Meet Dryden Quigley of West Nashville

Today we’d like to introduce you to Dryden Quigley

Hi Dryden, so excited to have you on the platform. So before we get into questions about your work-life, maybe you can bring our readers up to speed on your story and how you got to where you are today?
I grew up in Westchester, New York and attended Duke University to get my BA in international relations. Because they did not have a journalism program I worked as a new production assistant at WRAL-TV in Raleigh, North Carolina for a few months after I graduated. There, in return for running the prompter and listening to police scanners, I was able to shadow a reporter once a week. They would allow me to create my own version of the story which is how I built my reel to apply to TV stations to be an reporter myself. I was hired by WVIR in Charlottesville, Virginia, the NBC affiliate, where I started as a reporter. I covered everything from protests to restaurant openings to missing cows. I eventually was promoted to weekend anchor where I wrote and solo anchored the evening shows with a team of two reporters. Two years later I came here to WSMV4 in Nashville where I am a reporter and absolutely love it. I focus on crime and weather here, but cover a bit of everything!

Alright, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
TV news is not for the faint of heart! It’s weird hours, working holidays, and standing out in severe weather. I’ve done everything from the 2 a.m. wake ups to working weekends and 12 hour long days. What really makes it great is the community that the newsrooms build because we spend so much time together. Cheesy, but it really is like a family.

Thanks – so what else should our readers know about your work and what you’re currently focused on?
I’m a news reporter for WSMV4! The title is technically a ‘multimedia journalist’ which means for my story I do everything from pitching the idea, setting up interviews, shooting it, writing, and editing. I’m known for being a one-woman band. I turn one story every day so you can catch me Monday through Friday in our evening shows. I’m proud of the consistent work I’ve done for the past three years now. I just did the math and I’ve had more than 750 stories air and I know each one of those mattered!

What would you say have been one of the most important lessons you’ve learned?
What really drives me for work is getting to meet new people and share their stories. I often am meeting people on the worst day of their lives, and the amount of grace they show is truly inspirational. The biggest lesson I’ve learned is that everyone has an extraordinary story to tell if you take a few minutes to listen. The other, less glamorous, lesson I’ve learned is that fortune favors the prepared. Logistically it’s important for me to be ready for any situation the day throws at me. Always having back up batteries, SD cards, lip gloss, hats, gloves, and set of good rainboots is just part of it.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.wsmv.com/authors/DrydenQuigley/
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/drydenreports/?hl=en
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=61556070173193#
• Twitter: https://x.com/DrydenQuigley