EVANSTON — The Herald is delighted to welcome new reporter Bradie Jill Jones, who has experience in a variety of media and a fresh enthusiasm for Wyoming news and values. 

Although she was raised in Utah, Jones grew up knowing that her roots are in Wyoming, especially in Uinta County. Her grandfather grew up with his 12 siblings on a back road in Mountain View, where the ranch and barn he grew up with still stand.

“I grew up hearing how Wyoming is God’s country,” Jones said, “and Wyoming’s so windy because Utah sucks — like, he would drill me on that as a kid.” 

Now that she has come to Uinta County after graduating from the University of Utah this spring, Jones said she is eager to explore her roots on her family’s homeland. 

“To be able to interview people who ... likely knew him and his family growing up, and to be on the land that my ancestors worked so hard to prove themselves on, just means the world to me,” she said. “... It’s really sentimental — I really love Wyoming. This is where I come from and where I was born to be.” 

Jones has yearned to be part of news since she was young, with politics and the impact of news seeping into every corner of her family’s life. Because her father is a lieutenant colonel in the Army reserve, her family saw the direct impact of national and international events. One such occasion was the terrorist attacks of 9/11, which led to her father’s deployment. 

“... Growing up, I would always watch the news because whatever happened — like, whatever attack happened in the Middle East — it directly impacted what happened in our house,” she said. 

Her upbringing guided her to journalism and media in other ways as well. Jones grew up an only child and the sole niece of several aunts and uncles. As a result, she learned early how to interact with adults, and she also formed a close relationship with her parents. 

Together, they pursued horse riding and backpacking among other things, and Jones describes her family as very political and patriotic, all of which fed her passion to learn new things and explore the world. 

“[I] love talking to anyone and everyone, want to know the answers to all the questions, and I think that’s because I grew up with adults and I didn’t really understand being intimidated by them,” she said. 

With her boundless curiosity, passion for politics and varied interests, Jones pursued a journalism degree and ended up double majoring in political science and journalism. She also studied marketing and public relations, worked for the school newspaper and was a spokesperson for Utah Gov. Gary Herbert during his campaign. 

“... I traveled around and tried to convince people — or just got yelled at a lot as to why they didn’t like him,” she remembered. 

Her work for the school newspaper gave her more experience in media as well. She said her background is in TV journalism, so while her best friend was the editor, Jones was the broadcast team leader. 

“What I really love are stories with a human aspect, like, I get to talk to someone and find out why they’re upset about something or why something’s close to their heart,” she said. “... I like the hard news, but I always like to throw elements in there like emotion ...” 

While TV journalism is different from newspaper journalism in some key areas, it gave her a different approach to news and creating stories. The writing that was done funneled into narrating a story and creating it visually, and it also involved working both behind the scenes and in front of the camera. 

“It’s hard because ... you need to look good when you’re on television,” Jones explained, “and then you’re hauling a 50-pound camera with a tripod over your shoulder around, and you’re, like, sweating and you’re a hot mess trying to do everything and then stand in front of the camera and do your own thing.” 

Jones enjoys staying active whenever she can snatch the chance, seeking out sun-dappled cliffs, wild western winds and babbling brooks among countless other experiences. She records her many breathtaking adventures around the world on her personal blog, ThePoshPine.com, or on her Instagram account at bradiejilll. 

She also enjoys doing sprint triathlons (especially the swimming, whether in a lake or a pool), and she is an avid backpacker.

“Each year I try to backpack at least 500 miles,” she said.

She also has her own videography business here in Evanston, where she creates a variety of videos, including weddings, births, travel and for missionaries for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.