Father’s Day is a time to celebrate the special bond between a man and his children. Fathers have the ability to motivate and shape their children’s future — as is evident for Birmingham native Mike Royer and his son, Jack.

Storytelling is an art, one that can be learned but is most pure when it is an innate characteristic. Often it is said that storytelling runs in a family. That is certainly the case for the Royers. Mike is a 40-year veteran of the news industry (formerly worked at WBRC/Channel 6 and NBC 13 in Birmingham) and the new managing editor for Tuscaloosa’s WVUA 23, where Jack is an up and coming reporter, studying to get his degree in Telecommunications at the University of Alabama.

Jack has grown up watching his father’s award-winning career blossom. He is accustomed to learning from his father’s example and has enjoyed doing so his entire life.

“Jack was about 5 when he started sitting in the sports anchor chair while I anchored the news,” said Mike. “When he was 8 or 9 he began running teleprompter for me, then started hanging out with a news video editor, going out on live shots.”

It’s no surprise that after spending his youth soaking up everything he could from his father in the newsroom, Jack decided to go into the business himself.

“To say my dad simply inspired my career would be an understatement,” Jack said. “I grew up watching him work and following him around and learning the tricks of this trade. As I’ve grown older, he’s watched after me and let me come into my own as a journalist and reporter. My on-air style, some of my writing and my general presentation is often compared to his. He was my first and best teacher.”

Mike’s new opportunity at WVUA will allow him to have a firsthand look into son’s evolution as a journalist along with helping other students to master the craft. The duo couldn’t be more excited to have the chance to work with each other again.

“Working together in a newsroom now is simply cool,” Mike said “It may last a year or two, but it will be a time both of us will remember forever. You don’t have to be Jack’s dad to know he’s pretty good and getting better. He works hard, takes his work seriously and is focused on good storytelling.”

Mike Royer is a textbook model of the impact a father’s role can have in their child’s life. The pair’s mutual respect and admiration is apparent in their work and their genuine devotion to tell the day’s stories with integrity. The Royers set an example for the type of relationship that should be celebrated on Father’s Day.