Jessica Williams Joins Today’s UNSCRIPTED!
Unscripted By Keith Edmonds
FWIS Contributing Writer
“Coming to Fort Wayne has allowed me to find a new set of “peace” in my life which God knew that I needed and I’m so thankful for that.”
Jessica Williams is the morning TV host and producer of the WANE TV local talk show, Living Local 15. Her show airs Monday through Friday at 9AM and covers a myriad of topics ranging from lifestyle, food, fashion, fun and local entertainment. Since airing, this Dallas, Texas native has taken the show to the #1 spot in ratings competing against nationally syndicated shows, and I was extremely fortunate (and appreciative) of her willingness to be a part of this piece today. I found her to be driven, enthusiastic, and dedicated to being a person that has her “hand on the pulse” of our community as she brings her wit, style, and poise to our screens daily. Please join me as Jessica Williams shares her thoughts on being in Lifestyle media and what makes her a viable contributor in our community in today's UNSCRIPTED.
INK SPOT: Jessica! Thank you for being available to be a part of Unscripted and bringing your thoughts, and energy to us today!
JESSICA: “Thank you for having me today. It’s a pleasure to speak with you!”
INK SPOT: Share with us a little about your background, how you got involved in the media as your chosen profession?
JESSICA: “Well, originally my desire was to become an attorney. I was interested in that career path because I was on the debate team in high school, and discovered that I had a passion for going back and forth exchanging thoughts (basically structured arguing, lol). I enjoyed the art of debating (and was good at it!) However, my debate teacher wanted to challenge me, and encouraged me to switch to Extemporaneous Speaking UIL Competitions (which I had no idea what that was). It consisted of having to stay abreast of current events, news, and information that we kept in folders. Judges then pulled out a topic and gave you 20 minutes to develop a 6-minute speech (on site). I was also challenged by my teacher to compete in these speaking competitions without the use of note cards; even though my opponents read from note cards during their speech.
The judges scored us on giving an opening attention getter, a synopsis statement, 3 main points, expounding on each point while having to stand in different areas of the stage, citing a minimum of 6 credible news sources and giving a close. Little did I know how impactful this experience would be. I quickly realized I had a desire to become a public speaker; even dismissing a previous thought of becoming a chef. I love to cook and took three years of culinary arts in high school, but I kept cooking as a hobby, and debating as a sport, as I journeyed into the exploration of media. That subtle switch by my teacher provided wonderful preparation for what I would be doing later in my chosen career as a reporter.”
INK SPOT: You became a reporter, but I sense that this branch of media wasn’t your niche so how did you make the decision to go towards Lifestyle reporting?
JESSICA: “Correct! I attended the University of Texas in Arlington, which has a
great broadcasting program. I became a reporter and anchor for our college news station, and I hosted a show on our college radio station. During my junior year I had the opportunity to complete two internships with the ABC & NBC stations in Dallas, Texas.
Working so closely with these talented anchors and reporters, along with being out in the field and able to author my own stories, really allowed me to see that I didn’t want to do news! Heavy news like tragedies, murders or misdemeanors is depressing to me and though I believe that it’s extremely important, I knew that it wasn’t for me as a career. A pivotal moment for me was when I had to visit a prison to do an interview, behind a glass window, speaking with a sociopath. He’d committed heinous crimes and was trying to convince me that HE was the victim and not those that he’d tormented! I left that prison saying to myself, THIS CANNOT BE MY LIFE.
I enjoy sharing information and telling stories, but I want to make people smile and bring joy to their life, so I pivoted towards another lane and left news reporting.”
INK SPOT: Pursuing entertainment in Los Angeles had to be amazing, and challenging in itself, how did it reshape your thoughts about reporting, specifically, Lifestyle reporting?
JESSICA: “ What I learned in LA is that I really enjoyed interviewing people, (especially as a red-carpet host). I loved learning about people, sharing informative news,
and entertaining the audience. But I also learned that “entertainment news” (in the tabloid format) wasn’t for me either. I didn’t have a passion for celebrity gossip, salacious accusations’ or “getting the scoop” so I had to rethink everything all over again.
Lifestyle shows weren’t mainstream industry yet, so I had no idea that through the broad experience I was gaining in media and marketing – that God was pruning and preparing me for my perfect job. I was honestly just being patient in my journey, not settling for just anything coming my way, and knew I had a greater purpose to be a light in this industry. I’m grateful for the opportunity to be in Fort Wayne, connect with the community and share my experiences on my show. I love learning about businesses and nonprofits, exploring the city and hot spots – and of course my favorite… taking the
audience into local restaurants and tasting food! I can appreciate my journey full of twists and turns– because now I’m in the Midwest doing what I truly enjoy!”
INK SPOT: “There is so much more that our readers would enjoy knowing about you, but I’d like to close with this question: What makes Jessica Williams... Laugh, Think, moves her Emotions to tears?
JESSICA: (Laugh) “I laugh all of the time! I find life to be very enjoyable, we all have tough times and I certainly have had my challenges from anxiety, and different mental health things (we all do) but I find joy and laughter in the smallest of things. I’m what you call an observational comic so I can find humor in most anything.”
(Think) “Regarding work, I think the biggest thing that makes me think is trying to produce ways to continually evolve my show and content to not become stagnant. I’ve landed in a beautiful city, but with it also being smaller, I don’t want to run out of things to explore or experience around the city. So, I’m constantly thinking of ways to be more creative; to continue making great TV for our local community.”
(Emotional): “The topics I cover are typically fun and light-hearted, but I also like to cover Non-Profit organizations and I did an interview with an Alzheimer’s
Association, that made me think of my grandmother who battled this disease (eventually passing from it) and how it affected me and my family. So that brought on emotion. Or when we did a Christmas giveaway show, and I had the opportunity to present a mobile scooter to a man who had trouble walking; and the way he was so emotional and joyful brought tears to my eyes. My heart goes out to people and families dealing with life-changing issues.”