SBA NEWS RELEASE

Release Date: June 4, 2008

Contact:  Kate Herrington (802)828-4422

Jack Thurston Receives 
Small Business Journalist of the Year Award

If you’re talking maple syrup or cheese, chances are you’re talking about a small business in Vermont.  But if the talk is a televised story featuring any of Vermont’s myriad small businesses, the speaker is likely to be Jack Thurston, features reporter for WCAX-TV. 

Since 2004, Thurston has been producing a series of TV features called Made in Vermont, airing weekly on Friday evenings.  With consummate skill and an eye to what his audience will find interesting, Thurston showcases the creativity of small business artisans and entrepreneurs in every sector of the state.  The series reinforces Vermont’s reputation for producing fine crafts and unique products, and it infuses a sense of community pride among its viewers.  Throughout the rest of the week, Thurston reports on breaking news and other feature stories.

 For his outstanding contribution of stories that increase public awareness of the role of small business in Vermont, as well as volunteer efforts to enhance small business opportunities and growth, the U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA) has selected John (“Jack”) Chase Thurston, as the recipient of Vermont’s 2008 Small Business Journalist of the Year Award.

 “The work of Jack Thurston, along with his team at WCAX, provides an invaluable service by bringing news of Vermont’s most creative businesspeople to the notice of the wider public,” said Lincoln Peak Vineyard owner, Chris Granstrom, who nominated Thurston for the award.

 “I meet some really innovative and talented small business owners, and their products are unique,” Thurston said.  “They’re invaluable to Vermont’s economy because they perpetuate the cycle of a reputation.  In fact, Vermont itself is a product, and that’s something I like to bring out in my reporting.” 

 Interestingly, Thurston himself works for a small business.  WCAX, Channel 3, is locally-owned and operated by one family, a rarity in a state and national context of giant media conglomerates.  WCAX beams its signal throughout the state of Vermont and as far west as Messina, New York; the Connecticut Valley of New Hampshire; and areas north of the border, including the City of Montreal. 

“There are probably more small businesses per capita here than anywhere else,” Thurston said.  “And the products that come out of Vermont are really surprising.”  Since he took over Made in Vermont in 2004, Thurston’s feature selections have been a festival of delight.  From custom baseball bats to fine furniture, gourmet donuts to mincemeat pies and virtually any business you could name, Thurston consistently presents them with skill, insight and an upbeat dose of style.

“In this medium, I can’t just say something without having the video to back it up, so once we’re there, I have to be almost writing the story in my head,” Thurston said.  “That way, I can make sure the photographer gets extra shots of whatever I’m focusing on.”

While some of Thurston’s assignments originate with his editor, most of his feature stories are self-generated.  He says he spends the first hour of the day “checking in with people, reading reports from personal tipsters and scanning newspapers and magazines.”  One of his biggest challenges is the daily deadline, so he has to think on his feet and literally keep moving.  “Although it’s never happened, if my story’s not ready by 5:59 p.m., I’m sunk,” Thurston said with a laugh.  He covers the entire state, so the pressure can be intense when he has to make a two-hour drive, do his interviews, get the videos, drive two hours back to the news room and write and edit his story by 6:00 p.m.  It’s a day’s work and none-the-less impressive when you consider the taped length of a Made in Vermont feature:  3 minutes 15 seconds.  “We build it in a series of 6-second shots like a jigsaw puzzle,” Thurston explained.

Thurston says one of his more challenging assignments was covering the Phish 2004 Farewell Festival in Coventry.  “The entire festival site was, like, eight inches of mud and we lived in a trailer for eight days without a shower,” Thurston recalled.  He became his own story when he shampooed and conditioned his hair before each live broadcast – all with bottled water.

Thurston found his calling while working as a college intern for Boston station WFXT.  He was assigned to and shadowed a reporter, Naamua Delaney, now a news anchor at CNN.  “She was a real help in not only modeling my own style after hers but she also helped me develop a passion for the work,” Thurston said.  “And that’s important because you have to really love it to come in and be slogging it out at 5:00 p.m. every single day, wondering if your story is going to make it.” 

Although he’s only 28 years old, Thurston has already established himself as a community service volunteer.  He often speaks with students about journalism and media issues, and has served as a guest lecturer at Trinity University’s Communications Department in San Antonio.  In addition, he frequently talks with small companies about their marketing efforts and offers advice on public and media relations. 

Among his awards are the 2006 Edward R. Murrow award for Made in Vermont, received by Thurston and WCAX-TV, and the 2007 Edward R. Murrow award for Best News Feature.  Born and raised in Massachusetts, Thurston came to Vermont to attend Middlebury College and graduated Phi Beta Kappa and Summa Cum Laude in 2002.  He is a resident of Winooski. 

Thurston was honored by the U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA) at a ceremony sponsored by the Vermont Business Magazine.  The event took place at Burlington’s Waterfront Park, June 4, 2008, 4:00 to 7:00 p.m.