My second piece for E! NEWS just aired tonight, an interview with Olympic champion Shawn Johnson, so I wanted to take a little time to just write about this new endeavor and chapter in my career.
I’ve spent most of my Olympic career being the interviewee on shows including Access Hollywood, the Today Show and a few times on E! News, but a few months ago I got the opportunity to step to the other side of the business thanks to the very awesome folks at E! News!
In bigger sports there is more of a clear transition to broadcasting. Soccer players who end their careers can broadcast soccer matches for example, and obviously the big sports have tons of opportunities to get on-air. Michael Strahan comes immediately to mind as someone who has done a great job going from covering his sports to now on-air with Kelly Ripa.
In a sport like fencing where our competitions are not on TV much (net yet at least!) it can be much harder to cross over and gain experience so I feel very fortunate to have gotten this opportunity.
I first met the E! folks out and about in NYC and had my first opportunity to go on-air with them and their correspondent Alicia Quarles when I modeled and unveiled the London 2012 the Ralph Lauren opening ceremony outfit with David Lauren and soccer star Heather Mitts last year. I also shot a piece with them in London when I taught Ross Mathews to fence and it was really a pleasure to work with their folks…and so a relationship was born that has led me to be on-air for them doing the interviewing!
For E! I’m going to be covering sports and athletes with an entertainment edge. It has been great so far learning the ropes from the people at E! News and I’ve been approaching it like I do my training for sports. Trying to practice my skills, watching the show each night and trying to learn from the best, working with a coach and I’m also working with an on-air TV agent now, Seth Mayeri at Evolution Media, who is helping me make the transition.
My first interview was with NY Ranger Brad Richards who is the face of a shirt line called Untuckit and in my interview with Shawn Johnson we talked about her workout routine which includes the Nike + Kinect system and she offered her advice to her 2012 Olympic champion gymnast counterparts.
Thanks for all your support and keep a look out for me as I continue to make my move to broadcasting!
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