Wednesday, September 24, 2008

An American Idol


In these past two weeks I wrote about people who have really inspired me and helped me out throughout my college experience. Although these are people whom I know on a personal level there are many people who I have never met, but have inspired me in some way. One broadcast professional who I really admire is Ryan Seacrest. Many people may know him as the "pretty" guy with really nice hair and teeth or the host of American Idol, but there's much more to him than that. I was even surprised about some of the information I found out about him.

According to http://www.blogger.com/www.wikipedia.com Seacrest was born in Atlanta, Georgia on December 24, 1976. Seacrest quickly got interested in the Radio business after reading the morning announcements over the PA system at his high school. At the age of just 16 he began interning at one of Atlanta's top radio stations, WSTR/Star 94. TV.com says that at first Seacrest didn't get the internship, but after creating an impressive demo tape for the station's program director he got the 7 to midnight shift.

Seacrest kept his job at the radio station all through high school all through his college career at the University of Georgia. Also, during his freshman year he began hosting a sports show on the weekends. Upon graduating from college he moved to Los Angeles to further his career in radio. In L.A. he worked for a local radio station and began to develop his career in entertainment by hosting shows such as Gladiators 2000 and Animal Games.

Seacrest got his big break when he accepted the job of co-hosting the new reality show American Idol. Once the ratings for the show went through the roof, Seacrest was in the national spotlight. Seacrest stuck with his true passion of radio by launching his own radio show in 2003 called "On Air With Ryan Seacrest." His career has skyrocketed ever since American Idol and he continues to host television shows, radio shows, and star in commercials.

According to his official website, http://www.ryanseacrest.com/, he has raised funds for one of his philanthropic partners, Operation Smile, which gives free reconstructive surgery to underprivileged children with facial deformities. Other achievements of Seacrest, reported by TV.com, are eight emmy nominations, member of Forbes's magazine Celebrity 100, and host of the 2007 Emmys.

I could probably go on and on about his different achievements and awards, but what I really find the most interesting about Ryan Seacrest is that he started off just like any other person. He found a love for radio at a young age and did whatever it took to make it his profession. I really admire the fact that he had to work hard for what he wanted in life and it wasn't just handed to him. I also love the fact that he is multi-talented in broadcasting. He can DJ a radio show, host a TV show, and produce a TV show. After doing research on Seacrest I have found a new respect for him and I hope one day I can be successful at what I want to do.

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