Welcome to Justin B. O’Brien Reports – a behind the scenes look at my life as a career news gatherer. Feel free to tell me what you think!
Afghanistan 2007
First a little bit about myself: I am an award winning News Photographer/Editor and Journalist with 27 years of news gathering experience – reporting, filming, editing and producing. Checkout my latest work HERE.
I live in Los Angels, USA.
Covering Hurricane Harvey, Texas 2017
The latest stories I’ve covered include the Napa Fires, 2017 Mexico City Earthquake, Las Vegas mass shooting, Hurricane Harvey and the Solar Eclipse. During the past two decades I’ve covered many major news events including: the Rio Olympics, 2015 San Bernardino Terrorist Attack, Super Bowls, the Mayweather/Pacquio fight, Texas Flooding, the Colorado Theatre Shootings, Ex-LAPD Christopher Dorner, the LAX Shooting, George Zimmerman LA Protests, Grammy and Oscars red carpet arrivals, September 11 Attacks, the Iraq War and numerous US breaking news stories.
I began my television news career with National Nine News Australia in 1990, as a camera assistant at Parliament House Canberra. During the next four years covered Australian Politics, witnessed Prime Ministerial leadership challenges, filmed visits by foreign Heads Of State, travelled overseas (Cambodia, Thailand, Indonesia) with Australia’s Foreign Minister and covered the 1993 Australian Federal Election campaign.
In 1994, I was posted to Nine Network Australia’s Los Angeles Bureau as a cameraman/editor. For the next decade I travelled the American continent covering every major US news story.
This included the 1994 Los Angeles Earthquake, the Columbine School shooting, Academy Award ceremonys, 1996 Summer and 2002 Winter Olympics, Tiger Wood’s first victory at Augusta National (US Masters) and Presidential election campaigns. I was part of Nine’s team on the ground in New York, providing coverage of the aftermath of the terrorist attacks on September 11, 2001.
In 2003, reporter Michael Usher and myself covered the Iraq War. Driving from the Kuwaiti Capital, we filed reports from
Basra, Iraq 2003
the Kuwaiti desert, Umm Qasr (Iraq), British liberated Basra and the US occupied Iraqi capital, Baghdad.
In 2004, I returned to Australia to pursue a journalist on-camera role with National Nine News in Darwin.
March 2007, I reported from Afghanistan while travelling with Australian troops based in the Southern Uruzgan Provience. In February 2008, I was dispatched to East Timor, this time to report on the attempted assassination of President Jose Ramos-Horta.
In May 2009, I was employed on a three months contract with CBS News. Working as a cameraman/editor in CBS Newspath’s Los Angeles Bureau. The Santa Barbara Wildfires were a notable story I covered during this time.
Returning to Darwin, I was sent to Padang, in southern Sumatra Indonesia in September to report on a 7 point 6 earthquake which devastated the region.
In 2010, worked as a multimedia and print journalist for the NT News based in Darwin, Australia.
California Wildfire 2015
In February 2011, I spent four-months volunteering as an English teacher in the coastal town of Nha Trang in Southern Vietnam. Whilst there I also constructed websites for local businesses.
I grew up in Australia and graduated from Daramalan College. I’ve studied news writing at UCLA as well as Business and American History at Santa Monica College.
To relax – I mountain bike, sail my Catalina 22 and drink ‘COLD’ Sapporo if you’re buying.
All the best,
Justin B. O’Brien
Justin B. O'Brien Reports 