The alarm clock on the bedside table vibrates with a loud whir before “4am” flashes on the screen. In his bedroom, the slit between the fluttering curtains displays the orange streaks of the dawn. After filling his empty stomach with a quick bite, he’s on his way to the broadcasting studio. Inside the network station, the hallways glower under the fluorescent lights, stinging his eyes that have been used to the dark sight in the parking lot. He enters the production room where rustling papers, media personnel on call through their bluetooth earpiece, and firm voices delegating tasks swarm to him at once. Gabe Trujillo rolls inside his second home, all geared up to start his eight-hour working day as a Digital Video Producer.
Gabe hovers his cursor over an array of videos on his computer, tapping those that fit best for the online website and social media channels of 12 News, a NBC-affiliate TV station in Phoenix, Arizona. He’s the station’s go-to guru for video content production online ranging from the reporters’ stand-ups to broadcast campaigns of the network. That’s not the only hat that Gabe wears since he also paddles with visual designs, extensive blog posts, and other assigned news production roles.
“It can get quite hectic since the newsroom is a fast-paced environment and there’s always something to work on every minute,” says Gabe. “But I enjoy it and I’ve adapted to it. I should say things are going pretty good.” Landing a position in the journalism landscape isn’t by accident. Gabe pursued journalism in Arizona State University after earning a scholarship and bagged Magna Cum Laude during his graduation in 2006. Although his original blueprint outlined to build an immediate career in journalism, his endeavors didn’t go according to plan after receiving his diploma.
Gabe was whisked onto the digital marketing arena after university, his first pursuit that reached its catharsis after he had tinkered with his marketing skills in his high school years. Submerging into online and offline analytics, graphic designing, content creation, and digital public relations flung him to mold his skills to their best potential. He dwelled in this industry for five years until a sliver of opportunity popped out and called on his name.
It’s in Gabe’s DNA to jump into the journalism ship at any cost. While browsing the job postings online, he clicked on the Social Media Producer title offered by 12 News. He drafted his resume, peppered it with his extensive experience in journalism and marketing, and saved the document. On the website, he scanned the requirements and uploaded the files. He fluttered his cursor over the “Submit” button and after a few seconds, an automatic “thank you for your application” appeared on his screen.
A few days later, the network replied. He embarked on a voyage that lasted five interviews. After the fifth evaluation, he received a call. The number of the initial person who had interviewed him pulsed on his screen. He pressed the green “answer” button and placed his phone on his ear. The usual warm greeting ensued before Gabe heard the phrase, “Welcome to 12 News.”
The glamor of the busy newsroom fails to dampen down Gabe even after working as a Video Producer for five years. His body clock has adjusted to waking up early for the pilot news programs and laying his head on his cotton-filled pillow before 10pm. Such flare of dedication kicked off even before he ventured into journalism. In his teenage years, Gabe’s therapist would encourage him to jot down his unspoken thoughts in a journal while he laid down on a hospital bed, recovering from the first blow of quadriplegia.
Gabe wrapped himself around the allure of a freshman-high-school persona in 1997. He crammed his head with what-ifs on good grades, future careers, and playing in the soccer and baseball teams. But the magnetic force drew him in the opposite direction. On September 12 of the same year, he fell ill when the ordinary biting cold that he had been experiencing worsened until he found it difficult to breathe. He dragged his feet to his parents’ room and stumbled on the floor in his weak state. His father rushed him to the Emergency Room, his racing heartbeat pulsing on his son’s ear. In the hospital, the doctor airlifted Gabe into a children’s hospital after reviving his state to no success. Once he made it to the ICU, his oxygen levels crippled and his right lung collapsed. Gabe drifted into a coma.
Four days later, he woke up. His dazed mind tried to recognize the four walls he was in. He acknowledged the pillowy mattress he was lying on. He turned left and there he witnessed the pump of the ventilator, rising and falling, and attached to a tube that connected to his mouth and nose. Gabe’s voice croaked as he tried to move, but soon came to a realization that his once able arms and legs had been paralyzed.
During his phase of recovery, the then 14-year-old Gabe refused to mull over, but brought back the sense of normalcy into his life day by day. What sparked his tenacity that later roused his keen desire to join the journalism landscape unfolded when a local sports anchor dropped by in his hospital room. Mark Curtis would talk about sports and anything that fell under its umbrella. The way Mark crafted his narratives from a reporter’s viewpoint rekindled Gabe’s flair for writing. As soon as he got out of the hospital, rolling in his wheelchair while shouldering his renewed vigor, his focal point locked into making his way towards the journalism industry.
To say that Gabe has made it can be an understatement. The journalism-buff video producer straddled a momentum last June 2019 when he stormed through his paid-off efforts as the recipient of TEGNA’s Unsung Hero Award. “As a person with a disability, inclusion in the workplace is an important goal for me and 12 News has given me the accommodations and opportunities to succeed and thrive in the newsroom,” he says.
To top his climax in the news industry, he shared that being one of the two honorees of the prestigious award was the second surprise he received that year. In May, the month before he collected the award, he bid farewell to his previous job title and climbed up the ladder as he welcomed his promotion to be the Senior Digital Video Producer of 12 News. Today, he handles every single video content to be produced and published on the network’s online channels. It might sound like a new set of responsibilities for him, but he’s more than willing to tackle each of them, one roll at a time.
Gabe weaves himself into the fabric of life, tearing its skin layer by layer. He doesn’t shy away from the dare life throws at him. Instead, he picks up the stones and launches them back. “My experiences have taught me to enjoy every moment of your life, be patient and never give up hope,” he says. “Being a strong person has nothing to do with muscles. It has to do with having the will, determination, and courage to never give up hope.”
He clicks on “shut down” and waits for his computer to turn off until his reflection mirrors on the screen. He rolls his electric wheelchair away from his desk and to the exit door, chucking quick goodbyes to his newsroom team. In the hallway, the fluorescent lights still glower their bright tint. Outside the building, the haze of dusk flowers until it sprouts purple streaks and he breathes out in a lighthearted manner. The eight-hour working day has ended. It’s time for Gabe to unwind.
Matthew Burgos doesn’t talk to people. He interviews them then writes their story, peppering the narratives with descriptive words. He’s a student of Broadcast Journalism, International Relations, and Law, an English tutor, an aspiring journalist, and a die-hard, 90%-dark-chocolate glutton.
‘That Guy in a Chair is Gabe Trujillo’ is part of SPORK!’s ADA30 Interview Series: Our Voice, Our Community. In honor of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) 30th Anniversary (July 26, 2020) SPORK! is highlighting the creatively diverse voices and niche professions that create, form and strengthen the community.
For more information about Gabe Trujillo you can visit his website, Here.
For more information about Matthew Burgos you can email him at Matthew@SporkAbility.org