Joe Little is a modern day rock star. He was first known as the one-man band of broadcasting. Joe was ahead of his time. While other broadcasters still had other people to do their editing, audio, and camera operating, Joe did it all on his own without any assistance. In fact, Joe was recently awarded an Emmy for this talent as on-camera reporter composite at KGTV 10 News in San Diego, CA. In response to this he says, “Winning an Emmy was a great moment. It is a great feeling to be recognized for one moment as someone who does their work exceptionally well.”
Joe got interested in broadcasting through his love for sports. “I wanted to be Dan Patrick (Emmy-winning sportscaster) at ESPN”, he said. While he was attending graduate school at Syracuse Joe recalls what a professor told him that, “if I wanted to separate myself from all the other sports dorks, I should learn to do news first. It would make me a better reporter. After I started focusing on news, I got hooked. There is so much more variety in news.”
Joe didn’t look back and has been working in news stations ever since. He attributes, in part, his success to his undergrad alma mater Mason in Fairfax, VA. In 2009, Joe was awarded the Mason Alumni Achievement Award from Mason’s Department of Communication.
Find out what's happening in Fairfax Citywith free, real-time updates from Patch.
“The most rewarding part of being a Communication Major at Mason was clearly getting the foundation for what I consider a successful career. I didn't know it at the time, however being around the Student Video Center and Mason television station has made me a leader in the nation at what I do, which is One Man Band reporting”, says Joe. “I love Mason so much I named my first son Mason and my second son Tyler George. Then I tattooed the "merge right" Mason Logo on my shoulder."
Currently, Joe is still working at KGTV 10 News in San Diego where he has been since 2007. One of his greatest accomplishments there was the coverage of the 9/11 attacks, as he was only 4 miles away from where one of the planes had crashed. Joe is also a part-time teacher at San Diego University. His mantra is “If your ship doesn’t come in, swim out to it.” Proof that hard work pays off, Joe Little, continuing to set the standards in news broadcasting one story at a time.
