I work with some incredibly talented people, and recently I had the opportunity to promote an investigative series on problems within HPD's Body Camera program. The promo campaign seemed to help the series get some traction, so I decided to submit it for the annual Promaxbda Local Awards at the 2017 Station Summit.

I didn't know it at the time, but I would also have the opportunity to travel to Vegas and experience the Summit. This was my first time to Station Summit, and I had also never spent any serious time in Las Vegas, so I was pretty pumped.

Vegas was not what I expected. The heat, while not surprising, was pretty intense that week (setting records in the 120-range), so any time spent outside was as brief and rushed as possible. You know that feeling when you open the oven and the hot air hits you in the face? That's what it was like walking out the doors of the Casino. We stayed at The Mirage, which was nice (if maybe a little older than I expected) and I got to do some exploring in the evenings. What surprised me most was how inactive most of the outdoors stuff was. The Volcano in front of our hotel only exploded a couple of times each evening. The fountains at the Bellagio fountains shut down at midnight. The casinos were spread out a lot further than I thought. I didn't get to see half of what I wanted to, because there just wasn't enough time to trek all the way down the strip. Vegas isn't really my kind of place, but if I ever do go again I will be sure to more carefully plan out my strategy for seeing more of the sights.

The highlights of the sightseeing ventures were The Venetian and Caesar's Palace. I was pretty impressed with the indoor canals and gondolas at The Venetian. I went to Caesar's Palace the last night I was there, a Thursday night, and the casino was packed. I don't know if it was the layout or the fact that we were in a rush, passing through the casino to get to an after party, but that casino was the only one I saw that made me think "now THIS is Las Vegas." For the record, I didn't do much gambling... I was just too busy. But it's probably for the best, since I did not do well with what little gambling I did.

The Station Summit was awesome. I got to meet several of the promo folks from the other stations in our company... an incredibly positive, energetic, and creative group of people. I also got to meet a lot of the people I deal with on shows like Wheel of Fortune and Ellen, and networks like CBS... people I had exchanged emails with for years, but had never actually spoken to in person. I got a great perspective on how their worlds work, and what they had planned for the coming months.

There were also several keynote speakers, including Dr. Phil, and "State of Our Art," which featured incredible creative work from all over the world. From there we broke out into smaller sessions which focused on everything from how to write better weather teases, to the next phase of marketing and keeping our industry alive. The days were packed with these events and extremely busy, but I had a blast and learned a lot.

The awards ceremony was also not what I expected. Having attended several Emmy events, I anticipated a long day. But these people did it right. They powered through dozens of categories, showing great examples of incredibly creative work from all over the country, and it never felt rushed. Did I mention it was hosted by Mario Lopez? There was only one AC Slater shoutout, and he took it like a champ. I was surprised and honored when my name was called, and much more nervous than I thought I would be, giving that speech.

I now have a Lone Star Emmy and a Promax Gold to my name. Both are great awards, but Promax is special to me because it's a nationwide contest, and because it's judged by marketing professionals who are imminently qualified experts in my field. What a great event, and what a great experience!

Here's a look at some of the spots that were included in the campaign: