Rick Journey reinvents his storytelling
Storytelling has been Rick Journey’s career, obligation and life since graduating from The University of Alabama in 1990.
After leaving his 13-year position as morning news anchor on Fox 6 in June 2012, Journey has gone from news man to entrepreneur. His communications firm, Rick Journey 360, is a solo-operated business focusing primarily on public and media relations that he began in August of 2012.
Journey works by himself, giving him the availability for personal relationships with clients. His connections in Alabama media make him familiar and accountable to generate the optimal strategy for any organization’s direction.
It was an easy choice to start his firm in Homewood because of his family, history and expertise of Alabama. He’s covered news in the state since his college years.
In 1989, he was an anchor for the local news cut-ins of Tuscaloosa’s public radio station during NPR’s “Morning Edition.” Ten years later, he became what most people know him for – a member of WBRC’s “Good Day Alabama” team.
He also served as a news and sports director for a commercial radio station; an award-winning reporter for Tuscaloosa’s CBS affiliate; a host of Alabama Public Television’s statewide nightly news and public affairs program “For the Record;” and WBRC bureau chief, first in Tuscaloosa, then covering the Alabama House and Senate in Montgomery.
Journey said his new line of work requires the same skill set as a reporter, which made the transition from anchor to owning a communications firm an easy one.
“I offer a fresh perspective for my clients,” Journey said. “Working at Fox 6 for about 20 years gave me the knowledge I needed to help tell the story of my clients the best and most efficient way possible in an ever-changing world of communications.”
Journey’s record speaks for itself.
He has received multiple awards for his broadcast journalism and community involvement, including the FBI Director’s Community Leadership Award in Birmingham.
He also teaches in the Department of Communication Studies at the UAB and is a frequent speaker throughout the state on the topics of journalism, politics and public relations.
He has served on several boards for organizations including the March of Dimes, Alabama Writers’ Forum and the governing body of Birmingham’s Sidewalk Film Festival.
The leave from his anchor position might have seemed sudden, but Journey, 46, never planned on staying in television news into his 50s
Journey said his family knew he would be making a change long before it was announced. The idea to start his business came seven years ago.
He prolonged the move because of a shaky economy and a working environment he was comfortable in and enjoyed. The decision was permanently made when he embraced the idea of reinventing his skill and taking it to a new profession in the communications world.
“I consider myself a risk-adverse kind of person, which made the decision to try this even harder,” Journey said. “I trusted my knowledge and took the jump because I wanted to meet the challenge of change in my life. This is just the next step.”
The change was an odd one at first, he said. After taking a month off to build a tree house for his son, Truman, Journey found it strange to be on the other side of the camera after sitting in front of it for so many years.
“I’ve embraced this new life, which has kept me from truly missing my spot on the news,” Journey said. “The principle of my job is to still inform and tell stories, but it definitely beats waking up at 2:30 a.m. each day for work.”
Journey said rather than telling stories for the public, he’s telling stories on behalf of his clients. Whether it takes advising what approach a non-profit organization to head or assisting in political campaigns with his vast list of connections, Journey is there to help.
He plans to continue to grow his firm in the future to possibly a team of qualified “storytellers” like him. He hopes to continue building relationships and alliances to make Rick Journey 360 a respected firm.