My first “big” interview was someone I grew up watching on TV. Not intimidating at all, right?
“The delicate balance of mentoring someone is not creating them in your own image, but giving them the opportunity to create themselves.” — Steven Spielberg
As a kid, there were a few people who inspired me – musicians, actors, television personalities. I grew up watching people like Phil Donahue and Johnny Carson on TV (when I was able to stay up that late!) That made it all the more incredible when I was first starting out in TV, looking for a start, and got to meet Don Dahlman – a former television executive who basically helped Phil Donahue start his iconic talk show in Dayton, Ohio.
A few short years later, I found myself sitting across from Phil Donahue himself – my first “big” interview at my first morning anchor job at WKEF ABC 22 and WRGT FOX 45.
My news director, Pat Casey, was in the control room the entire time — he killed numerous commercial breaks and let me go nearly 15 minutes straight with Phil on live TV. What an incredible experience it was to interview a true television icon and a big inspiration for me.
You can view my entire interview with Phil below.