC News during Watergate and carrying news film was the beginning of a career that has included producing Emmy Award-winning television news, writing everything from magazine articles to standup comedy and developing many of the earliest forms of online media.
After producing stories in Beirut, China, El Salvador and all 50 states, I still live right outside Washington, DC because my wife simply refuses to live anywhere else.
Extended Biography
Terry Irving has worked as a motorcycle courier, bartender, bouncer, director at two tech startups, Don Imus' video impresario and, for most of the past 40 years, a network TV News Producer - covering stories from Presidential Elections to War in Beirut to the Tsunami in Indonesia.
He lives in Bethesda Maryland with a very pleasant golden doodle, a Balinese cat with extreme attitude, a beautiful wife and a well-equipped Home Office.
The last is important since he has spent a considerable amount of time in the Home Office during long periods of unemployment. Currently, he is sitting in the Home Office and attempting to write his way to survival.
His first novel, Courier, in the process of publication, to be followed by a sequel, "Warrior" which is about half-written.
About the Author
I moved to Washington DC in 1973 to kick around for a few weeks until I decided on a real career. I ended up riding a classic BMW R50/2 for ABC News during Watergate. Carrying that news film was the beginning of a 40-year career that has included producing Emmy Award-winning television news, writing everything from magazine articles to standup comedy and developing many of the earliest forms of online media.
After producing stories in Beirut, Hong Kong, El Salvador and all 50 states, I still live right outside Washington, DC because my wife and my dog simply refuse to live anywhere else.
You can connect with me at:
http://www.terryirving.blogspot.com
http://www.unemployedguysguide.blogspot.com
or on Twitter (http://www.twitter.com/terryirving)
and Facebook (http://www.facebook.com/terryirving)
Extended Description
"If the phrase 'a crackling good yarn' evokes an era before Twitter, Facebook, cell phones, videotape, DVDs or cable television, welcome to Terry Irving's fast-paced thriller from a bygone age. The Vietnam War is winding down; a wounded vet takes a job as a motorcycle courier at a network's Washington news bureau, and finds himself caught up in the backwash of a harrowing conspiracy. Terry Irving knows the landscape. I was there. So was he."
---Nightline Anchor Ted Koppel
In his daily rounds as a Washington motorcycle courier, burned-out Vietnam veteran Rick Putnam has found the perfect way to chase away the images of war that haunt his dreams and lurk behind every moment of his waking life.. He harnesses the speed of his beloved BMW. However, when he suddenly becomes the target in a lethal pursuit, he has to push it past the red line to find out just who is trying to kill him—and why.
The year is 1972 in Washington, DC, a hotbed of government secrets and fractured souls, as the Watergate Scandal heats up and the Vietnam War simply won’t end. One day during his courier gig, Rick picks up a roll of news film that is damning proof that Richard Nixon took money from the South Vietnamese to prolong the war. This is evidence of High Treason: a transgression that would mean not only impeachment but lifelong disgrace – a disgrace the President would resign to avoid.
To suppress the evidence, a rogue CIA agent, a beautiful Korean assassin, and two Saigon cowboys are sent to recover the film and ensure Rick’s silence - permanently. Rick fights back with the assistance of some of the world’s first computer hackers, two brave congressional staffers, and a motorcycle gang leader who fought by his side in Vietnam’s toughest battle. In the middle of it all, Rick falls in love with Eve Buffalo Calf, a petite, longhaired law student from the Northern Cheyenne Reservation, who is in DC to defend radical members of the American Indian Movement. Can she heal Rick – banish the memories of war that haunt his every hour? As their relationship deepens, Rick finds his long hardened heart slowly awakening.
Courier is the high-velocity thriller by veteran Washington journalist Terry Irving that slashes through the darkness at the heart of our nation’s capital. With its white-knuckle pace and absorbing intrigue, Courier is a heart-pumping, riveting read full of high menace, hot motorcycles, and the Capital’s own brand of mayhem—the kind you never read about on the front page.. It’s a must for anyone who likes their thrillers real, their characters complex and their motorcycles at breakneck speed.
Back Cover Text (250 words or less)
All courier Rick Putnam wants is to be left alone—alone to push his motorcycle ever faster to exorcize the nightmares of his time in Vietnam. But a routine pickup leaves him with proof that the breaking Watergate scandal is only a cover up for worse acts of high treason. Rick is soon in full-throttle race to get to the truth, and outrun a death squad intent on burying the secret, and the messenger, Courier is a riveting read with high menace, hot motorcycles, and Washington’s own brand of mayhem—the kind you never read about on the front page.
Terry Irving is an award-winning journalist and television news producer, who has spent decades covering politicians, political donations, and – inevitably - scandals.