Reporting the News with Jennifer Gladstone

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Jennifer Gladstone was a “one-man-band” of a reporter in her first journalism job.

(Courtesy of Jennifer Gladstone)

She would often shoot, write and edit her segments herself early in her career. That experience has served her well throughout her life.

After her first position as a reporter in South Carolina, she went on to serve as a morning anchor in Kentucky, and then to working in larger markets in Atlanta and Baltimore.

She now owns Gladstone Creative Media, where she works with clients in a variety of different industries to put together videos and broadcast media for their companies.

The Reisterstown resident, 53, spent over 25 years working as a reporter and news anchor after a fateful internship in college. She attended Washington University in St. Louis, Mo., and was getting a marketing degree, but she was still not sure what she wanted to do for work. Then, she took a two-credit class on video production to fill an elective requirement during her senior year and fell in love with journalism.

“I did my master’s degree at Georgia State University and interned at a local news network,” Gladstone recalled. “They called me the ‘eternal intern’ because I kept finding ways to stay. I found myself a mentor who was amazing, and it just felt right.”

In 2002, she moved to Baltimore with her husband when she was working as a national news anchor for Sinclair Broadcasting Group. After this position, she worked for WBFF, where she anchored the morning show. Gladstone noted that Baltimore is an interesting area to work in as a journalist due to its proximity to Washington, D.C. and the White House.

Her favorite stories to report on, though, were human interest stories.

“I love politics, but the most fun stories for me to record were ones that were off the beaten path,” she said. “It’s getting to know people, and I loved hanging out with kids, animals and in the outdoors for news segments. I love more colorful stories.”

She added that one of her favorite stories she did was about Sesame Street, because she had the opportunity to go to the show’s set with her young son and meet the Muppets.

Eventually, she decided to step away from broadcast news and start her own company. She now uses her marketing degree and her videography skills to help other businesses advertise through videos and on social media. Gladstone Creative Media is still small, but it fills a niche for other smaller businesses.

“Not everyone can afford the big, fancy production houses,” she noted. “Small companies didn’t realize that they had a story to tell until the internet started growing. But we all have a story, and we help them put it out there.”

Gladstone grew up in Atlanta with her parents, who insisted that she attend a Jewish summer camp. Though the camp was an extremely meaningful experience for her, it did not get her more involved in Judaism — she actually did not have a bat mitzvah, because most of the Jewish girls she knew were not having one. That changed when she went to Alexander Muss High School in Israel for a two-month summer program, where she would later meet her husband.

In Baltimore, Gladstone and her family used to attend services at Har Sinai Congregation, where Gladstone served on the board for a number of years, before the synagogue merged with Temple Oheb Shalom and moved locations.

Her two children do not attend a Jewish day school, and she noted that she does not feel pressured to make them go to a Jewish summer camp like her parents did with her because of the experiences they have had growing up in the Baltimore Jewish community.

“Where I was raised, people didn’t really understand our culture, food or holidays,” Gladstone said. “It’s been an interesting experience for me to see that even at a private school, my children have a circle of Jewish friends that they’ve made without even thinking about it. It’s just part of the culture here in Baltimore.”

In addition to growing her company, Gladstone said she is focusing on what she wants to do when her children go off to college. She wants to put more time toward her female friendships and her hobbies. But her work is still a major focus for her.

“I’m just going to keep trying to grow my company and stay relevant,” she said. “But eventually, I’m not going to be working on camera anymore. I have to figure out what’s going to fulfill me after all that’s said and done.”

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