Episode 90: Nicole Amelio

Nicole Amelio-Casper has her bachelor’s degree in Psychology from Boston College and her master’s degree in Journalism and Public Relations from the University of Memphis Graduate school of Journalism.She began her broadcasting career at National Public Radio, where she volunteered a couple of days a week when she and her family moved to Fort Bragg, North Carolina, almost twenty years ago.Nicole’s first paid position was with Cumulus Broadcasting in Fayetteville, North Carolina, followed by Saga Communications in Clarksville, Tennessee, while their family was stationed at Fort Campbell, Kentucky. While working at Saga, she was a segment producer, on-air talent, and news reporter. She also interviewed key figures in the community at Fort Campbell, including the Mayor of Clarksville and Congresswoman Marsha Blackburn, during her visit to support the troops and their families.She continued her broadcasting journey at the American Forces Network in Mannheim, Germany, where she worked as a Radio News Reporter interviewing key people overseas and in Germany. While in AFN, she expanded her skill set to include TV segment production. After producing several radio and TV stories for AFN and some commercials, she became more passionate about producing stories highlighting how the human spirit can and will triumph amid adversity.While at AFN, Nicole received her first award, an AFN Civilian Award.In addition to her journalistic pursuits, she worked for Central Carolina Community College for nearly five years. Nicole taught video production, worked in admissions, and taught college and pre-college classes for the TRIO Veterans Upward Bound Program. She also taught Public Relations, Advertising, and several other classes at Baker University.While in Fort Leavenworth, she started her LLC and produced the first of two documentaries, Voices of Hope. She filmed, directed, and produced Voices of Hope while volunteering at Lansing Prison in Lansing, Kansas. The film chronicles the Brothers in Blue Re-entry program at Lansing Correctional Facility in Lansing, Kansas. It documents how the program changes the behavior and redefines the character of the inmates.It was screened at two film festivals in the Kansas City area in 2015 and 2016.