Emmy-winning filmmaker JD Ruud serves H&P through his passion for storytelling.
Helmerich & Payne employees come from all walks of life and a variety of different careers. But even with a workforce full of diverse experiences and backgrounds, JD Ruud may be the company’s only Emmy winner.
“I love telling stories,” says JD, who works for H&P as Manager of E-Learning and Multimedia. It’s the perfect position for the natural-born storyteller.
“I got into writing scripts in high school, but when I went to a film program in college I really liked getting behind the camera and editing,” says JD. “After college I got a job running the teleprompter at a news station, moved on to editing, and then to running promos. I’ve worked all over the place and even won an Emmy when I worked in California.”
JD certainly has worked all over the place, but we’re glad that for the past four years he has worked with H&P. JD’s team makes training videos for the whole company, both for our rig employees and employees in the corporate office.
“We’re here to help anyone in the company,” says JD. “We work with other parts of our training department to really collaborate and make sure stuff gets done.” While JD is proud of all of the videos he and his team produce, his greatest source of pride are the safety videos.
“I’m passionate about the safety aspect,” says JD. “Especially helping out the new employees. We hear back from people out on the rigs about how the videos really helped them. It’s rewarding to know our videos keep our people safe. It’s what keeps me wanting to come back to the office each day.”
Like many front-office H&P employees, JD’s dedication to keeping rig hands safe came about due to a life-changing visit to the field.
“My first time visiting a rig was the best story,” says JD. “I’d been working at H&P for about a year, but hadn’t been able to visit a rig yet. Finally, I went out to West Texas in the middle of a massive thunderstorm. I was completely drenched, lightning was going off everywhere, and I said ‘yeah, this is why I’m glad I’m in the office.’ I realized these guys work so hard out there to do their job and I got greater appreciation for what they do, just being out there with a camera.”
JD is being modest, as he does way more than just stand there with a camera. In fact, JD has recently been working on a cross-departmental project that benefits all of H&P, from the front office to the field.
“The new training program is meant to help our newest rig employees get their knowledge up-to-speed quickly,” said JD. “We also pair them with mentors to help them learn more about H&P, our safety culture and the job. I think that’s something that’s going to help the whole company.”
It’s a great story, and we’re grateful JD will be the one to tell it.