Vince Munyon is celebrating 20 years as a television photojournalist. In that time he has won over two dozen state, regional, and national awards for his work including 4 Chicago Emmys and a national documentary award from the NPPA. He continues to teach television news photography and editing on the college level and has served as a Chief Photojournalist and consultant. This is Vince's third year as a faculty member of the Workshop. He first attended as a participant in 1990.
Vince is currently a news photographer/editor at WMAQ-TV in Chicago where he shoots general assignments as well as sports and special projects.
"A teacher that inspires me to excel" and "A true mentor", are ways that his students have described him. Since 1997 Vince has taught photojournalism/editing in a senior level program at Columbia College in Chicago. Students learn the importance of techniques like shooting sequences, natural sound, and lighting. Three classes (reporters, photos, and producers) meet together to simulate a newsroom atmosphere and to accomplish a news magazine show that airs on cable.
From 1993 to 1999 Vince served as Chief Photojournalist at Chicagoland Television News (CLTV). This served as a unique opportunity because this was a start-up news operation and Vince was responsible for creating and maintaining the visual standards and integrity of this new newsroom. Although a young newsroom, CLTV became recognized because of the visual emphasis they put in their newscasts.
During his tenure at CLTV Vince was involved with several special projects but the most memorable for him was a documentary called "Gina's Journey". Along with anchor/reporter Judy Wang they chronicled the last seven months of the life of Gina Selgado, a Chicago teenager who died of AIDS complications after having been exposed through a blood transfusion when she was two weeks old. This story won a national documentary award from the NPPA in 1996.
From 1987 to 1993 Vince was a photojournalist/editor at KAKE-TV in Wichita, Kansas. In that "incredible learning environment" he gained experience, technique, and understanding. During that time he was able to work on projects like "Hatteberg's People", and a special entitled "The Poet", a first ever interview and look back at a bizarre crime spree with a strange twist from Wichita's past.
Vince started his career at the station he grew up watching. From 1983 through 1987 he was a photojournalist/editor at KWQC-TV in the Quad-Cities.
Vince points to his achievements through his love of teaching and sharing ideas as his greatest professional accomplishment. He is most proud of the fact that photojournalists that were once on his staff or in his classroom can be found in every newsroom in Chicago and at several stations around the country.
On a personal note, Vince was recently married. He and Maria are the parents of three teenagers. He met his wife while shooting a weather shot.