Scott Jensen
Scott’s career spans television & newspaper newsrooms in Minneapolis, Portland, Seattle, and Anchorage. In addition to his specialty – creating emotionally impactful video content on deadline – Scott has more than a decade of experience successfully managing the creative, editorial, production, and personnel elements of television news departments including KTUU-TV in Anchorage and KING-TV in Seattle.
His storytelling accomplishments include two National Press Photographers Association Ernie Crisp Photographer of the Year awards & two National Edward R. Murrow awards. He has earned two dozen regional Emmys for producing coverage of breaking news, features, and non-narrated stories.
Carolyn Hall
Carolyn’s media career began at the Boston Red Sox before she transitioned from sports to TV news in Anchorage and Seattle. She recently worked as the Communications Director for the Municipality of Anchorage and as Communications Manager in the Office of the Governor. Previously, she led the Municipality of Anchorage’s Vote by Mail public relations campaign, which at the time turned out the most voters in local election history.
Carolyn earned her master’s degree in public administration from the University of Alaska-Anchorage in 2021. Her accomplishments include a James Beard Award, Society of Professional Journalists Sigma Delta Chi Award, being named a finalist for the NPPA Ernie Crisp award, and the Alaska District-Church of the Nazarene Distinguished Service Award.
John Sharify
John Sharify is one of the most honored broadcast journalists and documentary filmmakers in the country. John, who is based in Seattle, is a 79-time Emmy award winner with nine National Edward R. Murrow awards, including the National Murrow for top news writer in the country in 2004, 2007, 2008, and 2020. John is also the recipient of the 2021 DuPont Columbia award, the broadcast equivalent of the Pulitzer Prize, for his ‘death with dignity’ documentary “Bob’s Choice”.
John, who also goes by Shahab, is a proud graduate of Princeton University. He has a Master of Fine Arts degree in film directing from Columbia University. He was a student of Academy Award winning film director Milos Forman. John Sharify is currently the Atwood Chair of Journalism at University of Alaska, Anchorage.
His storytelling accomplishments include two National Press Photographers Association Ernie Crisp Photographer of the Year awards & two National Edward R. Murrow awards. He has earned two dozen regional Emmys for producing coverage of breaking news, features, and non-narrated stories.
John Tracy
John Tracy is a communications specialist who spent more than 25 years as a broadcast news executive and nearly a decade as owner of a leading full-service advertising and public relations agency. John specializes in branding and messaging strategy, and has done so for clients ranging from multi-national corporations to leading nonprofits. A national award-winning journalist and marketing strategist, John believes in the power of connecting with an audience through research and highly targeted messaging.
He is a member of the Alaska Broadcasters Hall of Fame and has created memorable campaigns for clients such as Providence Health and Medical Center, ConocoPhillips, and Alaska Tourism among many others. In 2010, John created the messaging for Senator Lisa Murkowski’s historic write-in campaign. He currently provides marketing and branding consultation for Alaska non-profits.
John’s internal focus group includes his wife Donna, their three children and two grandkids. As a former musician, he will play the drum solo from In-A- Gadda-Da-Vida on request.
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Shirley Sakaye
Shirley’s career in television production began as an elementary student, inserting commercials into Saturday morning cartoons with her dad at KTUU in Anchorage, Alaska. Intrigued by the fast-paced challenge of live production as a high-school student, KTUU hired Shirley to run a camera for its news broadcasts. She quickly learned all other positions for those productions, including graphics and directing.
In her twenties, she transitioned from directing and switching news broadcasts to planning and leading the largest live events around Alaska, including the Iditarod, the Mount Marathon Race, high school sports state championships, University of Alaska-Anchorage sports competitions, and Alaska Aces semi-pro hockey games.
She earned an Emmy as the producer and director of Mount Marathon, and numerous Alaska Broadcaster Awards for Best Live Show Director and Best Uniquely Alaskan Program for many years. Shirley is currently working as the Director of Communications for the State of Alaska Department of Health.
She is the proud mother of four children and two grandchildren and enjoys traveling, exploring and finding adventures.
John Thain
John Thain is a freelance videographer, drone operator, and journalist based in Duluth, Minnesota.
He has an extensive background in television news, earning multiple Emmy Awards for work done in Minneapolis and Anchorage.
In 2018, he operated cameras for the unscripted television show Building Alaska, before starting a production company in Duluth in 2020.
He now works directly with clients in the energy, education, and tourism industry, and is currently directing a film for PBS on climate change.
Trent McNelly
Trent is a lifelong nerd and broadcast professional since 1981. He has done nearly every television job behind the scenes – filming editing, directing, producing, audio, graphics, and many other jobs.
Trent has operated over more than 4,000 live satellite feeds. For six years, he owned and operated Alaska’s only (at the time) live production company and produced several hundred live events. Everything from corporate meetings, University Hockey and Basketball, The Oprah Winfrey show and Phil Donahue shows to the Iditarod and the Yukon Quest. He's won dozens of ABA awards for live production and editing. In 2004, he was named the Alaska Broadcaster of the year. His clients include ESPN, ABC News and Sports, NBC News and Sports, CBS News and Sports, Turner Broadcasting, Fox Sports, KTUU, and NASA.
Currently he spends most of his time working as a television engineer – building small and medium tv facilities.
Outside of work, Trent enjoys scuba diving, woodworking, sightseeing and spending time with his wife of 39 years, Leslie. They have one amazing daughter who works in Anchorage.