If you find yourself thinking about getting into the film and production industry you probably doubt it is even possible if you are living in the small city of Missoula. Many believe the only way to make it is to get out, move to the city, rub elbows until you can be somebody. Not for this lady! Brin Merkley is a passionate Missoulian aspiring to make it big no matter what it takes. Brin is the type of person that emulates the payoff of hard work and dedication. Read below and get inspired with the story behind Missoula’s local news anchor!
Brin Merkley
Age: 24
Favorite Place to hang out in Missoula:
I rarely get down time so as lame as it sounds, I love it when I can just hang out at home! haha but in the summer I love to be on the river or up on the M hill.
School/degree/certificates:
University of Montana/ BA in Broadcast Journalism/certificate in Business of Entertainment Management.
If price wasn’t a factor what Missoula neighborhood would you live in:
I love where I went to college and the residential areas around it. If price wasn’t a factor, I would probably live in one of those beautiful big homes around campus.
Tell me about yourself:
I’m a workoholic with a huge sense of humor. I love the outdoors, adventure, people, animals, and food. I am very passionate about film, radio, photo and television production in the arts, science and entertainment industry. I love learning and reading about everything, and will dance at just about any opportunity.
What do you love about Missoula?
The vibrancy and variety of the people. I fell in love with Missoula when I was a little girl and my parents would take me to all the Griz games. There is so much energy here and there are so many inspirational people who welcome new thought, and creation. There are good hearted people here. Since I started working in the news, I realized how beautiful the people are here at a number of community events. One in particular was a tragic and unexpected incident that became a community event without prompting. In 2014, an urban Avalanche came down Mount Jumbo, destroying a home and burying three people alive. If you watch the footage, people from all over came running with shovels and probes. The weather was so cold that day it was painful to be outside for even a minute but these people were there for hours, even days after trying to unbury and save the homeowners books and clothes to return to him when he got out of the hospital. That speaks volumes about what kind of place Missoula is. It’s beautiful.
What made you decide to go into the news business?
I always loved writing in my diary growing up and playing with my moms video camera! I loved writing poems, short stories, or just putting my thoughts down and I started doing that when I was 9 or so. I’ve loved videography since I figured out what it was haha I used to record my friends and even make little movies with my beanie babies growing up! I’ve always been curious about everything and loved to spread the knowledge and talk to people about their stories. But it’s funny because I never connected the dots in thinking these are the things reporters and journalists do until I was a senior in highschool! A counselor was helping me figure out what I should major in and broadcast journalism came up. The rest is history! 🙂
How would you describe your ideal future self in ten years?
My goal is to host my own national TV show and have my own production company and product line. I’m constantly working towards those goals and so hopefully in ten years I will be there! It is my dream to work on the Discovery Channel or the Travel Channel. I would like to live all around the world throughout my life.
What do you think is your biggest limitation?
Sleep haha eating… you know the things you HAVE to stop and do to survive haha! I feel like there is never enough time in the day.
Do you have any good advice for people interested in getting in front of a camera?
Be yourself on your best day! Treat everyone with respect and don’t bad mouth anyone, this goes for working off camera as well. Complain as little as humanly possible, never swear and remember that even if you’re on the phone with someone, people can hear a smile 🙂
Explain how having an agent works. How do they get paid?
An agent works on behalf of another person, they research and book auditions through their connections for the talent they manage. If the talent gets the job, the agent takes a percentage of the money paid to the talent. There are a number of talents a person has, and a number of agents that can find the best opportunities for that person’s talents. But a person does not always need an agent to book work. I’m not an expert in the agent world but there’s a bit of what I do know!
Favorite Thing:
When something makes you and a friend laugh to the point of tears haha and then you both can’t breath, and then you really have to run to the bathroom because you’re losing all bodily functions! haha aaaah, nothing like a good laugh cry!
Missoula Daily 