My 15 seconds of fame on 60 Minutes
In December, I received a call from the producers of 60 Minutes,
the longest running news program on broadcast TV. They were doing a
segment on Facebook and wanted to know if I could provide background
for the story. Leslie Stahl was going to be doing the interview.
The catch -- I had to fly to New York for the interview. I was planning to be there later in the week, but had to be home for an important teacher conference in between. But hey, this is THE 60 Minutes, the longest-running news program on television! Moreover, Leslie Stahl was going to be doing the interview. I had to do it.
So off I flew to NYC for the shoot. I got to CBS' studios and found my way to the 60 Minutes floor. There was camera equipment strewn everywhere -- nothing glamourous about it, all serious news business. The room for the taping wasn't the regular studio, just a small room filled to the gills with lights and cameras. When I arrived, the crew was busy stapling fabric and hanging pictures -- the camera angle never shows the bare walls just to the side of what you will see on the TV screen. Ah, the magic of television!
I sat in the chair while they adjusted lights. For the curious, here are two photos of me on the set. And for the even more curious, I did my own make-up.
In a little while, Leslie Stahl came in with a stack of papers with questions on them. I have to admit, I do tons of media interviews, and I was really, really nervous. After all, this was 60 Minutes!
The tape started to roll, Leslie asked her first question, and then ensued the best media interview experience of my life. Leslie was completely prepared, totally on top of the subject, and followed up with poignant questions. The whole thing was over in 45 minutes -- it flew by in a blur and I had a blast.
The feature will air this Sunday, Jan. 13th at 7pm ET/PT on CBS. I haven't seen the segment yet, but do know that I'm in it, my 15 seconds of fame. Yes, that' s all they used from the entire taping, just a few seconds.
So was it worth it? Flying to NYC twice in a week, the stress, the travel? Absolutely, and I would do it again in a flash. 60 Minutes is more than an icon, it's an institution and represents the best in journalism -- and given the state of journalism, we need more programs like 60 Minutes. Anything I can do to support it and so that it will continue to be around for my kids is worth it.
And yeah, the "fame" is nice too!
