Lessons from the Media: An Inside Look at Kaitlyn Herbst’s Career

She’s a familiar face in the mornings on Global BC. Kaitlyn Herbst gives us a look into her career and some advice. Catch her every morning on Global BC from 6 – 9am.

What do you do?

I am a traffic and weather anchor for Global News. I also do a weekly feature on the Saturday Morning news about homes and real estate called Open House.

What stories do you like?

I like stories that teach me something, news I can use. I always have a pad of paper handy to write notes; yes I am old school like that as I still take notes on real paper. I constantly learn new things while preparing my Open House stories. Open House is a weekly feature about homes and anything related.

What do you love about your job?

I love that no two days are the same. Every day is different and I learn so much. I also love the people I work with; they are some of my best friends.

What is the biggest challenge you face or have dealt with in your career? 

I think the biggest challenge has been figuring out the next step. Coming out of journalism school I had 1, 5, and 10 year goals but I was able to achieve some of them faster than I had even dreamed so I had to reevaluate. If you don’t have an immediate and a long term goal you can lose focus; I never want to sit back and rest because there is always someone else who has that focus and drive.

What advice would you give to people coming to you with pitches?

After the initial pitch keep the ideas coming. If you think it would be good to focus on X tell me, or if you think Y would be a great angle throw that at me as well. I welcome ideas, suggestions, and input.

How do you handle failure?

I write down what I learned, then try to forget the failure. I know I need to learn from it so that’s why I write down what I learned or what I could do better next time but then I push it from my mind. I’m actually pretty good at moving on; I’m not sure if that is a good thing!

If you weren’t doing what you’re doing, what would you be doing?

I have always wanted to be a journalist but I could see myself being in real estate. I have really enjoyed learning more about the business from working on Open House. If not a realtor, I could be a professional shopper. I love to shop and I pride myself on being a bargain hunter. If you need something I will find it, on sale.

If you could travel anywhere, where would you go?

South East Asia. I have always been fascinated by the history, culture, and food. I love to swim so the clear blue water off the coast of Thailand just seems like heaven. I am also planning a southern USA trip with my sisters. We are very close and enjoyed a family trip to Nashville a few years ago so now we want to see the rest of the south, including of course the beaches.

What’s your favourite jelly flavour?

I like peach or orange jelly