We've Got The County Covered
We've Got The County Covered
Zack Schellin is a 2015 graduate of Chinook High school and currently works as the producer of the Montana this Morning show at KTVQ in Billings. Schellin has come a long way since getting his start in television and recently received one of the highest honors one could get by winning a Daytime Emmy Award for one of his productions.
Following graduation Zack tried his hand at college but it just wasn't for him, "Typically to be a producer you need a degree in Journalism but after leaving school early I took a super entry level position at a TV station in Great Falls," said Schellin. "I was only in Great Falls about 6 months before I moved to San Diego to do the same thing there. While in California, I expressed interest in doing more. The bosses let me move into the news department where I learned how to edit video and use cameras. I only spent a year in San Diego but having that experience in a larger newsroom helped me land a job closer to home in Billings."
Zack had a good idea of where he wanted to end up, "I really didn't know what I wanted to do after high school. I really loved being a Chinook Sugarbeeter and never prepared myself for that time to end. I knew I loved watching sports, writing and being creative... when I took that job in Great Falls,
I hoped eventually I could work up to a career in sports broadcasting."
Zack has come a long way since that entry level position, "I am the producer of Montana This Morning at KTVQ in Billings. My job is to select the stories that go into every newscast, every morning, Monday through Friday. I also write stories, track breaking news, and make sure the show stays "on time." We have a window of 5AM to 7AM, we can't go longer or shorter than that, we have to fill the 2 hours. I also edit video for the show, and book interview guests for our live interview segment. Basically, everything you see on Montana This Morning in Billings has to be written, chosen, or approved by me."
To produce the morning show Zack starts early, "To prepare the show, I have to be at work at Midnight and I get off at 8 am. Zack started at KTVQ in 2017. "The first thing I produced was a half hour, 9 o'clock evening show that aired statewide on the CW. I was promoted to the morning show in 2019.
Having produced the show for some time the opportunity came for one of the episodes to be selected for a Daytime Emmy, "So, every October we do one newscast that we call the "Survivor's Breakfast" or "Pink Breakfast." We invite women who are either battling breast cancer or survived a bout with breast cancer to come to the station, bring their care givers and support system, have breakfast on us, and be a part of the show! It's just an incredibly uplifting day every year, but for two years during the pandemic – we had to stop. Thankfully in 2022 we got to bring it back, and the turnout was awesome, we interviewed some wonderful women on the show that morning. We talked about getting checked for breast cancer, and the importance of early detection. We knew pretty instantly after the show ended that we had just broadcast a pretty special show. Me and the director I work with were literally high-fiving. Our boss agreed, and he submitted the show for Emmy consideration... and low and behold... we actually won!
Zack loves where he is at right now but what the future holds is still up in the air, "It's hard saying what's next! I am really happy in Billings, I have friends here, and love the people I work with. Sports remains a passion, and if a job in sports media ever presented itself, I would give it serious consideration for sure. But for now, I'm content just doing what I'm doing.
