Alexis Wainwright/Represented by OTA Talent

(619) 218-5391

CAREER HIGHLIGHTS

• Diligent reporter who prioritizes being a leader in coverage within the market.
• Extremely intuitive journalist with a knack for uncovering eye-opening revelations and breaking big stories.

• Personable and conversational talent who consistently delivers engaging, compelling, and captivating content. 
• Highly skilled and experienced at investigative reporting that creates change and gets results.

• Consistently willing to work during off hours and fill-in as needed to advance additional content for newscasts.

• Genuine and trust-worthy resource in the community with proven ability to attain dependable contacts and sources for exclusive content.
 

BROADCASTING EXPERIENCE

Reporter/MMJ                                                     
KTVT-TV, Dallas, TX
December 2021 to Present

• Obtained an exclusive interview with a hit-and-run victim who was recovering in the hospital. The only reporter to have exclusive content for the follow-up story highlighting the suspect’s arrest.

• Secured exclusive video from inside one of the school’s devastated by the Jacksboro tornado which showed the elementary school’s roof being pulled off the building. 

• Produced two specials for MLK Jr. day which included an in-depth interview with one of the Alabama church bombing victims.

• A leader in coverage on a national story that went viral, about the youngest Black woman to graduate with a law degree. 

• Obtained exclusive video of damage from an explosion, discovering and exposing that the incident not only affected homes but also a new apartment building located across the street.

• Performed special wall-to-wall coverage through the Mavericks NBA Playoffs journey.

Reporter/Fill-In Anchor                                                    
KARK/KLRT-TV, Little Rock, AR
December 2019 to December 2021

• Active, demonstrative reporter with a sharp ability to develop breaking news stories as well as long-form investigative features.
• Obtained exclusive video and coverage from the family of a 3-year-old shot in a park and was able to obtain permission and get the child to speak on camera while recovering in Children’s hospital.
• Developed an exclusive investigation into Liberty Utilities after one man’s outrage over his bill being almost $20,000. After my investigative story aired, the company came back and did another meter reading, and the bill was adjusted to $52.
• First to report on a story where a man who received a racist letter after displaying a Black Santa as Christmas décor. The story made national headlines on multiple outlets, including NBC Nightly News.
• In-depth reporting about safety and security following a shooting at the Saracen Casino resulted in the casino putting metal detectors in place for customers entering the establishment.
• Broke the story about a 2-year-old who was hurt in a shooting that was never made public by police. I notified the PIO who was in shock and set up an exclusive interview with the family while the child was still in the hospital.
• Uncovered the fact that a suspect who had escaped police custody and was on the run was not properly transported by police. During an exclusive live interview, authorities admitted that the sally port was not used during the transport, when it should have been.

 

Multimedia Journalist/Fill-In Anchor     
WJAC/WATM-TV, Johnstown/State College/Altoona, PA
October 2017 to November 2019

• Reported at least 11 to 12 live shots per week.
• Served as fill-in anchor and producer for six consecutive month, for the weekend 6pm and 11pm newscasts.
• Enterprised story ideas and produced two packages for NBC, ABC and FOX stations three times a week.
• Consistent, compelling coverage of a missing fisherman for 15-days that resulted in the man’s body being found and the family doing an interview.
• Exposed Dollar General for having bags of rice with something moving in it that appeared to be bugs and aired the video evidence of it. 
• Investigated Penn State University’s sororities and fraternities for violations and suspensions following the intent to curb hazing since the death of Timothy Piazza. 
• First reporter to cover three men being charged for allegedly sexually abusing animals. 
• Reported live on the scene of the police shooting of a Black man, Osaze Osagi, and the first reporter to interview his family. 
• Interviewed the dentist with the world’s first “Robo-Dentist” and exclusively uncovered the changes it could bring for patients.

 

News Intern     
WJLA-TV, Washington, D.C.
March 2017 to August 2017

• Played an important role in researching story ideas and pitching them in editorial meetings.
• Shadowed producers in control room, reporters in the field, and assisted on the assignment desk, which resulted in me learning and understanding the operations of a newsroom and how to develop a newscast.
• Pitched a story idea about storm damage I saw on social media following a tornado which resulted in a reporter turning the story.
• Field produced 4pm & 5pm live shots, which included the Capitals and Nationals playoff games, Silver Spring tornado, and revised travel ban protests. 
• Wrote producer package about the 2017 National Spelling Bee kicking off. 
• Responsible for prepping anchors for on-air interviews by writing detailed notes about guests, background information as well as creating thought-provoking questions.

 

Sports Intern     
WGHP-TV, Greensboro/High Point/Winston Salem, NC
January 2016 to May 2016

• Collaborated with reporters on creating strong visual elements for sportscasts.
• Helped produced a sports segment about local college sports teams. 
• Assisted in covering North Carolina A&T football games by taking game stats and helping with post-game press conferences. 
• Worked with advertising department and successfully helped identify new creative ways to engage audiences on social media.
• Edited sports content such as highlights from basketball, football, and baseball games.

 

AWARDS & RECOGNITION

• 2019 Pittsburgh Black Media Federation Award of Excellence of TV Sports Feature for "Overcoming the Odds," WJAC-TV

• 2021 Mid-America Emmy Award for Breaking or Spot News - Single Report Category for "Protesters Hit The Highway," KLRT Fox 16 News  

• 2021 Mid-America Emmy Award for Team Coverage for "A State Covered In Snow," KARK & KLRT

• 2021 Arkansas MLK Jr. Commission Outstanding Service Award

 

PROFESSIONAL AFFILIATIONS

• National Association of Black Journalists

 

TECHNICAL EXPERTISE

• Adobe Premiere
• iNews

• WSI Weather Graphics System 
• Final Cut Pro 7 and 10
• AVID
• Rundown Creator
• Audacity
• WordPress
• Social Media platforms (Instagram, Snap chat, Twitter, Facebook, TikTok, LinkedIn)

 

EDUCATION

North Carolina Agricultural & Technical State University, Greensboro, NC
B.S., Journalism Mass Communication, Multimedia Journalism

Northwestern University (Medill School of Journalism), Evanston, IL
M.S., Journalism