Tuesday, December 12, 2006
Up Close With Brian van de Graaff
Jason Samenow @ 3:00 PM
CapitalWeather.com: Your ascent in TV Weather was quick -- from Salisbury to Richmond and then to DC, a top 10 market, in just a few years. What do you attribute to your early success? Was it intimidating landing in such a large market at such a young age?Click here for the full interview.
Brian van de Graaff: It was all about being in the right place at the right time. I went from college to being [Doug Hill's] weather producer at WUSA. Shortly thereafter, he made the switch over to WJLA and actually made bringing me along part of his contract, for which I owe him greatly. So I was gaining a wealth of knowledge before ever hitting the green wall.
Salisbury gave me a great start where I was able to gain valuable on-air experience while maintaining my producer job at WJLA. Salisbury led to Richmond which then sent me to DC. It just so happened that when I was doing some substitute work in Richmond two of three members of the weather team left over a short span of time. I was in the right place at the right time. So I jumped in when I was still quite green on a "temporary basis" and now I am enjoying a great 3 years with my amazing AM team of Alison, Doug and Lisa.
I would be lying if I said I wasn't intimidated at first. But over time my comfort level has increased. I must admit when I sub at night for Doug and I am on the set with legends like Gordon Peterson and Maureen Bunyan, I still get butterflies.