Jesse Wells

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Jesse joined Oklahoma's NewsChannel 4 as a general assignment reporter in May 2007. He's a born and bred Hawkeye. Later he became a transplanted Hoosier and Badger. Now he's happy to call Soonerland home.
Hometown: My hometown is Bettendorf, Iowa . It's one of the Quad Cities, or as I like to call it the heart of Hawkeye country.
Life Goal: My only life goal is to live a healthy and happy life with my wife Jennifer and son Ryne. I have never set any career goals. Family always comes first.
Play any sports/Favorite Sport: My favorite sports to play are basketball and baseball. But... my favorite sport to watch is college football. It doesn't get any better for me than watching my beloved Hawkeyes. In college every game brings an electric atmosphere. Every game is do or die.
Favorite TV Show: My favorite show of all time is the X-Files. Currently (as of winter 2009) my favorite show is Lost, and unlike the X-Files, it actually has an end-game strategy.
Favorite Car: The Corvette. Any year, but especially 1953-1967 and 1997 through today. There's a reason they call it America's sports car. It is the original American muscle car.
Happiest moment in my life was...: The two happiest moments of my life are the day I got married and the day my son was born. On my wedding say I was still recovering from a bout with pneumonia, but I knew I had met the love of my life. My son was born around 3:30 early one November morning. That’s the day my life changed forever.
4 notable persons you'd invite to dinner: The real question is living or dead? Dead would be John Lennon, George Carlin, Harry Truman and Walter Payton. Living would be Paul McCartney, Michael Jordon, Tom Hanks, and Barack Obama.
Favorite food: Chicago style deep dish pizza. Nice and thick! You can keep the thin stuff.
I have a pet (what) ..I wish I had a pet (what)... My wife and I have a pet cat named Rosie. We simply call her Kitty. She's a great low maintenance pet.
Knew you wanted to be a reporter when…: I came to the profession almost by accident. I started college as a film student, writing screenplays and shooting small student films. Around by junior year, I realized making money on movies wasn't going to be easy. So I wanted a career that combined the visuals of film and my love of writing. TV reporting is daily story telling. The rest is history.
Best movie of all time: It's a 3-way tie. The Lord of the Rings trilogy (which is technically three movies in one). Saving Private Ryan and Braveheart aren't far behind. Clearly, I love the modern epics. They all have great stories, great effects and are just simply great guy movies.
Hardest part of my job: Deadlines. There is no room to budge. 6 o'clock is 6 o'clock. When showtime comes, a job done 2 minutes late is an utter failure.
Best part of my job: The job always brings something new. You get to tell a different story every day.
Favorite holiday: Christmas. There's not really even a close second. It's got nothing to do with religion for me. I'll be honest, the presents are nice. Who doesn't like gifts?
I like to listen to...: Mostly classic rock. There is no one better than The Beatles. Pink Floyd. Led Zeppelin. The Eagles. Being in high school and college during the 90's, I'm also partial to bands like Pearl Jam, Nirvana, Soundgarden and Metallica.
Anything else you want viewers to know about you? I joined News Channel 4 in May 2007. Before moving to Oklahoma I worked for two years as a reporter in Sioux City, another 3 years in Fort Wayne and then 2 more in Green Bay. All were NBC affiliates. Now I'm proud to work at the number one news station in Oklahoma.
Before coming to Oklahoma, Jesse spent eight years as a reporter around the Midwest. Most recently he worked as a reporter for two years at NBC26 in Green Bay. During his time in Wisconsin, he specialized in covering many high profile court cases.
Before that Jesse worked as a reporter for more than three years at NBC33 in Fort Wayne, Indiana. During that time he met his wife, Jennifer, who moved with him to Green Bay and eventually to Oklahoma City. Prior to working as a Hoosier, Jesse spent almost two years as a "one man band" reporter/photographer at KTIV in Sioux City, Iowa.
In May 1999, Jesse graduated with degrees in both Journalism and Film Studies from the University of Iowa. Jesse earned many academic awards in college. He's a member of Phi Beta Kappa, Kappa Tau Alpha, and Phi Eta Sigma Honor Societies, graduating Summa Cum Laude, the highest distinction honor given by the university.
In his spare time Jesse loves sports. While baseball, basketball, and boxing are among his favorites, his true love is Hawkeye football.
Jesse is also an avid movie buff. Watch for him at the multiplex each weekend, as he catches the latest flick with Jennifer. "Movies aren't that different from news," Jesse explains. "They're both centered on people and their stories. Of course Hollywood uses more CGI, but for human drama it's hard to top the evening news."