Interview: Siegfried Behrens Microsoft General Manager, U.S. Education

At the 2010 U.S. Imagine Cup Finals in Washington D.C., I interviewed Siegfried Behrens, Microsoft General Manager, U.S. Education, about the role technology will play in the classroom of the future.

Today On KING5 New Day Nortwest - I had a blast!

Today, I was on New Day Northwest with broadcast journalist and host Margaret Larson.



As a co-host, I interviewed Spanish Seattle Times Urban Sketcher Gabriel Campanario.

Read Gabriel's Seattle Times Story

Video Skype Interview: Erin Kennedy USOC Youth Ambassador

Port Townsend Library - 10-year-old Brennan LaBrie, TIME For Kids, chats with Erin Kennedy, 2010 Youth Olympic Games U.S. Olympic Committee's Young Ambassador.

Kennedy, who serves as the Youth Development Manager for USA Rugby, was selected as the U.S. Young Ambassador in January. Her role at the 2010 Youth Olympic Games will be to encourage Team USA athletes to participate in the cultural and educational activities that will be part of the Games, along with supporting the U.S. Chef de Mission. As a new initiative developed by the IOC, the Young Ambassador will also participate in the youth sport forums and report on the activities for the IOC and USOC. - USOC Press Release March 2010

Dan Parker Professional LEGO Artist

LEGO artist Dan Parker rediscovered LEGO at 30 and began to explore the creative and professional possibilities.

In 2000, he formed The TBP Group, a company that produces custom LEGO displays, events, and education venues. Today, TBP is an independent LEGO studio that maintains a comprehensive line of LEGO-related products and services. The facility is open to the public and has made a tradition of engaging other LEGO artists for projects.

Significant projects of the Puget Sound area-based studio include a 400,000-piece Christmas exhibit, a 10-foot Statue of Liberty, and a holiday train display now in its tenth year at a local museum. The company also coordinates fan shows at LEGOLAND, and has produced art pieces for various corporations.

Bodie LaBrie's winning LEGO contest creation.

SPEAKING HIS MIND: Marcelas Owens Speaks Out for Healthcare

by Brennan LaBrie



History was made last Tuesday when President Barack Obama signed the healthcare bill into law.

Marcelas Owens, an 11-year-old from Seattle, stood right next to the President at that historic moment.

Owens got to be a part of this special day by going through something very hard: his mother, Tiffany, died in 2007 after her heart condition, pulmonary hypertension, caused the loss of her job and with it the loss of her health insurance and home.

She had been an advocate for healthcare reform. She spoke out for healthcare and died because she had none.

After her death, Owens felt he wanted to speak up as well.

“My grandma told me that even if you’re nervous you do it anyway, and that you have to be able to not be afraid speaking what you have on your mind.”

That advice helped him when he was in Washington, D.C. on March 11 where he stood before Congress to tell what happened to his mother in hopes of getting the healthcare bill passed.

The bill was voted on Sunday, and it was late Sunday night when Owens got the good news. Not long after that, he was on a red-eye flight to Washington to attend the signing. He had been invited by Majority Leader Harry Reid.

“It was really exciting. I didn’t know the bill was going to pass that fast!”

Owens wore a suit as he watched the President sign, and his blue tie matched Obama’s. Was this planned?

“No,” Owens said. “Someone that worked there picked it out for me!”

Becoming president is something Owens wants to do some day. It’s either that or become a pro basketball player.

By Wednesday noon Owens was on a plane back to Seattle. The trip flew by fast, but he had favorite moments – meeting the President topped the list, but he also liked the Washington, D.C., yo-yo that Obama gave him as a souvenir.

For Obama, the bill passing was just the beginning. He still has a lot of work ahead as he prepares to tour the country to promote the new bill. Owens has more work to do as well, as he continues to speak out -- and, of course, there’s school. But he is up for all of it. “I’ll do whatever it takes,” he said.

He looked forward to the celebration that was waiting when he returned home, and felt very good about the trip and this week’s victory for healthcare.

“This meant a lot because my mom was working so hard for it and she didn’t get a chance to finish it.”

YouTube 2010 Vancouver Olympic Winter Games Channel

You can now watch my 2010 Winter Olympic videos on the new YouTube Playlist.

NOTE: It will take over an hour and a half to see them all.

Interview with Devon Soltendieck MusicMatter DJ and Whistler Live Host

On my one and only day at Whistler, I walked into the Whistler Live production tent and talked with their host Devon Soltendieck.

Fire and Ice Report

After running around all day (February 19) with two NBC Today Show video crews, we produced this short report in the front of the Fire and Ice Torch.

Dueling Interviews

I met Kimiya Shokoohi, International Olympic Committee Youth Reporter, while in Vancouver covering the Winter Games. We spoke about her background as a journalist as well as the upcoming Youth Olympics being held in Singapore this coming August. This is the first year for this new Olympics, which will feature athletes ages 14 to 18. And this Olympics also includes workshops for the young athletes such as social responsibility, well-being and teamwork.


Kimiya reserved our roles, picked up the mic and interviewed me.

An Interview with Olympic Bronze Medaist Speedskater JR Celski

I sat down with Olympic bronze medalist JR Celski in a little coffee shop on a rainy day in Vancouver, BC.

This video is also available on the KING5 Olympic Zone

Canadian Ice Dancing Gold Medalists Tessa Virtue and Scott Moir Press Conference

After asking Canadian Ice Dancing Gold Medalists Tessa Virtue and Scott Moir a couple of questions at their February 23, 2010 BCMC Press Conference, I then interviewed Scott's dad, Joe.

The video is also on the KING5 Olympic Zone

GOOD FRIENDS WIN GOLD AT HOME
By Brennan LaBrie

Earlier this month I wrote a blog for the News-Tribune and mentioned that I did not know what to expect while covering the Olympics, but that the unexpected was half of the fun. Well, yesterday morning something unexpected popped up – and it certainly was fun.

Scott Boir and Tessa Virtue, the Canadian ice–dance couple who won gold Monday night, did a press conference at the British Columbia Media Center(BCMC) just hours after taking home the gold. The couple are very popular in Canada and people love the stories about how close they are and how they have skated together for most of their lives, having met when they were just seven and nine.

Both were very excited and proud, along with thousands of Canadians, but also credit American ice–dance couple Meryl Davis and Charlie White for helping in their win.

“We wouldn’t be sitting here now with gold medals without Meryl and Charlie. They’re an incredible team, they work so hard, not to mention that they’re just fabulous people,“ Virtue said. “We’re lucky to call them friends, and I think that we will be friends for a lifetime."

I grabbed the chance to ask a few questions of Virtue and Boir, and here they are:

There were some great performances last night – do you honestly enjoy close competition?

“Absolutely. We always want everybody at their best,” Virtue replied.” I think that’s just how you want a event. Entertaining for the crowd, exciting for everyone watching. And it’s great to come out on top. So we want everyone at their best. We want everyone to deliver a great performance, it’s just the sweeter for us!”

And how do you sleep when the next day is going to be the biggest day of your life?

“It is tough to sleep,” Boir replied, “and time ticks by so slowly. Yesterday was probably one of the longest days of my life. Actually, we’re still kinda living it! But you have to rely on your training. We really just trust our training when we get up there and believe in ourselves. We did our work before we went up there and we were going to be satisfied with ourselves no matter what happened, and that’s the best thing in the world.”

HANNAH TETER: A Passion for Her Sport -- and Her World

This video is also available on the KING5 Olympic Zone

By Brennan LaBrie

After winning the silver medal on February 18, snowboarder Hannah Teter (23) was presented with a check from Samsung for $30,000 for her charity, Hannah's Gold, which is connected with the international organization World Vision.

I got the chance to meet her on a sunny day in Yaletown, Vancouver, BC, where she told me more about the difference she wanted to make.

"I'm working with World Vision to sponsor a town in Kenya. Seventy thousand people! We are working to equip the whole village with clean water. It's kind of a big mission, but it's fun to do," said Teter, who won Olympic gold in 2006.

An undertaking like this is not a new idea for Teter, who has been involved in charity work since she was a child.

"I sponsored a child in a third-world country when I was younger," she said. "They would write letters and send pictures to show the difference we were making in their lives. So I knew from a young age that the influence we can have on third-world countries is huge."

Why did she choose World Vision out of all the great charities available?
"I approached World Vision because they sponsor whole villages, and I wanted to do something big. At the time,they were one of the biggest organizations making huge differences. They've been really easy to work with and have been making changes quickly."

Teter is involved in other charities as well.

"I really like helping out in all the ways I can, getting the information out there for people who might not know about things like Save the Seals here in Canada. I don't think many people know about that," she says of the extremely cruel conditions for baby seals. "And I think I'm in a good position to set a bar for knowledge and try to get it out there."

Teter says she's excited about what's going on in her life right now. From starting out in sports by trying to keep up with four older brothers, to finding her passion on the slopes, to using her visibility to help good causes, she is glad for the chance to be a role model.

NBC TODAY Show: Pint-sized reporter covers Olympics

Visit msnbc.com for breaking news, world news, and news about the
economy

NBC TODAY Show: Kid Reporter Gets Snowboarding Scoop

Visit msnbc.com for breaking news, world news, and news about the economy

A young reporter lands the interview of a lifetime with snowboard gold medalist Shaun White.

Singing Oh Canada On Rocky Mountaineer Train Ride

I sing Canada's national anthem, "Oh Canada" on the Rocky Mountaineer Train ride from Whistler to Vancouver, BC.