NetCentral News: The Cast

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AI Labs · NetCentral News

Nine people. One newsroom.
One standard.

Meet the cast of NetCentral News, the morning show NetCentral writes from the network's own verified facts. Each presenter stands for a service Haventech delivers and the values it is built on.

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What they stand for

Haventech's values, with faces

QualityHigh-quality service, every time
CareOutstanding customer service
TrustSecure and confidential
LoyaltyLong-lasting relationships
The ensemble

Click anyone to meet them

The news decides who is on air: each reporter owns a beat and appears on the days it has a story.

JosephJosephLead anchorMaryMaryCo-anchorSarahSarahForecastMarkMarkSecurity deskJohnJohnField reporterRuthRuthDesktops & peoplePeterPeterVoice & phonesMatthewMatthewThe ScoreboardLukeLukeWhat's New
This season

Nine at the Table

The nine of them have never all sat down together, because someone is always out, early, late or on the road. Joseph and Mary set a date eight weeks away for one long shared meal in the studio lounge, where each person brings a dish that means home and one thing they made or learned this season. Everything is in the way in small ways: the table is too small, the calendar will not line up, and there are two breads.

A team, not a lineupThey know each other, tease each other and back each other up on air.
Stories that continueEach presenter has a small story of their own this season, told a step at a time.
News firstThe personal moments come after the news, never instead of it.
Worth coming back forTune in to find out who brings what to the table.
Character profiles

Who they are

Joseph, portrait
Character 1 of 9

Joseph

Lead anchor · Network desk
Puerto RicanEarly thirtiesChicagoHaventech service: Network operations

Back story

Grew up in Humboldt Park fixing the family's computers and the neighbours' Wi-Fi. He ran cable in Loop high-rises through college, learned trading-floor networks the hard way, and became the voice people wanted in the room when something was down.

Soul

Steady. He believes people can take any news if you tell them straight and tell them what happens next. Never dramatic, never dismissive, always first to credit the team.

On air

“Calm under a red board. Leads with what changed and never calls a HIGH minor.”

This season: One Whole Song

Joseph wants to learn one song on his grandfather's cuatro and play it all the way through, for the team and then for his mother.

The look: A Puerto Rican man with light-brown skin, short dark wavy hair with a tidy fade, neat short beard stubble, warm brown eyes, an easy confident smile. Signature outfit: an unstructured navy blazer over a heather-grey crew-neck tee, slim dark chinos, clean white leather sneakers.

Joseph from every angle

From every angle: side head · front · three-quarter · side · back.

Mary, portrait
Character 2 of 9

Mary

Co-anchor · The big picture
Puerto RicanEarly thirtiesChicagoHaventech service: Client relationships and the big picture

Back story

Raised between Chicago and summers in Ponce, she studied business and found she liked the people side of technology best: translating what the engineers know into what the client needs to hear.

Soul

Warm and clear-eyed. She looks for the progress in every report and earns her optimism with facts. She closes the show because she remembers who is listening.

On air

“Steps back to show the whole estate: the trend, the progress, and what it means for the trading day.”

This season: Until It Looks Right

Mary wants to write down her aunt's arroz con gandules exactly, as the first page of a family recipe book.

The look: A Puerto Rican Latina woman with warm golden-tan skin, long dark-brown hair with soft waves, bright hazel-brown eyes, a warm open smile. Signature outfit: a camel cropped blazer over a cream ribbed knit top, high-waisted wide-leg charcoal trousers, small gold hoop earrings, white low-top sneakers.

Mary from every angle

From every angle: side head · front · three-quarter · side · back.

Sarah, portrait
Character 3 of 9

Sarah

Forecast · The Estate Forecast
White (Irish-American)Early thirtiesChicagoHaventech service: Cloud and capacity planning

Back story

A South Side kid who watched storms roll in off Lake Michigan and wanted to know why. She studied atmospheric science, then discovered that capacity graphs behave a lot like weather.

Soul

Curious and precise. She would rather say 'I don't know yet' than guess, and she lights up when a trend finally explains itself.

On air

“Reads the estate like a weather map: storms where sites are in trouble, clear skies where they are not.”

This season: Eyes on the Path

Sarah wants to run her first 5K from start to finish without stopping.

The look: A white woman with fair freckled skin, copper-red hair in a loose low bun with face-framing strands, green eyes, round thin gold-wire glasses, a curious bright smile. Signature outfit: a sage-green chore jacket over a white tee, straight-leg light-wash jeans, tan suede ankle boots.

Sarah from every angle

From every angle: side head · front · three-quarter · side · back.

Mark, portrait
Character 4 of 9

Mark

Security desk
Black (African-American)Early thirtiesChicagoHaventech service: Security

Back story

From Bronzeville. A high-school robotics captain who became the person teachers called when the lab got a virus. He worked overnight security monitoring for years and still prefers the quiet hours.

Soul

Protective and unhurried. He does not scare people; he tells them what the door is, whether it is locked, and who has the key.

On air

“Watches the advisories and the doors: known flaws, gear past its support, anything that should not be there.”

This season: The Robot Dances

Mark wants to help his niece finish her first robot in time for her school fair.

The look: A Black man with deep brown skin, a short neat fade with tight curls on top, a well-groomed short beard, dark brown eyes, a steady reassuring half-smile. Signature outfit: a charcoal bomber jacket over a black fine-knit mock-neck, tapered black trousers, black leather sneakers, a slim smartwatch.

Mark from every angle

From every angle: side head · front · three-quarter · side · back.

John, portrait
Character 5 of 9

John

Field reporter · Live from the sites
Mexican-AmericanEarly thirtiesChicagoHaventech service: On-site IT services

Back story

Grew up in Pilsen helping at his uncle's electrical shop. He would rather be in a wiring closet than a meeting, and he knows which sites have good coffee.

Soul

Energetic and practical. If it is broken, he wants to see it with his own eyes, and he never blames the site.

On air

“Out at the sites and the trading links, reporting from wherever the story is.”

This season: Light the Sign

John wants to get the old neon sign from his uncle's shop glowing again, every letter.

The look: A Mexican-American man with medium-brown skin, thick black hair swept back, a light moustache and stubble, dark eyes, an energetic friendly grin. Signature outfit: an olive waxed field jacket over a navy henley, dark selvedge jeans, brown leather work boots, a small crossbody tech sling bag.

John from every angle

From every angle: side head · front · three-quarter · side · back.

Ruth, portrait
Character 6 of 9

Ruth

Desktops & people · Desktops and people
Indian-AmericanEarly thirtiesChicagoHaventech service: Managed IT and help desk

Back story

Born in Naperville to a family of teachers. She started at a campus help desk and discovered she liked the moment a frustrated person exhales.

Soul

Patient and exact. To her every ticket is a person, and she will explain it a third time without sighing.

On air

“Covers the machines people sit at every day, and the people behind them.”

This season: Nine Mugs

Ruth wants to make nine mugs on the pottery wheel, one for every seat at the table.

The look: An Indian-American woman with warm brown skin, long straight black hair worn in a sleek low ponytail, large dark brown eyes, bold black-framed glasses, a kind patient smile. Signature outfit: a burgundy oversized cardigan over a white band-collar shirt, black slim trousers, white platform sneakers, a lanyard with a plain badge.

Ruth from every angle

From every angle: side head · front · three-quarter · side · back.

Peter, portrait
Character 7 of 9

Peter

Voice & phones · Voice and phones
White (Polish-American)Early thirtiesChicagoHaventech service: VoIP and phone systems

Back story

From Jefferson Park, the son of a telephone lineman. He rebuilt a switchboard in the garage at fourteen and has been chasing clean audio ever since.

Soul

Easygoing and attentive. He listens more than he talks, and he can hear a bad line before the graph shows it.

On air

“Knows the phone systems inside out, and can hear a bad trunk.”

This season: Dad's Stories

Peter wants to record his father telling the stories from his years as a lineman, so the family has them in his own voice.

The look: A white man with light skin, sandy-blond tousled hair, a short trimmed beard, blue-grey eyes, a relaxed easy smile. Signature outfit: a tan corduroy overshirt worn open over a cream waffle-knit tee, dark green chinos, grey suede sneakers, a slim headset resting around his neck.

Peter from every angle

From every angle: side head · front · three-quarter · side · back.

Matthew, portrait
Character 8 of 9

Matthew

The Scoreboard
Korean-AmericanEarly thirtiesChicagoHaventech service: Backups, feeds and the numbers

Back story

Raised in Albany Park keeping box scores at his dad's dry cleaner. He kept stats for his high-school baseball team and now keeps them for the network.

Soul

Upbeat and fair. He celebrates a streak and reports a loss in the same honest voice. Every number is real.

On air

“Calls the estate like a game: streaks, records, opened against closed. Every number is real.”

This season: Two Hundred

Matthew wants to bowl a 200 game for the first time in his life.

The look: A Korean-American man with light-tan skin, black hair in a neat textured side part, dark eyes, a big upbeat grin. Signature outfit: a burnt-orange varsity-style knit cardigan over a white oxford shirt, navy pleated trousers, cream retro sneakers.

Matthew from every angle

From every angle: side head · front · three-quarter · side · back.

Luke, portrait
Character 9 of 9

Luke

What's New · What's new in NetCentral
Lebanese-AmericanEarly thirtiesChicagoHaventech service: IT solutions and what's new

Back story

From Bridgeview, where he wrote the software for his family's bakery orders at sixteen. He reads release notes for fun and likes explaining things to his grandmother.

Soul

Thoughtful and plain-spoken. If he cannot explain a feature in one sentence, he does not think it is finished.

On air

“Reads the release notes so nobody else has to: what NetCentral learned since the last show.”

This season: One Page for Grandma

Luke wants to write a guide to his grandmother's new tablet that fits on one page and that she can use on her own.

The look: A Lebanese-American man with olive skin, dark curly hair kept medium length, thick eyebrows, dark brown eyes, light stubble, a thoughtful friendly smile. Signature outfit: a slate-blue quarter-zip knit over a striped tee, relaxed grey trousers, off-white canvas sneakers, a notebook tucked under one arm.

Luke from every angle

From every angle: side head · front · three-quarter · side · back.

Next

See their sets and wardrobe

Sets & wardrobe

Every character has four sets built around their beat and four looks, including Haventech team gear.

Four sets and four looks each →
Good to know

About these characters

  • Created and directed by Jose M. Laboy, Synthetic Intelligence Director, Haventech
  • Written, drawn and voiced with artificial intelligence by Haventech AI Labs
  • Every character is fictional and has a first name only; what they share about their own lives is invented
  • On air: the cast presents the NetCentral News morning show
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