Inside WICT New England

Wishing You a Safe and Healthy Summer! From New England Chapter President, Anna Ciccone

Greetings,   Summer is here and I hope this note finds you well. As we continue to navigate our new normal, WICT HQ has directed us to continue to hold all events virtually until further notice. We want to work within the recent CDC recommendations to do what is best for all WICT members, and we strongly believe that postponing live events is in everyone’s best interest. We appreciate your continued support and understanding during these uncertain times.   Thank you to everyone who answered our survey in the last newsletter. We are working to provide more webinars and virtual networking opportunities in the coming months. In the meantime, we recently co-hosted our first trivia night with Comcast’s Women ERG. It was a fun and interactive event and we hope to offer it on a regular basis. I am also happy to announce that we are bringing back our popular speed-networking event. While this will look a little different from what you have previously experienced, our programming team is working hard to make it the best one yet. Be on the lookout for details in the coming weeks.  On behalf of your WICT New England Board, please take care of yourselves and your loved ones and we look forward to seeing you soon. As always, if you have any questions or concerns, please do not hesitate to contact me .    Anna Ciccone, WICT New England Chapter President

Welcome to New Members

Rebecca Aasen — Charter Elaine Carmona — Comcast Lauren Fellows — ESPN Celeste Gehring — NESN Shawna Kilcoyne — Comcast Gillian Malafronte — Brooksource Kelly Marie Orne —Comcast

Member Spotlight - Special Edition

Learn more about members around New England who are embracing change and thinking creatively as we navigate these unprecedented times. Meet WICT New England Member: Shea Byram

Shea Byram has worked for ESPN for 18 years and is currently a Senior Manager in Remote Studio Operations, overseeing Remote Newsgathering and the ESPN drone program. Prior to the pandemic, her small team of four had a network of home studios installed all over the world, from the United Stated to London, Paris and Madrid.

Since the pandemic began, Shea and her team quickly worked to install 122 new home studios , complete with professional lighting and a wide range of technology, to make sure ESPN employees were able to work safely from home without interrupting day-to-day newsgathering. Some studios will remain permanently in contributor homes for daily shows, while others were set up for specific one-off productions. In addition, Shea and her team built a high-end home studio for Governor Ned Lamont in support of Connecticut’s Stay Safe, Stay Home initiative.

Our Latest and Greatest Event: Virtual Trivia Night! In collaboration with Comcast’s Women’s Network, members virtually gathered for a fun, interactive trivia night hosted by Dolph Hoyt

Our recent virtual trivia night was not only fun, it allowed both WICT New England and Comcast’s Women’s Network to highlight benefits of each professional group through a brief networking session and ice breaker, before the evening got into full swing. The 20-question portion quickly led to a friendly competition with many prizes won and laughs had. Members also used the chat platform during the Zoom session to get to know one another while still partaking in the game. The event was so fun that we were asked to hold an encore session and we can’t wait to set the next date. In the coming months, WICT New England will be hosting more virtual events, including a virtual Speed Mentor session and more. Keep an eye on our social media accounts and your email for dates and specifics!

The WICT Leadership Conference Goes Virtual! October 5 - 6, 2020 Plan now to join your fellow WICT members from around the country in October for an entirely new, innovative experience, fully online for the first time. Click below to review the preliminary agenda and sign up today!

Click Here to Learn More & Register!

Book Club: Chapter Chat On June 3, WICT New England’s Chapter Chat hosted its first virtual discussion and spoke with Victoria Arlen, author of our chosen book Locked In . During this inspirational session, 60 attendees listened to Victoria candidly answer questions about the book and her personal journey. The second and final discussion, regarding the second half of Victoria’s book, will be between Chapter Chat participants over Zoom on August 3.

Do you have an idea or feedback for this newsletter? Would you like to volunteer to be the next featured member? Email us at wictne@gmail.com.  Sponsorship opportunities to support this newsletter are available. Please contact partnershipwictne@gmail.com to learn more.

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