A nicely padded package recently showed up on my doorstep. Upon cracking into it, I found a signed copy of a snazzy looking paperback book titled, Shooter in the Crosshairs. Then my eye moved down the cover to see the author… Rick Portier.

You may no Mr. Portier by his street name, Turdpolisher.

Rick’s been a friend of b-roll.net for a long time. His eloquent diatribes have graced our FORUM often. He always has the words to say what you want to say… and make you smile along the way.

It seems his true stories of life behind the camera led to a book about not-so-true stories of a photog in Baton Rouge.

As Rick explains the story of Brock Nicholls…

“When his television career went down in flames on the steps of a Dallas courthouse, it made national news and earned the TV photog a night in lock-up. Now, Brock’s stuck in the place where it all started, Baton Rouge, working for a mental midget like Percy Finch and his “Good News” strategy that has viewers flocking to the competition. If that weren’t bad enough, Finch has Brock locked into shooting pet parades for Katie Couric wannabes like Nancy Patrick.

Against his better judgment, Brock drags Nancy to the scene of a fire where he is plunged into the world that originally ignited his passion for this business – a world before cookie-cutter anchors and Barbie doll reporters. There he finds something that has been sorely missing in his life – the first real person he’s met in years, Ida Mae Christophe. Miss Ida is sure the man burning the homes in her neighborhood is connected to former Grand Dragon, Raphe Whitney.”

I have started to dig into the chapters of Brocks world – and I’m transported to my life in the back of a live truck – chasing fire trucks and sirens. It’s an amazing look into our world – with a little dramatic fun added to the mix.

Congratulations to Rick for putting together a great book that every news professional should read. You’ll see yourself in one of the many newsroom characters…

Buy the paperback version on Amazon – or go digital at Smashwords.