Big news! I’m back in showbiz!! (I got a new job)

I have exciting news!!!

You may have noticed I’ve been laying low on the blogging front lately. Much of my energy has been focused on interviewing for a job that seemed so well-suited for me, I was worried if I thought about anything else or spoke too much about it I would jinx it forever and be doomed to live the rest of my days wondering what could have been.

I had FIVE– count ’em five– interviews, and a few restless nights and hand- wringing days waiting to find out if I got the job. And I did!

Photo credit: Kathryn Huang photography

You’re looking at the new Editor of Entertainment video for the Associated Press!

A former colleague who works at the AP told me about the position a few months ago and it seemed too good to be true. I’ve been looking for the right job for several years but like Goldilocks, could never seem to find the right fit.

I was working part-time at Fox News as a news editor for the World and U.S. pages and freelance writing for several websites. It gave me great digital experience, but I found writing about Islamic extremist bombings in the Middle East and Africa and the refugee crisis in Syria draining. I was always peeking over at the Entertainment page and pitching feature stories.

In this new job, I’ll be managing producers covering TV, movies, music and arts with no agenda– just straight entertainment news. During the interview process I was warned there might be some travel…. to help cover awards shows like the Golden Globes and Oscars.

That’s a sacrifice I’m eager to make!

As the interview process continued and the job became more real, I started to feel  drawn to it and realized it’s the gig I’ve been building towards for many years. It combines my TV and management experience with my love of entertainment and pop culture. And it’s at one of the most well-known and respected media companies in the world. The world, people!

During one interview, an editor told me one of the best parts of working for the AP is that when news breaks anywhere– from Capetown to Nashville– they have a bureau and contacts there to cover it. AP has reps on red carpets all over the globe. And someday soon I could be one of them.

It’s also the right time to go back to working full-time in the city. My boys are older and more self-sufficient, and college tuition fees loom large. Jacob will be leaving in two years!

I’m thrilled to be going to work every day to talk about entertainment with people who love it as much as I do. I always wanted to be a journalist– you get paid to know what’s going on in the world and every day is a new opportunity to learn and tell a story. I’m excited for a new challenge.

And since I mentioned the Oscars, I’d like to take this moment to thank everyone who helped me get to this place….

My mother has been the Mickey Goldmill (Burgess Meredith) to my Rocky: always in my corner, wiping sweat and tears off my face, pumping me up with encouraging words and loving support, even when I was bruised and beaten down by life’s disappointments.

My aunt Jane was my very own Mary Richards (Mary Tyler Moore) — an inspiration ever since I was a little girl. She was the first journalist I ever knew (ironically she worked for AP’s rival, Reuters, for more than 30 years) and made the career seem fascinating, educating… and most importantly possible, even while raising a family.

Family friend, Anne Rosenbaum who gave me the best professional advice I’ve probably ever received. She had quit her high-profile TV job at ABC several years prior and told me– when I quit my full-time job in TV at Fox– to always keep my resume alive. I’ve been a freelance writer, digital editor, live show producer, blogger, essay writing tutor, and book reviewer.  I’ve kept busy and current in the changing media world and that helped tremendously when the time was right. She’s my Glenda the Good Witch.

My girlfriends. Like Thelma and Louise…Violet, Doralee and Judy in 9 to 5, the southern belles of Steel Magnolias, and the Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants …… I love my gal pals. If I start to mention names I’ll surely forget and offend so I’ll just say you know who you are. Thanks for listening to the minute-by minute drama of each job opportunity, for the calls and texts of encouragement, and for sharing wine and making me laugh when I needed it.

My former (and future!) colleague, Alicia, who alerted me to the job and showed me how my past experience had prepared me for it. I promise never to encase your stapler in Jello mold.

And no, I won’t pull a Reese Witherspoon/Hilary Swank and forget to thank my loving husband, Wilson. That guy has put up with more worrying, complaining, frustration, and indulgence than anyone, and took on the responsibility of primary breadwinning while I tried to figure out what I wanted to be when I grew up. You’re the best honey. Even better than Clooney.

If you want to read more about the job, you can check out the AP announcement today here.

I start next week. Expect several posts about the transition back to full-time and my first celebrity sightings!