Brian Bull got a Bachelor's in Psychology from Macalester College, but got bit by the radio bug while hosting a weekly music program at WMCN, the campus station. Internships at Minnesota Public Radio, National Public Radio, and PBS followed. After completing the NPR Diversity Initiative in 1998, Bull worked as an editorial assistant with NPR’s Morning Edition program that same year.
From 1999 to 2004, Bull was news director for South Dakota Public Radio. He ran a small-market news department, coordinating coverage of state government, as well as filing statewide and national stories. In small-market fashion, he wore many hats: editor, reporter, talk show host, and producer.
His coverage of Native American issues earned him the Best Overall Radio News Reporting for 2001 Award from the Native American Journalists Association, and helped SDPR win the coveted UNITY Award from the Radio-Television News Directors Association in 2003. That same year, the RTNDA trade magazine, The Communicator, identified the network as one of three major "powerhouse" small-market networks in the country.
Bull then joined Wisconsin Public Radio in spring 2004, as assistant news director. He also served as acting news director for 15 months.
Bull’s contributions to multicultural coverage helped WPR win its first UNITY Award in 2006, and another one in 2009. Both winning submissions were about the state's Hmong community.
Feature and documentary works by Bull have earned him six Edward R. Murrow Awards, a National Headliner Award, and numerous First Place plaques from the Associated Press and Milwaukee Press Club for excellence in writing. His stories have aired on Morning Edition, All Things Considered, The World, Marketplace, National Native News, and Voice of America. His favorite stories include Hmong funerals, Midwestern Wineries, Fress Press issues in Indian country, and the sex lives of Lewis and Clark.
Bull works with NPR and NAJA every year on a radio training project, as a mentor for young journalists of color. He’s also been guest faculty at the Poynter Institute. He's been active on the boards of the RTNDA, Native American Public Telecommunications, and the Northwest Broadcast News Association.
An enrolled member of the Nez Perce Tribe, Bull enjoys covering Native American issues, but has also covered rural economies, education, social issues, and politics. His interests include photography, cooking, creative writing, history, and Godzilla movies.
