Venton Blandin

About

I’ve been privileged to serve as a thought leader in newsroom leadership, talent mentorship, and cultural transformation. My involvement in initiatives promoting equity, diversity, and inclusion within the National Association of Black Journalists and other professional associations reflects my dedication to driving positive change in our industry. Chairing the NABJ Arts & Entertainment Task Force and overseeing events like film festivals have allowed me to amplify underrepresented voices and foster inclusivity on a broader scale. My heart belongs to God, family, my career, and the Marine Corps I served. I am the Executive Reporter for KRIS-TV in Corpus Christi, Texas where I directly supervise a team of 12 reporters, but also help lead the entire newsroom. My primary duties are coaching and mentoring. Hiring, assigning work schedules and conducting performance reviews are some of the other duties. Before working a KRIS-TV, I was a reporter at its sister-station in Phoenix, Arizona where I also anchored. During my time in the Valley, I served on the Board of Governors for National Academy of the Television Arts and Sciences Rocky Mountain Southwest Chapter. The move to Phoenix was after an 11-month break of working with the Department of Justice as a Communications Director for a U.S. Attorney's Office. My television career spans nearly 30 years with experience as an anchor, franchise reporter, and general assignment reporter. I've done most every kind of reporting on the local level and some on the network level. The career has allowed me to serve as Vice President for the Greater St. Louis Association of Black Journalists. In the VP role, I was part of a team who did core planning to host a regional convention in St. Louis. While in St. Louis, I served on the Board of Governors for the National Academy of the Television Arts and Sciences Mid-America Chapter, I'm a member of Screen Actor's Guild and proud of my experience working as a background actor for the West Wing, the Wire, the District, Commander-in-Chief, Sum of All Fears, Head of State, Anger Management (movie), Legally Blonde, America's Most Wanted and a few commercials.