We are pleased to announce that television photojournalist Brian Wise has joined FindJodi, Inc. as the newest volunteer member of our team.
Brian, who works at KAAL-TV in Rochester, Minnesota, is the first photojournalist to join FindJodi, Inc. since the nonprofit team was created in 2003 by former KAAL news director Gary Peterson and anchor/reporter Josh Benson.
Brian was born in Denver, Colorado, and lived in several states before moving to Minnesota, including Illinois and Alaska.
He has been practicing photography for almost fifteen years. Brian first discovered his passion for photography as a junior at West Anchorage High School.
After high school, Brian earned a bachelor’s degree in Mass Communications at Colorado Mesa University.
While in college, Brian gained experience working on several campus mediums, including the college’s newspaper and magazine, as a reporter and as a photographer. He also spent a summer working as a camera operator for the Grand Junction Rockies and he had an internship in public affairs for the American Red Cross of Western Colorado. His college resume also included time as a lifeguard.
After graduating from college, Brian moved to Rochester, Minnesota, in 2016, when he was hired by KAAL as a photojournalist. The job allows him to pursue his passion for storytelling. His assignments involved covering a number of big stories throughout southeastern Minnesota and northern Iowa. They included presidential visits, ground breaking research at Mayo Clinic, high-profile court cases and and many other stories.
One story that Brian couldn’t forget led him to where he is today: the unsolved abduction of news anchor Jodi Huisentruit in 1995. Jodi worked at KIMT-TV in Mason City, Iowa, a station in the same small television market as KAAL-TV.
“Brian is extremely creative and he’s a digger. He knows how to find information quickly which is super valuable to our team,” says FindJodi, Inc. co-founder Josh Benson.
“And we were cut from the same cloth working at KAAL-TV. Everyone in that newsroom (and that region) knows Jodi and her story. Most of us want to find out what happened. That’s why we’re here.”
Brian says he first became interested in Jodi’s case in 2018 after he watched a CBS 48 Hours special that included FindJodi, as well as the investigative reporting by team member Caroline Lowe while she was at WCCO-TV, and ‘The Huisentruit File‘ series produced by Josh and Gary while they were at KAAL in Austin, Minnesota, in the early 2000’s.
Brian’s interest in Jodi’s case increased during the Covid pandemic when he started listening to true crime podcasts. One of the podcasts launched during that time was FindJodi’s 35-episode series hosted by Scott Fuller. As Brian listened, he began to dig deeper on Jodi’s case on his own. He also volunteered to help our FindJodi team set up our annual events in Mason City to honor Jodi on the anniversary of her disappearance.
“Jodi’s family deserves answers to what happened to her,” Brian said about his decision to join the FindJodi team.
When Brian isn’t working or pursuing leads on Jodi’s case, you can find him out on a hiking trail, kayaking, traveling, skiing, or spending time with his family, friends or cat, Mickey.
In addition to those activities, Brian recently became certified in Wilderness First Aid through the National Outdoor Leadership School.
Welcome aboard, Brian!
Anyone with any information on Jodi’s case should contact the Mason City Police Department at (641) 421-3636 or email Iowa DCI Special Agent Ryan Herman at rherman@dps.state.ia.us. You can always reach out to FindJodi here, or anonymously here.
