In many ways, the DBTV kids are the vampires of the Daily Bruin office. We’ve given up our souls, we arrive at nightfall and leave when the sun comes up, we have our own cave, we sneak around the office mysteriously and we slaughter goats in order to drink their blood (okay, scratch that last one). Sure, the nights of going to bed at 5:30 a.m. after a long night of editing, then waking up at 1:30 p.m. may have ruined my sleep schedule for the rest of my life, but it was worth it.
As part of the inaugural class of DBTV after it switched over from Bruin News 29 in 2006, and after spending countless hours as the sports producer, I’ve seen my share of ups and downs. I’ve had to deal with the hard times: staying up at ungodly hours of the night to fix an error message on Final Cut Pro that no one understands, finding out in the middle of an important interview that the sound cut out on the camera, and having to listen to Karl Dorrell’s post-game press conference speeches.
The good times, however, far outweighed the bad. Now please indulge me as I rattle off a list of amusing, humorous and/or noteworthy memories so my DBTV brethren can go “Oh yeah, I remember that!”: narrowly dodging being killed by a Brigham Young wide receiver who was catching a touchdown and appearing on “SportsCenter” for my efforts, Tony’s creepy smile, arguing with Yvonne and Corinne about exactly what type of rectangle should be used for the logo, Kevin Love laughing at the fact that my ringtone was a Journey song, dragging two computers chained together across the office because they were the only ones that had a certain program, learning that someone’s first kiss was a drive-by, Brandon Breazell’s eloquent explanation of senior leadership, Noah being hit on by a transvestite, a non-sober John Mayer telling us off for UCLA funding a TV station while people can’t afford college, and of course passing out in the middle of Bruin Walk after a Daily Bruin party and finding out later that I had somehow attended Dance Marathon.
DBTV has been one of the defining experiences of my college career. I’ve made great friends, had great times, and it helped give me the skills and resources to shape me on the career path that will quite possibly define my life from here on out. If there’s one last tidbit that I can impart before I leave, it’s this: Always remember that apple-S will save your life.
Lehmer was the 2007-2008 and 2008-2009 DBTV sports producer and a DBTV reporter from 2006 to 2009.