Today we’d like to introduce you to Marcel Robinson.
Hi Marcel, thanks for joining us today. We’d love for you to start by introducing yourself.
Currently, I am a sports photographer and reporter at CBS47/FOX30 Action News Jax. It all started when I picked up a camera at 12 years old. I decided at that moment that I wanted to work in sports television.
I enrolled and graduated from the University of North Florida, before embarking on my professional journey at CW17-Jacksonville. After five years and countless projects later, I moved over to Action News Jax, where I have been for five years.
We all face challenges, but looking back would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
The entire journey has been fairly smooth for the most part, but definitely has seen its set of challenges along the way, like most things in life. I was lucky to find an opportunity locally to start my TV journey because the first step is typically in the middle of nowhere and far away from home.
There were many sleepless nights and I volunteered my services for various projects as a “graduate intern” while working my full-time job and caring for my daughter. That was one of the reasons I was hired initially at CW-Jacksonville. I volunteered so much that they had to turn me away. My boss told me that of the hundreds of applicants, I was the least qualified in terms of technical knowledge.
Against the advice of the General Manager, I was selected off pure ambition and faith that I would grow into what they needed. We are still in contact to this day, and he tells me he’s never been happier with being wrong.
Can you tell our readers more about what you do and what you think sets you apart from others?
If we’re talking about what I’m KNOWN for, that would definitely be one of the sports reporters on-air at Action News.
I’ve been there for five years and can’t even count how many television broadcasts I’ve been part of. My favorite part of the job is telling stories and really connecting with the people in the community. When viewers tell me that they are “thankful and appreciate what I do” it makes all of the long days and nights worth every second of sleep lost.
I’ve re-launched my freelance photography business, and I’ve merged the two professional aspects together, which has been fun. It’s allowed us to set our sports department apart from the others in the station because of our creative flexibility.
What matters most to you? Why?
In terms of professionalism, I would say my number one priority has always been to help tell the stories of our community.
I’ve always felt that our athletes in the area put in so much work outside of just the game day activities, that they deserve to have the often unseen aspects of their journeys revealed to the world. Being in the position that I am in, with the platform that I have, I make sure to use it to speak for those who can’t.
When it comes to my photography, I try to differentiate my style of shooting and photoshoots from the average photographer. From the angles to the edits, I make sure that nothing gets in the way of the shared vision with myself and my client. I’ve climbed trees, snapped trees, hungover bridges, and even out car windows… With restraints of course.
Contact Info:
- Email: marcel.robinson81@gmail.com
- Website: gtrshots.com
- Instagram: @Marcel.tv
- Facebook: www.facebook.com/marcel.robinson
- Twitter: https://twitter.com/MarcelASJax
