Backdrop Awareness for Media Interview

May 23, 2005 10:26 AM •

If you find yourself facing a news crew at a scene, be sure to look behind you and consider your backdrop before starting an interview. Are there crowds of rambunctious people likely to make gestures behind your back when the cameras roll? Are there officers corralling an unruly subject? Is there a scene that you would like to draw attention away from, like a crash involving a patrol unit that hit a car during a pursuit?

If so, take control of your setting and move in front of a more innocuous setting, preferably something you know won’t change, like a wall. An interview can be negatively impacted by what viewers are seeing behind you.

Related Story: Ten Tips for Working with the Media - from Police1 Columnist Richard Weinblatt

Police Training

Scott Buhrmaster

Scott Buhrmaster is the CEO of Calibre Press, one of the leading law enforcement training and information providers in the industry. Scott’s 30-year tenure began in 1989 when he originally signed on with Calibre where he was involved in the creation and marketing of the organization’s popular training courses and award-winning textbooks, videos and online publications.

In 1999, Scott launched The Buhrmaster Group, an organization focused on helping law enforcement training companies develop, market and expand their training efforts. Among his clients was Police1.com, which he signed on with full time as their vice president of training and editorial. During that period, Scott was named to the National Advisory Board of the Force Science Institute, at the time a newly developing organization which was also among his list of clients. Following a seven-year tenure at Police1, Scott signed on with Force Science full-time, initially serving as their vice president of operations and most recently serving as their COO.

Scott has been a long-time contributor to Police1 and has written extensively for other publications and Web sites in the law enforcement market. Additionally, he helped launch two of the most popular e-newsletters in the industry; the Street Survival Newsline and Force Science News. While at Police1, Scott served as the publisher of Police Marksman magazine and a contributing editor for Law Officer magazine.