EXPERIENCE

Since falling in love with meteorology at 6 years old, Riley became focused in preparing for a career in it.

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Riley was fortunate to benefit from 4 years of television production courses in high school where he learned the operations of a live news production. While there, he was able to utilize a live chroma key wall to broadcast live weather reports to the school. 

 

Entering college in 2019, Riley took a year to study abroad before joining FSU Weather's nightly broadcasts in October 2020. He continued practicing his broadcast skills in the studio until Fall 2021, when he became the Tuesday Weather Producer for the 30 minute show. Here he made the show's graphics utilizing the IBM Max software while organizing the talent and leading behind the scenes duties each week.

 

This lead Riley to become employed by ABC News as a freelance, fill-in Weather Producer behind the scenes upon graduation with a B.S. in Meteorology in Spring 2022. He remained with the company until April 2023, producing graphics and being one of the network's trusted meteorologists for the programs Good Morning America and World News Tonight. Here he continued to utilize the IBM Max graphics software.

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Riley is currently the Weekend Evening Meteorologist for ABC 27 WTXL in Tallahassee, FL. He utilizes the Baron Lynx graphics software producing his own graphics that he uses on air in his forecasts. When not fronting the weekend evening forecast

or filling in on air on the weekdays, Riley works on local stories focused on the weather or enrivonment.​

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During his time in Tallahassee, Riley has been a part of wall to wall coverage for 3 landfalling hurricanes in the viewing area. Hurricanes Idalia, Debby, and Helene all made landfall in Taylor County with significant impacts inland reaches neighborhoods like Valdosta, Georgia. He has visited some of the most impacted areas by these storms and worked on stories focused on the human impact and recovery these storms have had on neighbors in the Big Bend and South Georgia.

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Riley's time at WTXL has also brought a Flash Flood Emergency and simultaneous tornadoes ripping through the capital city of Tallahassee. He was on air when one of the tornadoes was confirmed and just minutes away from impacting the largest population center in the viewing area.

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While these significant weather events have given Riley experience with breaking weather coverage, they have also helped him understand how seriously these storms affect the lives of human beings. Disaster after disaster, Riley has witnessed the strength of the community first hand out in the field, including those just around his corner. He recognizes now more than ever the importance of not just being the source of life-saving information, but also being a helping hand once the skies return to blue.