This past Sunday I had the opportunity to be a featured guest on KXAN News Today with Brian Sanders. Brian kindly invited me to come on his show to discuss all of the exciting program launches at Leadership Austin this fall. An alumnus of our Experience Austin program, Brian has seen first-hand what the program can do to help orient newcomers and longtime Austinites to the hot issues in our community. Keeping up with what is most timely and relevant can be a challenge for anyone, but as it’s their job in the news industry I’m grateful that Experience Austin was beneficial to Brian and the other KXAN anchors and staffers who have come through the program for that very reason.
I’ve done television interviews before, but this was the first time it was LIVE, which made a difference in my approach and also in the nervous factor! I’m grateful to our marketing consultants at RealSparx and board member Jenna Oltersdorf from Snackbox who gave me some super media training on the fly.
I knew that “staying on message” would be important – and also challenging – since there’s so much happening at Leadership Austin this fall and so many of our programs are rolling out over the course of the next four weeks. But the one consistent message that runs throughout everything we do is always clear: Leadership Austin is here to connect you directly with the issues, skills, and relationships you need make a difference in the community and to turn your passion into action.
I arrived at the station early on Sunday morning, and Brian and his team were busy working away. I was really impressed with their lean and highly professional production. The cues were spot-on, the equipment was state-of-the-art, and the set was professional and impressive. It was fun working behind the scenes watching their second by second operation – so very clearly fine-tuned.
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| On set in the KXAN studio |
Brian was very reassuring just before going on air. He simply told me to ignore the camera, pretend like it wasn’t there and just talk directly to him. The fact that he is such a personable guy and credible anchor made that easy. The four minute interview flew by… and for a few minutes afterwards I had absolutely no recollection of what I actually said! I was quickly reassured by he and the team that it was exactly what they needed, so I cheerfully went on about my Sunday.
Leadership Austin is so grateful and proud to have KXAN as a partner again this year, helping to moderate our Engage Breakfast Series and spread the word about important community issues and ways that interested citizens can get involved. Thank you to Brian and KXAN!