Sunny Gault

It's great when two of your great loves come together. For me, the ability to incorporate my pregnancy into my professional life is a dream come true. That's what I'll be doing for the next five months (or so) as a host/panelist for the online radio show, PregTASTIC.

I originally learned about PregTASTIC about a year ago when I was doing some research online. At the time, my husband and I were trying to get pregnant, without much success. Still, I wanted to be prepared for motherhood the moment it happened.

And then it did.

Soon after, I began visiting the PregTASTIC website on a regular basis. That's when I learned the show was taped in San Diego, about 30 minutes from our house. I immediately emailed the show's producer. That was about two weeks ago... since then, I met with Royce (the producer) and we both decided I'd be a great addition to the PregTASTIC cast.

We taped my first episode last night, and I absolutely loved it. The whole experience was great. Meeting the other soon-to-be moms and learning about their ups and downs, it just made me feel... well, "normal". And the information from our show experts is really helpful. Most of us are first-time moms, so we're really starting out at square one. This show provides a great environment for asking whatever questions are on our minds, regardless of how silly they may seem. Odds are another mom-to-be has the exact same question.

PregTASTIC tapes every week, and I'm hoping to make it to most (if not all) of the sessions. Every episode is invaluable for new moms, and I feel very fortunate to be part of it.

PregTASTIC Cast: Episode 166

I've recently embarked on a new journey- one that I'm very excited about. And, one I know very little about.... namely "stocks" and "investing".

People who know me well know that these two words and my name are rarely used in the same sentence. Unless, you're illustrating what NOT to do with your finances or pointing out my general lack of knowledge. Fortunately, I'm stubborn, and when people tell me I can't, I'll usually find a way to prove them wrong. This is how I grow personally and professionally.

And so my next big adventure involves StockTwits TV, the web's first financial television network. I'm producing and co-hosting their flagship web series, @StockTwits with Howard Lindzon. If you're a web video fan, then you've probably heard of Howard. He's the creator of the popular financial web series Wallstrip, which he sold to CBS a few years ago. StockTwits TV is basically the next generation of WallStrip- a whole network dedicated to financial gurus and financial disasters (like me) hoping to improve their luck.

Our show airs on the StockTwits TV network Monday-Wednesday at 5pm Pacific. Oh, and it's LIVE, which is second reason I love this project. I have been aching to do live, episodic programming online for years. I'm simply fascinated with the ability to broadcast to thousands of people without touching a live, satellite truck. Technology has come so far since my crazy days in local television news, and I intend to embrace it.

Also, live programming is fun because you never know what's going to happen. Which can be frustrating as a producer, but extremely entertaining as Howard's co-host. I simply never know what's going to come out of his mouth, so my reaction time has to be fast. Plus, this type of programming creates a sense of realism and honestly which most mediums completely ignore... especially financial programs featured on MSNBC and CNBC. This is what makes our programming different. I mean, where else are guests given a name and then asked if the person is a "hedgefund manager" or a "porn star" (yes, that is actually one of our segments!)

Our regular programming schedule has just begun... and we have a lot to learn. But, it's so much fun. Here's a sneak peak....

It's funny. I've always joked around with people by saying I should never be a teacher, because I'd never have enough patience. Well, I guess depends on the duration. Apparently, I can be a great teacher for about eight hours at a time.

This weekend, I debuted my class Produce and Distribute Professional Internet Video in San Diego, and I had an absolute blast! This class has literally been in the planning stages for a year, so you can imagine my relief to finally have the first one complete. The class is taught through Weekend U, a new company started by my old boss at Veoh Networks, Dmitry Shapiro.

Everyone had a great time, including myself. We watched a lot of great viral videos and discussed them. Then, we created our own video, edited it and uploaded it to YouTube. You can watch the final product here.

What surprised me most about the whole experience is how much I truly enjoyed it. I've been a huge advocate of web video for a long time, but never before have I had the opportunity to teach new people about the whole process. Through this class, I will traveling around the country, creating little web video producers whereever I go. I find this somewhat scary, but absolutely amazing.

Thank you to everyone who believed in me, even when I didn't. I couldn't have done this without you. Also, special thanks to my husband, Ryan, who agreed to be my production assistant for the day. He's my toughest critic and my biggest fan :)

So, the funniest thing happened to me today, and it involves a new project I've been working on. Let's start with the project...

As you know, my background is in television news. I left the news business because it was too structured for me. Sometimes too much structure can lead to things becoming boring and redundant, which I emphatically oppose. However, this new project is bringing me back to my roots, and I'm loving every minute of it.

Basically, I'm a freelance reporter, but I don't work for a news station. I work alongside a group of other trained journalists to provide stories for company blogs. I have an assignment editor/producer who mainly works with the individual companies to develop the story concept. Then, I write the script and blog post, shoot the video, edit it together and upload it to YouTube. Simple, right?

Well, yes and no. Getting the neccessary video for each story can be challenging. For example, I just completed a story focusing on the clinical trials for the H1N1 (Swine Flu) vaccine. If I were working for a news station, I would grab video from our national affiliate or CNN, no problem. But, when you don't have rights to that footage, you have to be creative.

The good news is there is a lot of royalty free content on the web. You'd be amazed at what you can find when you start searching through those sites. Also, I've learned to bring my pocket videocamera whereever I go, because you never know when a good opportunity for stock video will take place. This week, I even snuck some video of medical supplies while I waited for my doctor. Yep, you guessed it. This is what makes me the radical reporter.

Getting the footage may take a little extra time, but the trade off is definitely worth it. There's always work available, so I can work at my own pace. I can continue to work at home and the pay is pretty good. I'm actually making as much as I did when I freelanced for the local FOX affiliate in San Diego.

Ok, getting back to my funny story...

So, I was shooting some on-camera footage for my H1N1 story. I purposely chose to shoot early Saturday to avoid cars and crowds of people. I'm standing there, talking into my ittie bittie videocamera that's jerry-rigged to my car via my guerilla pod, and all these people start to gather around me. Apparantly, they wanted to know what "big news" had happened at the pharmacy. At least, that's what the manager eventually told me.

Seriously people? If someone had OD'd at the pharmacy, I wouldn't be the only reporter here, and I wouldn't be shooting with a camera the size of my cell phone! What would have happened if I had actually brought a videographer and live news truck? Wow! That would have been the highlight of their week!

So, it just goes to show... it's not the size of your camera, it's how you use it ;)