How I Work - Lauren Sivan

Today, FTVLive heads out to the Left Coast to find out how KTTV Reporter/Weather Anchor? Twitter God Lauren Sivan works.

Lauren is one person you MUST be following on social media. She will say stuff that will have you blowing your drink out of your nose and stuff you wish you could say, but know you'll get fired if you do.

We LOVE Lauren Sivan and we thought it would be great to see just how she works:

Twitter Name: @LaurenSivan
Location: LOS ANGELES CALIFORNIA 
Current gig: REPORTER/ANCHOR/SOMETIMES WEATHER GAL FOR FOX 11 LOS ANGELES
Current computer: Mac Book Pro
Current mobile device: IPhone 4S (Yes, I'm embarrassed) 
One word that best describes how you work: how about a phrase: "On The Fly"

What are your favorite Apps that you can't live without? Twitter for news updates, fan feedback + a steady stream of complaints about my hair/outfit/delivery etc. Keeps you grounded. INSTAGRAM (@IdiotSivan) has become more useful for news. Particularly the geo-tagging feature. Also great place to post pictures from the scene or behind the scenes. WAZE is essential here in LA to navigate the stand-still traffic. STARBUCKS APP to find the closest location (bathroom) 

What's your workspace like? In the field we work out of filthy trucks. News people are notorious slobs. There's always garbage from the crew before. The early morning shift has given me plenty of practice writing my story, curling my hair and talking to producers simultaneously from the back of that thing. My window-less home away from home. 

Besides your phone and computer, what gadget can't you live without? Our live trucks don't have wifi so lugging my computer with me is pointless. I do all my research and writing on my iPhone. Only problem is when I'm reading a script off it and someone calls during a live shot (usually mom)  I also love my Beats headphones which sometimes I use instead of an IFB earpiece. Can't live without my mobil flatiron that wraps up tiny enough to stash in my pocket and of course I have multiple phone charges in every bag and vehicle always. 

What Music are you listening to? I listen to mostly talk radio while at work. When I punch out I like alternative or eclectic tunes for the ride home. And of course something to get me pumped up for the gym after work. Right now I've got Mark Ronson's new album on repeat. 

What's your sleep routine like? Non-existant? TRY to get in bed by 7pm but usually it's more like 8. My alarm goes off at 1:30 in the morning when working the early AM reporting shift (we are in at 2:30am) and I've fallen asleep at stop lights on the way in. 

Best Advice you Ever Got? "Keep it simple." Fox News' Rick Leventhal would repeat this to me ad nauseum when I was first starting to report and asked him to look over my work. When you roll up on a complicated story and you've gotta be live in 5 minutes sometimes I'll still jot down the WHO WHAT WHEN WHERE WHY + HOW so I don't get too tripped up in confusing details. Trying to cram too much into a 1:30 report never comes off clean or understandable. 

Also... "It's easier to apologize than get permission"

When you're workingn a story and you're not sure if you're allowed to be there what you're allowed to shoot or who you're allowed to talk to- just go for it. If you get in trouble later you can apologize but you if you ask for permission odds are you won't get it.  One of my mentors, Matt Hammill at WQAD who I met way back at my first RTNDA convention gave me that one. It's always come in handy. 

"WE'LL DO IT LIVE!" - sometimes I re-watch that amazing Bill O'Reilly clip just to get pumped up for a big show.