Jim was placed in the sports programming division of a large American broadcasting company over a year ago. “It’s my first placement through Crescent, and so far things have gone quite well!” says Jim. “My recruiter Heath Hamaguchi has been extremely helpful in keeping everything on track and taking care of the inevitable stumbling blocks that come with the territory.” “As Senior Broadcast Systems Analyst, I essentially make sure that all of the IT systems involved in our live broadcasts stay up and running during those crucial moments. Availability is the name of the game with constantly changing schedules, personalities, and requirements, but the folks here have been great to work with. I’ve been able to both contribute and learn quite a bit.”
Located in Charlotte, North Carolina, Jim prides himself in being as close to a native as one can be in a city of transplants. “I’ve been working in IT for the past 9 years, says Jim, “working everywhere from small start-ups to Fortune 500 companies. Thus far, my time here has been at the top of that list!”
Currently engaged to the lovely Aurora Blackshire, he is planning to get married this coming December! “While I may not be too great at talking myself up, I can certainly talk up something else I do in my spare time,” Jim says. “When I’m not keeping things running at work, I’m on the national governing board for a fraternal charity organization started in Charlotte. The Knightly Order of the Fiat Lux started 10 years ago with just 4 members, and has since grown to well over 100 members nationwide. The simplest way to explain what we do is to say that we put on medieval-themed events to raise money for local charities. More often than not, this involves a lot of us suiting up in anywhere from 50-120 lbs of steel armor and fighting it out for the amusement of others. The time I’ve spent with these gentlemen has been one of my proudest achievements, turning everyday folk into heroes, even if only for a few hours. Our Order has a youth organization as well, and I couldn’t’ be prouder of them.”
Earlier this month, members of the Charlotte Chapter participated with other Chapters in an event known as Kallie’s Krusade. “Kallie Swan, a relative of one of our New York members, was diagnosed at 21 months old with acute lymphoblastic leukemia and unfortunately lost her battle a few weeks ago. Our youth program has organized an amateur sword-fighting tournament to help raise money for the Kallie’s Krusade Foundation, which uses 100% of the funds raised to support families stricken with pediatric cancer. While we may not be able to fight it directly, we can certainly fight in the best way we know how.” To learn more about Kallie’s Krusade and upcoming events, please visit http://www.kallieskrusade.org/.