THE AUDACITY OF KICKING ASS

Before I got into television I had worked in Kansas City as a promotion director for the biggest rock station there (you know, Zepplin, Bowie, Stones) and then the biggest cheesy music station in the market (Bolton, Loggins, Cher). I went from super cool KY102 “We Rock Kansas City” to KUDL (yes, that reads “cuddle”), but I was working my way up the corporate ladder – unfortunately, there were only two rungs to climb and within a few years I was at the top looking down about three feet. What I had always wanted, though, was to be a TV producer-director like my dad who lived in NYC. I wanted to ditch radio and the stoner, male chauvinist pigs I worked for and head to TV (Ha! If I knew then what I know now – anyway, I digress). In Kansas City, though, I couldn’t get a job in TV to save my life. I had all the contacts – even very close friends there in TV, but everyone I spoke to had at least one of the following two objections:

1. YOU DON’T HAVE A DEGREE IN BROADCAST TV. No, I didn’t and still don’t. I have a degree in Journalism. It’s not like I have an 8th grade education for Christ’s sake and this is the 25th market in the country -- it ain’t 60-Minutes, folks.

2. IT’S IMPOSSIBLE TO MAKE THE LEAP FROM RADIO TO TV. NO ONE WILL HIRE YOU. Gee, thanks for your time and the pep talk.

So, here I am in the land of OZ and “qualified, properly-degreed executives” are telling me that I don’t have the appropriate background or credentials to be hired at their piddly-ass little affiliates. So, you know what I did? I tacitly told them to fuck off and I went straight to ABC-TV smack dab in the center of Hollywood, got my first gig, worked my ass off, made no money, got my teeth kicked in, climbed my way 100 rungs up the ladder, worked for pigs, worked for great people, made a bunch of amazing friends, ultimately made a bunch of money, got a bunch of credits, an agent, and four Emmy nominations. I WENT AND DID EXACTLY WHAT THEY SAID I COULDN’T DO.

Here’s the thumb-nail sketch of the beginning of this journey:

I set up interviews or meet-n-greets (a great way in!) with 15 different entities over a one-week period in Los Angeles – it was a combo of radio and TV meetings – I was going to cover all bases just to get out here. I knew I’d eventually make THE NEVER-BEFORE-SEEN LEAP TO TV!

When I came to interview, I told my interviewers that “yes” I could do whatever it was they were asking if I could do. For my TV interviews I was bullshitting; I HADN’T DONE IT, but I COULD DO IT and I knew I could figure it out before they had time to bust me for being an imposter (another subject we’ll tackle more of later). I have the brains and fortitude to figure out anything I want to figure out. If I had to secretly take classes on the side to learn, I would; if I had to read more books, work longer hours, find mentors, I would. I’d do whatever it would take for me to excel in this area. On several interviews, I was asked to submit “pitches” for show ideas. I freaked. I had no idea how to write them, what to do. Granted, I had my dad who could help me, so I relied on him to guide me. (There’s always someone out there who can guide you and teach you! Just find ‘em!) I worked so damned hard on those pitches. I scrutinized everything – my ideas, my writing, the typeface, the titles, every little detail was the most important detail ever. I sent in my pitches to Fred Roggin who had a sports show on some network and to ABC’s The Home Show (a 90-minute, live national program with Gary Collins and Sarah Purcell. Remember that one?). That’s the one I wanted. That’s the one I got. They hired me for 6-weeks; six weeks at the bottom rung of a seemingly endless ladder.

With my hubby’s support, I left my full-time radio gig with full benefits for a 6-week TV gig. I turned that 6-week gig into a 2 ½ year gig. The rest is a history I’ll continue to share in upcoming posts.

MORAL: When someone says you can’t do something, get pissed off and go do it.