Meet David: Local TV Staff Newsperson and Innovative Storyteller
At the Asian American Journalists Association (AAJA) 2024 conference, attendees are given the chance to meet with recruiters and employees from both ABC News and ESPN to learn more about working for The Walt Disney Company. Meet David, Local TV Staff Newsperson for ABC Owned Television Stations (ABC OTVS) who has been a member of AAJA for over 30 years!
After working as a news anchor in other cities, David began his career with KABC-TV, Los Angeles’s local news station in 1996. During his first couple of years, he anchored the morning show and hosted “Eye on LA,” a Sunday evening show that captured the history and culture of Los Angeles. After a few years, he moved to anchoring the evening shows, where he has stayed ever since. In addition to anchoring, he also started working as a special project reporter and savored the opportunity to travel to the big stories when they broke.
During his current day-to-day, David anchors three shows a day and continues his work as the special projects reporter. Most of his day is taken up by forming the groundwork in this area, from documentaries to series to investigative. While it is time-consuming and demanding, in David’s opinion, it is the most rewarding.
One of David’s favorite projects is a stage show he created as an example of innovative storytelling. He debuted the show at the 2022 AAJA conference in Los Angeles. Titled “Defining Courage,” the show is set during World War II and tells the story of a segregated unit of Japanese Americans, considered the greatest fighting unit in American military history. The stage show is an immersive production with live music, live narration, and photography projected on a huge screen that transports people onto battlefields all over the world. What was intended to be a one-time performance has taken on a life of its own, and the show has sold out 16 performances all over the United States. David shared with us, “What I love about the show is its uniqueness. To tell a moving story in front of a live audience with live music and talented singers is an experience unlike anything I've ever done.”
When asked what makes the culture of ABC OTVS unique, David explained, “A winning, successful culture is a beautiful thing. It's wonderful to be part of a professional environment that, not only wins the ratings, but also provides a stable, professional workplace that allows everyone to thrive.”
As we’re in the midst of summer journalism conferences, David is no stranger! As a member of AAJA, he believes in its importance, and he makes a point to stay involved with the conference. His fondest memories include impromptu dinners that allow old friends to reconnect and new friendships to form. For David, these experiences create long-lasting connections and support.
In David’s opinion, it’s important for ABC to attend journalism conferences because their attendance shows the importance of diversity, equity and inclusion and that issues impacting minority communities are taken seriously.
Interested in making an impact with your career? Visit DisneyCareers.com to view open opportunities.
