Who Was That Girl On CNN?
Oh yes, that was me. :) Let me explain how someone like me could end up on a channel like CNN.
I got a call from a producer of the CNN morning show Thursday morning. It seems he read an article online that I wrote for my company about gossip in the workplace. He was hoping that I'd come on the show the next day and talk a little bit about what I wrote in the article for a segment called Office Space. I didn't know what to say at first, I thought it might have been a prank. So I told him I'd get back to him and he left me his number. This was no joke.
I asked my boss if he thought it was a good idea and he told me to go for it. It would plug the company and be a great opportunity for me. I'm not one for public speaking. It takes every ounce of courage I have just to do a reading in front of 20 or so people. But I knew I'd regret throwing away an opportunity like this, so I called the guy back and said I'd do it.
So the next morning, a car arrived for me at 9 am. This was the first time I'd ever ridden in a limo with the exception of weddings. I felt all sorts of important. :) I was like a kid in a candy shop. I played with all the gadgets and called a bunch of friends. I was really getting into the whole thing.
I was dropped off at 5 Penn Plaza at about 9:45. I went through some serious security and then was told to have a seat. Eventually they sent me back to hair and makeup where I met the two nicest makeup girls. They transformed me into something that actually looked semi-decent. They were miracle workers I tell you! hehe
Then the producer comes out and talks to me a bit about how it's all going to work. He had given the host my article and wrote a bunch of questions for her. He said the segment would probably last from 3 to 5 minutes so I wasn't to worry about getting grilled or anything like that. He gave me a copy of my article so I could refresh myself. Considering it was about gossip...I didn't think I'd have a problem at all talking about it. :)
I sat there for about another 20 minutes, going over my article, calling people from my cell, and just taking it all in. The behind the scenes was much as I expected. Hundreds of computers and people just milling around. It was a very cool sight.
At about 10:30 the producer came back to lead me to where I'd be on. He explained in a hushed voice, pointing to a table on a set where there were currently 2 women and 1 man talking about some digital camera, that I was going to be sitting where the man was. I was to look at camera 3 when the host introduced me, and then I was not to worry about the cameras afterward and just talk with the two hosts. I thought it sounded easy enough. So he left me there and told me that they (being the five or so people running the cameras and going back and forth between desks with lots of papers) would tell me when it was time to go on.
I sat there another 10 minutes or so and then was told it was time for me. They led me to the chair, showed me what camera I was to look in, and hooked a microphone up to my shirt. I was introduced to the hosts and then sat there waiting for my cue, practicing my fake smile for the camera.
Some woman rushed over with a handful of papers for the host and whispered into her ear. She sighed and said that she had some headlines she had to read before we could get to my segment because, "the Middle East is blowing up again." I just sat there and nodded. I heard "FIVE SECONDS" being shouted from somewhere to my right and a man stood next to the middle camera holding three fingers out.
The room suddenly got quiet and I saw the man count down the three fingers then point to the host. She immediately started to read what was running down the teleprompter. I sat there and smiled at the camera I was supposed to look in, even though I knew it wasn't on yet.
They took another break, but this time much shorter and before I knew it the five second shout returned and the man held up his three fingers again. I just stared and smiled at my camera, not wanting to screw up. There was a teleprompter under it where I could read what the host was going to say. She did her introductory speil (steamrolling over my name...at my company I write under Meghan Knierim-Fatras...yeah, I know...torture.) The host asked me why gossip was such a problem in the wsorkplace and I answered. I put on my "TV voice" tryng to sound like the news casters I've been watching for years. The other host asked a question, which I answered, getting slightly tongue tied but thinking I recovered pretty well. The host asked one more question which I answered quickly, then she thanked me for coming and I thanked her for having me on the show. The whole thing took 5 minutes, tops.
The host turned back to her camera and started rambling about the next segment. The guy that had been holding his fingers up just pointed at me and mouthed "one sec." So I stayed put. When the host finished her spiel someone came over to me, unhooked my mike and said, "good job." I was led back to where the producer was. I asked how I did and he said he thought it went really well. I told him I got a little tongue tied and he said that they have had guests who have completly forgotten what to say about the topic. He gave me his card and told me to email him with an address to send a tape to, then escorted me back out.
I was back out on the streets of Manhattan by 11:00. It was an incredible experience. I might have been a lot more nervous if it all didn't fly by so fast. Of course I realized too late that I was had been live on CNN fn...not the regular CNN channel. So all the relatives taped the wrong channel. That's ok by me though, since I will now own the only tape. If I look crappy...no one has to see it. :)
I could have had a limo home, but decided to stay in the city and have lunch with my sister. Despite the drizzle, the homeless woman who talked my ear off for a half hour in Starbucks, the overpriced (but very tasty) sushi, and the long wait for the train home, my day couldn't have been better. :) So I had five minutes of fame. I've still got 10 minutes left. Someone give Oprah my number!
Oh yes, that was me. :) Let me explain how someone like me could end up on a channel like CNN.
I got a call from a producer of the CNN morning show Thursday morning. It seems he read an article online that I wrote for my company about gossip in the workplace. He was hoping that I'd come on the show the next day and talk a little bit about what I wrote in the article for a segment called Office Space. I didn't know what to say at first, I thought it might have been a prank. So I told him I'd get back to him and he left me his number. This was no joke.
I asked my boss if he thought it was a good idea and he told me to go for it. It would plug the company and be a great opportunity for me. I'm not one for public speaking. It takes every ounce of courage I have just to do a reading in front of 20 or so people. But I knew I'd regret throwing away an opportunity like this, so I called the guy back and said I'd do it.
So the next morning, a car arrived for me at 9 am. This was the first time I'd ever ridden in a limo with the exception of weddings. I felt all sorts of important. :) I was like a kid in a candy shop. I played with all the gadgets and called a bunch of friends. I was really getting into the whole thing.
I was dropped off at 5 Penn Plaza at about 9:45. I went through some serious security and then was told to have a seat. Eventually they sent me back to hair and makeup where I met the two nicest makeup girls. They transformed me into something that actually looked semi-decent. They were miracle workers I tell you! hehe
Then the producer comes out and talks to me a bit about how it's all going to work. He had given the host my article and wrote a bunch of questions for her. He said the segment would probably last from 3 to 5 minutes so I wasn't to worry about getting grilled or anything like that. He gave me a copy of my article so I could refresh myself. Considering it was about gossip...I didn't think I'd have a problem at all talking about it. :)
I sat there for about another 20 minutes, going over my article, calling people from my cell, and just taking it all in. The behind the scenes was much as I expected. Hundreds of computers and people just milling around. It was a very cool sight.
At about 10:30 the producer came back to lead me to where I'd be on. He explained in a hushed voice, pointing to a table on a set where there were currently 2 women and 1 man talking about some digital camera, that I was going to be sitting where the man was. I was to look at camera 3 when the host introduced me, and then I was not to worry about the cameras afterward and just talk with the two hosts. I thought it sounded easy enough. So he left me there and told me that they (being the five or so people running the cameras and going back and forth between desks with lots of papers) would tell me when it was time to go on.
I sat there another 10 minutes or so and then was told it was time for me. They led me to the chair, showed me what camera I was to look in, and hooked a microphone up to my shirt. I was introduced to the hosts and then sat there waiting for my cue, practicing my fake smile for the camera.
Some woman rushed over with a handful of papers for the host and whispered into her ear. She sighed and said that she had some headlines she had to read before we could get to my segment because, "the Middle East is blowing up again." I just sat there and nodded. I heard "FIVE SECONDS" being shouted from somewhere to my right and a man stood next to the middle camera holding three fingers out.
The room suddenly got quiet and I saw the man count down the three fingers then point to the host. She immediately started to read what was running down the teleprompter. I sat there and smiled at the camera I was supposed to look in, even though I knew it wasn't on yet.
They took another break, but this time much shorter and before I knew it the five second shout returned and the man held up his three fingers again. I just stared and smiled at my camera, not wanting to screw up. There was a teleprompter under it where I could read what the host was going to say. She did her introductory speil (steamrolling over my name...at my company I write under Meghan Knierim-Fatras...yeah, I know...torture.) The host asked me why gossip was such a problem in the wsorkplace and I answered. I put on my "TV voice" tryng to sound like the news casters I've been watching for years. The other host asked a question, which I answered, getting slightly tongue tied but thinking I recovered pretty well. The host asked one more question which I answered quickly, then she thanked me for coming and I thanked her for having me on the show. The whole thing took 5 minutes, tops.
The host turned back to her camera and started rambling about the next segment. The guy that had been holding his fingers up just pointed at me and mouthed "one sec." So I stayed put. When the host finished her spiel someone came over to me, unhooked my mike and said, "good job." I was led back to where the producer was. I asked how I did and he said he thought it went really well. I told him I got a little tongue tied and he said that they have had guests who have completly forgotten what to say about the topic. He gave me his card and told me to email him with an address to send a tape to, then escorted me back out.
I was back out on the streets of Manhattan by 11:00. It was an incredible experience. I might have been a lot more nervous if it all didn't fly by so fast. Of course I realized too late that I was had been live on CNN fn...not the regular CNN channel. So all the relatives taped the wrong channel. That's ok by me though, since I will now own the only tape. If I look crappy...no one has to see it. :)
I could have had a limo home, but decided to stay in the city and have lunch with my sister. Despite the drizzle, the homeless woman who talked my ear off for a half hour in Starbucks, the overpriced (but very tasty) sushi, and the long wait for the train home, my day couldn't have been better. :) So I had five minutes of fame. I've still got 10 minutes left. Someone give Oprah my number!
posted by Meghan at 12:31 PM
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