A True Natural
In a previous blog, I mentioned that not everyone is meant to be on camera, no matter their desire. But some people are definitely born with a microphone in their hand. Not everyone realizes this though and needs a little push towards the spotlight.
That was the case for the current face of the NFL Network – Rich Eisen. He was in my class at Medill (Northwestern University’s journalism school), focused on broadcasting, though his background was print. We would research, do interviews and produce taped stories each week, sharing our creations with the class. Rich was always so easy-going on camera, just a true natural. I would watch him and know that he had a future in television. He had charisma and charm and was so funny. When he stood in front of a camera, it was like a switch was flipped in his head and he was on. But the crazy thing was that he didn’t know it.
I remember a conversation with him about our futures and what we wanted to do after graduation. I knew my career was in producing the news in-studio, not out on the street reporting it. But Rich was torn. He loved writing, wanted to do sports reporting. He thought he should pursue a position with Sports Illustrated. I looked at him incredulously. How could he not know he was meant for TV? After a long conversation of me explaining to him that he had what it takes to make it big in TV sports, he seemed somewhat convinced to give it a try. And the rest they say is history. I’m not sure my pep talk had anything to do with his success but I like to think my little nudge helped him take the leap.