A West Michigan native, Ilene Gould is thrilled to be back in Grand Rapids working for FOX 17 as the Special Projects and Investigative Producer.
Ilene grew up in Rockford and discovered her love of storytelling after being a part of the award-winning Beyond the Rock School News program at Rockford High School. She credits BTR and the mentorship from her dad, a former West Michigan photojournalist, for inspiring her to pursue a career in the media industry.
After high school, Ilene went to Michigan State University. In 2019, she received a degree in Media & Information and dual minors in Fiction Filmmaking and Music. She is also a proud alumnus and former Vice President of the Spartan Marching Band, spending four years in the Mellophone section.
During her tenure at MSU, Ilene worked for WKAR as a Production Assistant and was eventually promoted to Associate Producer for Backstage Pass, a live concert series.
She also spent the summer of 2018 interning at MOCEAN LA, a production house focused on marketing for TV and movies, with clients including Netflix, Hulu, FX, Disney, Amazon and Facebook. Her biggest project included a TV campaign for The Simpsons.
After graduation, she spent two years as a Producer at WTVC NewsChannel9 in Chattanooga, Tennessee, where she was a show producer, special projects producer, and field producer for live events. She spent most of her time working on the 5pm, 5:30pm, and 10pm newscasts.
Ilene joined the FOX 17 team in August of 2022 with a focus on long-term projects and in-depth storytelling. Since she began, Ilene has coordinated FOX 17’s 2022 & 2024 Election Coverage, she’s worked with FOX 17’s Meteorologists on weather specials, and she’s also taken over producing stories for Problem Solvers.
She also produced "Water to Weather: The Great Lake Effect," which was nominated for a Michigan Emmy Award in 2024.
Ilene is passionate about Michigan politics and telling stories about religion and the Jewish community; and while she spends most of her time in the newsroom, you can also often find her running around with a camera in hand.
When she’s not telling stories, Ilene is probably singing loudly to show tunes, practicing her oboe, making hummus, doing yoga, or curled up in a cozy chair with her nose stuck in a book.
If you have a story idea, feel free to email Ilene at ilene.gould@fox17online.com or follow her on Twitter @producerilene
