Digital Resume

Check out all of the things Britnee McCoy has done in broadcast! https://www.linkedin.com/in/britneemccoy?trk=prof-samename-name

Equality for all hair

“In a small market such as the one I work in, you don’t have a pool of people to even discriminate, so I don’t really know what that is like. We are all about giving rising reporters/anchors opportunities to move up to larger markets with our training. Maybe after their contract here, they will develop a look or a voice, but if I never give them a shot because of hair, that is just not fair.” This director worked his way up in the station from producer, to executive producer, and now news director. He says he has seen many people come and go. “I have seen natural hair, colored hair, shorts hair, I’ve seen it all here. But I also know people grow a lot here, and the fact that the majority of these people go to larger markets after leaving here shows that there are opportunities out there for all kinds of hair, you just have to find them.”

Black Woman to Black Woman

“I love natural hair, but I know some of it does not work on TV because of experience. I’m not saying it’s ugly or too wild, in saying that as a reporter in the field, it will be affected by the humidity and then most of the time become wild and different than how it originally looked. This ND is a black female who worked as an anchor/producer, and then became a news director. Despite how she feels about natural hair, she says she never discriminates her hires because of it, she just lets them know her experiences and allow them to make their own choice. She says she also tells young journalist the same things. “You can wear your hair however you want, maybe you have the natural that won’t puff up in the humidity. Bottom line is, if you are good at your job, I will hire you. However, I will let you know if it’s becoming a little too much for your look, and most women take it constructively when it’s coming from black woman to black woman.”

The Inspiration Behind the Conversation!

My interest in natural hair came from a video posted by Angela Green, a news anchor in Greenville, NC. She was talking to an intern with curly natural hair, who wanted to know if she should straighten her hair or leave it curly for a class broadcast project. This gave viewers and other reporters to weigh in on Facebook and the responses were both for and against conforming to the straight hair. This made me question: Does Natural Hair and Broadcast Mix? That is the inspiration behind this blog and my research!

The TV "Look"

This video is my news reel that I apply to job s with. I posted it so that employers could see my best stories and look. In an industry based around appearance, especially hair and makeup for women, I have to make sure that my appearance is consistent and perfect in every story.

Book Review: Don't Make Me Think!

When I first read the title, I had no idea what the book would be about. But as I began reading, it all made sense. We live in a world where everything is online from news, to shopping, and even job applications. It’s so easy to access this stuff that we don’t have to think about it often. We just search it and it’s there! But what about when we have to think about it? Do we stay on the site if the top news story we want to see is too hard to find? Or do we go to a different news website where it can easily be found flashing across the screen? For me personally, I like simple stuff. I don’t want to think most of the time, isn’t that why we have the internet! Reading this book also made me think about my own website. Is it clear? Can employers find what they’re are looking for within a few seconds or is it confusing to the point where they just go look at another applicant’s website? By using the graphics in the book, I see that my website is very user friendly. My reel is on the front page. There is a tab for my resume and a tab for my contact. Users, especially employers don’t want to look too far to find info. Ironically I went to a website to apply for a job today and it gave me the run around. After finding the employment page, I clicked apply here and it took me to a separate page that had nothing to do with employment and I ended up not applying to that job right then. I’ll probably go back to that site when I have more time for all the different pages associated with getting to the actual application. What makes a good website is actually simple, I think a good rule of thumb to go by is to make sure every age range can understand where things are located. Whether you are in 3rd grade or 60 years old, you should be able to access things quickly without questions. The website does not need to be busy. You do not need pictures and links nearly on top of each other because people will get confused and not know what to click. You also want things to be visible. Dark fonts and small words can be very hard for some people to see and read, especially if they are older or wear glasses. Also, tabs need to be labeled in a way that people don’t have to question if they should click. For example, on a clothing website, you should have a shop now tab that takes people to the items. From there you can have a dresses, shoes, pants tab to narrow things down. This makes it easy for shoppers to get what they came for. Imagine having men and women clothes and shoes mixed together on one page. That is confusing and too busy! This book was a great read and I recommend it to anyone who has a website or is thinking about creating one. It will give you tips for a successful, user friendly site!

Interview #3

“The hustle and bustle of looking good all the time and conforming is exactly why I’m getting out of the business after my contract ends. I used to be so excited about the money, hair and makeup, until I realized that I was a puppet.” This news anchor has been working in a top 50 market for the past 8 years. She says she was naïve to how much she had to conform, until she had to tell an intern about her journey. “I was always told by other black anchors, you can’t wear your hair natural, and you have to wear makeup like a cheerleader, make sure you don’t gain too much weight. And when an intern asked me how I felt about her look, I found myself telling her those same words. But then I went home that night and broke down. It’s not fair, why do we have to stick to those strict guidelines, why do we not get to push the envelope, why can’t we be ourselves.” She says she knows women who are afraid to show their station what their natural hair looks like, even on off days, because they are afraid they will judge them.