Climbing to the Top: Tim Walbert's Story of Success

By: Neffe Morris

Engl 336.002

Retrieved from: Bluesilver Video Productions

When guest speaker Tim Walbert came to Frostburg State University on Tuesday, November 1, 2011, he spoke to mass communication majors about his experience working in the television industry.  Walbert’s personality was enjoyable; he related to the students and provided a biography explaining how he became interested in the industry.  He started back from when he was in college and elaborated on how he worked his way up.

Like many college students, Walbert entered college in 1977 at Allegany College not knowing what he wanted to major in.  He also admitted to not doing well academically while in college. He chose business administration as his major but quickly realized it was not for him so he decided to see what the television industry held in store for him.  After visiting a good friend, Steve George, he fell in love with camera operating and began as a camera operator only making two dollars an hour.  The low pay was not a problem for Walbert, because he absolutely loved camera operating.  After knowing that he wanted to continue down the television path, Walbert left Allegany College and transferred to Towson University so he could be around a bigger market.  While at Towson, he obtained his mass communication degree and began his career in television.

In 1979, Walbert began working full-time at WBLA TV, then for channel 9 Washington for four years then he freelanced.  Walbert worked his way up in the television industry by beginning as a technical director, producer, executive producer, and finally, director. “I’ve moved up along the line, you’ll make steps not giant leaps; you have to get in the door,” said Walbert about moving up in the industry.  He also directed professional wrestling for eight years and currently holds a job as the director for the Baltimore Orioles baseball, which he enjoys very much.

During his presentation, Walbert played a segment from a music concert that he directed.  It showed Walbert directing which allowed students to view a real life example of how different directing in a professional studio was from the Frostburg studio. A portion was also open for students to ask questions about the television industry, job opportunities, and Walbert’s profession.  Students, especially upcoming graduates were really interested in the amount of jobs available in the field and some just wanted to know about the amazing experiences Walbert had encountered throughout his years in the field. 

A lot of valuable information was taken from Walbert’s speech.  He supplied the students with a plethora of advice and steps to take when they enter into the mass communication field.  “You all are going to move up in the business,” said Walbert.  Walbert spoke on the progress required to make it into the industry and explained that they are going to have to begin at the bottom and diligently work to the top.  “Always work hard; if you have a passion for what you do, it doesn’t matter how much you get paid; if you don’t have a passion for it, it will just be a job,” said Walbert.  This is significant advice that is beneficial to all students, because it illustrates how vital it is to choose a career path that one has a genuine passion for.

Walbert provided valuable information that will benefit many students in different areas.  His ability to continuously relate to the students was also a plus. Many new ideas were taken from Walbert’s presentation that will guide students when they enter their desired path in the mass communication field.