Meet Renee Eng | TV Anchor and Reporter at Spectrum News 1

We had the good fortune of connecting with Renee Eng and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Renee, have there been any changes in how you think about work-life balance?
Work-life balance has always been a bit tricky for me because I love what I do for a living and if I’m not careful, I trend towards becoming a workaholic. However, that balance changed immensely after I became a mom a few years ago and I constantly feel like I am not spending enough time on my work or enough time with my family – I think this is a sentiment a lot of working moms can relate to. These days, I try my best to be fully present whether I’m at work or with my family and make sure I carve out some time for self-care as well.

Let’s talk shop? Tell us more about your career, what can you share with our community?
I took a non-traditional path into broadcast journalism. I studied business/economics as an undergraduate, eventually earned an MBA at UCLA (double Bruin!) and worked corporate jobs for several major companies before transitioning into news. I didn’t pursue broadcast journalism as a career immediately after finishing college, even though I always had a passion for it. Growing up, I loved journalism and writing and have memories of putting on pretend newscasts as a kid, writing articles for school newspapers and took writing/journalism classes in college. I also remember always tuning into 20/20 on Friday nights as a high schooler, fascinated by the storytelling and wanting to do that myself. But after graduating from college, I wasn’t sure if I would be any good at it and the industry was intimidating to me.

As my business career progressed, though, I knew my heart wasn’t in it and the thought of working in news kept gnawing at me – for years – so I knew I had to give it a try. When I wasn’t working at my full-time job, I spent evenings and weekends taking on broadcast journalism internships, classes and eventually got my first reporting job at a small cable TV station. I knew it wouldn’t be easy though as I took a major pay cut and started from scratch in a new industry. It’s taken a lot of hard work and dedication and now in my current position as an evening anchor and reporter for Spectrum News 1 in LA, I can say it’s been worth every step of the journey so far.

I would tell anyone no matter how old you are or what stage of life you’re in, it’s never too late to really consider what you want to do with your life. We spend a large part of our lives working so I think it’s worth it to put that time into something you enjoy and that is fulfilling.

If you had a friend visiting you, what are some of the local spots you’d want to take them around to?
I love being outdoors and spending time on the westside so I would say a visit should first include a hike in that area. Some of my favorite spots include Temescal Canyon and Los Leones Canyon. After a morning hike, for example, I love grabbing brunch along Montana Avenue as there are a lot of healthy and delicious options. Of course, you can’t visit LA without hitting up the beaches – Malibu is fantastic and if you stay in the area for lunch, definitely stop by Reel Inn Malibu, it’s a classic fish shack with amazing seafood. I also love visiting Griffith Observatory (great hiking in the area too!) and the National History Museum.

Shoutout is all about shouting out others who you feel deserve additional recognition and exposure. Who would you like to shoutout?
My husband is immensely supportive of my career, especially taking on kid duties when I’ve had to work late or pick up a shift here or there at work, all while balancing his own career. Working in news means a lot of odd hours, which can be tricky while also trying to raise a family, but we’ve been able to make it work so far and I’m incredibly grateful for his support. Also, my parents and sister have also followed my journey from the very beginning and are very supportive as they’ve known I’ve been interested in broadcast journalism since I was a child.

Instagram: https://instagram.com/reneeengtv

Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/reneeeng

Twitter: https://twitter.com/Renee_Eng

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ReneeEngNews/

Image Credits
Renee Eng