A little about me…
Morning Show Executive Producer for NBC Chicago, news addict, social media lead, traveler, discoverer, romantic, songstress, runaway bride but there’s still hope for me…
I’m home. I spent the past 14 years working in TV news and media relations across the country, but now I’m back in Chicago where I belong.
Don’t get me wrong. If it wasn’t for my experiences in Milwaukee, Champaign, Lincoln, Memphis, Detroit and Minneapolis — I wouldn’t appreciate what I have now. I’m grateful for my time away, but I don’t see myself leaving anytime soon.
I made lifelong friends at Marquette University in Milwaukee and fell in love with TV news while wor
king at several stations in the city. I reported and produced in Champaign and Lincoln; strengthened my producing skills covering hard news in Memphis; fell in love with hockey and covered 9/11 and the black-out in Detroit; and won my first Emmy Award for breaking news while working as an executive producer in Minneapolis. It was there, where I discovered a school in Panama that desperately needed computers and other school supplies. I flew there – after securing Microsoft and the community’s help, and delivered the computers. It was a week I’ll never forget.
It was also in Minneapolis where I became the spokesperson for a large law enforcement agency and handled all of the international, national and local media when the 35W bridge collapsed in Mi
nneapolis. It was a moment — that ended 20 days later when the last of the 13 people killed were recovered from the Mississippi River.
Now, I’m back home – discovering a city I only knew as a kid for it’s museums, Ed Debevic’s and Cubs games. I’m doing exactly what I want: working inside Chicago newsrooms, rehabbing my place on the lake, running/biking in charity races and constantly seeking out new places to hit. Even made a dream come through that I NEVER imagined would come to fruition: singing on stage with Dad.
But the story only begins there…
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- Dream come true: singing on stage with Dad
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- Shooting in NYC for Food Network’s “Iron Chef”
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- Bringing computers to a school in Panama
Hi Kathryn!
I am a student at Fremd high school and I wanted to say thank you so much for coming and sharing your experiences with journalism! I have always wanted a career in journalism and you have motivated me to pursue that even more! With newspapers dwindling, I’ve been second-guessing if there will be any job opportunities in journalism. The glooming thought of being at a cubicle with my notepad and pen working for a newspaper was also a future that I didn’t want to engage in for too long. Yet, after seeing you on that stage, your motivation and passion for your career has driven me to not let go of my dream. Your advice on using every opportunity as an outlet to gain more experience was really uplifting. This motif has played a significant role in my life and I’m a strong believer that everything happens for a reason. I use every experience to build up my world of knowledge, just like you stated. I also appreciate the diverse outlets you engaged in through your writing. Being a spokesperson for the Sheriff’s department would’ve never been something that crossed my mind, yet my curiosity and interest for this has been expanded after hearing your experience. Being a producer has become an idealistic job interest that I’d like to explore. I was engaged by your ability to have control to put out the most significant news. There are so many unique ways to share one’s writing with the world, and you have truly taken advantage of these, and I admire you for that. You stated that if there was ten minutes before a segment and there was a developing story, you would scratch the news story in order to replace it with more recent information, and that dedication to providing your audience with the best news is truly remarkable. You were truly an inspiration to us journalists out there who are discouraged by the turn of the newspapers market. I sincerely appreciate all the advice you shared! You also mentioned about internships and I would love the opportunity to participate in an internship! Please let me know if there are any internship opportunities available! My email is elizabethamanieh@yahoo.com
Fellow news addict,
Liz Amanieh
Thank you Liz! Your post made my month.
Please let me know when you end up in a great college — and we’ll talk about internships, jobs… all of it.
I’m here for you – good luck!
pirate unknown as yet to the media, ideas?
Hey – I enjoyed your blog site. I am a former NBC staffer as well & worked in Network On-Air promotion in lovely Burbank, Cal – where it would hit at least 100-degrees every day in the summer:) I’m glad I live near the beach:) If your travels bring you to Los Angeles – please feel free to contact me.
Bill Dedes
(310) 326-4500
Seriously Kat, if you want to really learn the craft of journalism, you need to serve a tour of duty in Waco.
What?