Gadsden County native follows her dream into the broadcast air – Breanna Rittman pursues career in broadcast journalism

It is not always about how the journey starts, but how the journey is made.

Breanna Rittman made sure to make the best out of her journey in journalism; even when it wasn’t always easy, she made sure to make the most out of each experience.

Rittman, a Gadsden County native, is the daughter of a schoolteacher and a retired military veteran.

During the time Rittman was growing up, Oprah Winfrey was one of the few African-American women on television, which sparked Rittman’s interest in studying journalism.

Rittman knew she wanted to be the next generation’s Oprah.

Her passion for journalism also came from always being told that she was nosy and talkative; to her, she knew journalism was the right field to study in.

“I am getting a two for one special,” Rittman said. “I am basically getting paid to be myself and to do what I love.”

Breanna Rittman, the daughter of a local schoolteacher and a retired military veteran is a Gadsden County native who is currently pursuing her broadcast dreams in Illinois.

She carried the same love for journalism throughout her years of growing up.

Rittman entered Florida Agricultural & Mechanical University’s School of Journalism and Graphic Communication, eager to study broadcast journalism.

After taking a few classes, she shied away from broadcast and went more into the field of journalism.

Rittman did not fully walk away from her passion in broadcast journalism, though; she worked with the

Florida A&M University’s football team’s filming crew from 2014 to 2016.

While at university, Rittman interned with The Gadsden County Times in 2013, and became a member of the Gamma Alpha Chapter of Zeta Phi Beta sorority in 2015.

After graduating in 2016, she took employment in non-journalism fields, but even while working outside of her dream career, she continued to push herself to fill the shoes she knew were made to fit her.

Rittman landed her first job in the journalism field in 2020 at The Gadsden County Times , where she served numerous roles in both the editorial and advertising departments.

In August 2021, Rittman decided to venture out and took on a position as a news feature reporter at The Ledger , a news agency headquartered in Lakeland, Florida.

While she was working for The Ledger , Rittman wrote an article on what happened to the Black community in the area.

With Rittman’s love for the Black community and journalism, she was able to write an article that other newspapers from across the country picked up, including The Philadelphia Tribune , one of the oldest papers here in America.

The Tribune is also the oldest continuously run black paper in the country.

Although Rittman shied away from the broadcast aspect of journalism, she had a wakeup call to pursue her dream.

Rittman said after the death of one of her sorority sisters, who was working in broadcasting, she realized life is short and a person will never know when their time is coming.

“I remembered telling her often that she was going to end up on someone’s television reporting the news,” Sergeant E. McIntosh said, one of Rittman’s mentors. “Breanna Rittman is setting an example for anyone out there who’s ever dreamed of being exactly what they envision.”

With that motivation, Rittman was able to talk to recruiters and landed the position of a multimedia journalist at WMBD News/WYZZ News in Peoria, Illinois.

Her first day was August 8, and she has already helped with production, writing a script, and publishing a web story on Annie Malone Day.

“I know I am rusty, so I am looking forward to the sand papering process to take effect,” Rittman said.

Rittman is looking forward to growing as a multimedia journalist while in Peoria and plans to be there at a minimum of two years, with hopes to move closer to home - to Gadsden County.

DeAmber Lowe - Gadsden County News Service

Gadsden County native follows her dream into the broadcast air – Breanna Rittman pursues career in broadcast journalism

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Gadsden County native follows her dream into the broadcast air – Breanna Rittman pursues career in broadcast journalism

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Don Brown: The man responsible for the cleanest school buses in town

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