Submitted by Bedford TV
Bedford TV staff and board said a bittersweet goodbye to long-time Outreach Manager, Paula Gilarde last week. Paula’s employment at Bedford TV spanned 9 years, from 2009-2018, and was one of the longest tenures by any former staff member of Bedford TV. Despite being such a critical component to the life of Bedford TV, Paula spent most of her time out of the spotlight.
“You’ve probably gotten used to hearing from Paula over the years, you just might not have known it,” said former Bedford TV Executive Director, Greg Dolan. “Paula has been the voice behind BTV’s website, social media posts, email blasts, and community bulletin board. While she may have preferred working behind the scenes, to everyone directly involved in the operations of the station, she stood out as one of the primary reasons for the success of the organization.”
Paula brought many fresh and creative ideas to Bedford TV to help keep the excitement alive. “She was the Producer of Bedford Backstage, which highlighted local youth musical talent,” recalled Bedford TV administrator Jenn Puhle. “She always went above and beyond to expand upon our community activities year after year — BTV open houses, trivia nights, annual parties, [and] awards ceremonies.”
Though it wasn’t where you’d usually find her, Paula did make an appearance in front of the camera on occasion. Her most popular on-air stint came when she appeared on an episode of Patty Carluccio’s show, Pretty.Simple.Gardens. In this episode, Patty and Paula show you just how easy it is to grow grass after you’ve removed a tree from your yard. In just over a year, that episode alone has had over 10,000 views on YouTube. You can catch it here.
Paula was also a liaison between the Town of Bedford and Bedford TV. On the first Wednesday of every month, she made her way to the Bedford Community Partnership meeting to keep the various town departments and non-profit organizations up-to-date on Bedford TV happenings. She also had a great rapport with the local department heads and would be their go-to contact whenever they had a request for video coverage.
When it came to Paula’s drive and work ethic, Jenn said, “She was a diligent employee, working hard every moment she was at the station and being available even when she was not at the station in order to help her colleagues.” Greg added, “Paula was always great to work with. Her ability to learn new technology quickly allowed our operation to be forward thinking and innovative. She was also always looking for new ways to help the station grow, including by starting her own show, Bedford Backstage and building new community partnerships.”
Paula is leaving behind a legacy at Bedford TV and her signature mark is on Bedford TV’s digital presence forever. It will be difficult to find the right person to fill her shoes, but the Bedford TV staff is committed to finding the best person for the job. Paula will be sorely missed at Bedford TV and we wish her the best of luck in her new career.
Click this link to see Bedford TV’s Digital Marketing and Outreach Specialist job description.
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