Michelle De Long

I have been in the media/entertainment industry a long time. My mother enrolled me in tap dancing classes when I was 4 years old. While I wasn't the greatest dancer, during a recital it became apparent that I was destined to become a director or producer in the entertainment industry. I had stopped dead cold on stage, put my hands on my hips, turned to the girl next me and yelled, "You are doing it wrong!"

From there I dabbled in school plays and then eventually starting taking theatre classes at the Player's Guild in Canton, OH. After preforming in a few plays, my instructor pulled me aside and gently told me, you are a good actress but you have a gift that a lot of these kids don't. You can see the entire play from inside out. You should go behind the scenes and direct or produce. Heeding that advice I headed off to college and discovered Radio, TV and Film. I loved it and ended up with a BA in Mass Media Communications and a Minor in Theatre.

Most people who graduate with this kind of degree don't end up in the business. You need insatiable drive, a sprinkle of insanity and luck. I landed my first TV job a few months after graduating. I had followed my dean's advice and sent out stacks of resumes to the local TV stations. And then did nothing but wait. As luck would have it, WUAB in Parma, Ohio needed to add women to their studio crew. I just happened to be one of the few women with an actual degree in TV so after shuffling through their pile of resumes they called me and I was hired. My pay? $4.15 an hour. I pushed cameras around the studio floor, hung lights, learned how to record audio, shelped gear, and eventually shot a few shows and taught myself how to edit video.

It was great but after 18 months there, I heard of a program at NBC in Cleveland called Vacation Relief. You worked for 10 months making over 20 bucks an hour and then you got laid off 2 months, then back on again. I JUMPED at it. And they stuck me on crew. But since I had taught myself how to edit, I really wanted to join the editors in the newsroom. I hung around, asked questions and begged for a chance. Finally the News Director caved and gave me a few shifts. 6 months later? I had my first Emmy nomination. I spent 15 years at NBC News mostly in Chicago. Now I am the President, Mimi Productions a Video and TV Production Company. After 27 years in the business, I still love it. It is tough industry, but I can't imagine myself doing anything else.