For this month’s “Ask the Professionals”, I had the pleasure of interviewing ABC Chief Anchor George Stephanopoulos. Due to his very busy schedule and travel demands, he asked if we could do an email interview. Also, he referred me to his book “All Too Human: A Political Education” for some background information.

In his book, Stephanopoulos mentioned that he came from a strict Greek culture where his father, grandfather, uncle, and godfather were all priests and that is what he wanted to be as well. He started going to serve with his father at the age of 4. I first asked him what made him change his mind about pursuing this profession, Mr. Stephanopoulos said, “when I was thirteen… I was sitting in homeroom one morning thinking about nothing in particular, when the idea that I wasn’t meant to be a priest revealed itself.  I hadn’t lost my faith, just my vocation, but I knew the decision was final.” He knew that he had to do something worthwhile in public service and have professional success.

Throughout high school he had a succession of the regular type jobs that high school students have –  caddy, dishwasher, busboy, and waiter. After high school, he wanted to go to Princeton University and did not get in. He was accepted to Michigan and Columbia Universities and decided to go to Columbia in New York City. In his junior year, he got a job as a summer intern for his congresswoman, a Democrat. At the time he was a Republican. Through a series of twists of fate and being at the right place at the right time, Mr. Stephanopoulos met people that provided him with a lot of opportunities. Eventually he worked for the Michael Dukakis for President campaign and after, he became the floor man for Dick Gephardt, the House of Representatives majority leader. I asked him how he began working for Bill Clinton, and he said through friends. They recommended that he go meet with Bill Clinton. They met in September of 1991. “We were working together from the time we met, Clinton and I were in sync on the issues I cared most about,” Mr. Stephanopoulos said. He was offered the position as a Communications Director for the Clinton campaign, then served as White House Communications Director and later he was moved to Senior Advisor on Policy and Strategy. I was interested in knowing if Mr. Stephanopoulos enjoyed working for President Clinton, and he said it had positive and negative aspects. He was proud and happy to have such a high and responsible position working next to a president. However, some parts of President Clinton’s personality were difficult for him to deal with. There was a lot of pressure and stress. He resigned from the administration in December of 1996, just after Clinton was re-elected. The resignation came after a year in which Mr. Stephanopoulos felt exiled from the inner circle.

He then concentrated on his memoir “All Too Human: A Political Education” which became a number 1 best seller. To promote that book, Mr. Stephanopoulos had to cancel a seminar that he was scheduled to teach at Columbia University. Mr. Stephanopoulos is now Chief Anchor at ABC News, co-hosts ABC’s “Good Morning America”, and anchors ABC’s Sunday political show “This Week”.  I asked him what time his day starts and what his typical daily schedule is like during the week, he said “I get up at 2:30 am every day, and arrive at the office at 3:30 am.” After “Good Morning America” ends at 9:00 am, he takes a short break and then heads to the ABC Headquarters office and works until 5:00 or 6:00 pm unless breaking news requires more. “I have dinner with my wife (Alexandra Wentworth) and kids (two daughters Harper and Elliott) at home just about every night, and then bed around 9pm,” Mr. Stephanopoulos stated.

As Chief Anchor of ABC News, his job entails anchoring all breaking news and special events coverage. When asked what he enjoyed the most about his job, he said “one of the best parts of my job is that there is no typical day. The news is always changing and surprising us. I enjoy helping people understand what’s going on in the world around them.” When I asked Mr. Stephanopoulos what he hopes viewers take away from his Sunday political show “This Week”, he stated, “That’s exactly it. I can’t control the answers people give, but I can help viewers know more about the issues with revealing questions. Sometimes a non-answer says it all.”

I know that many news professionals have routines that they do before going on air. When I was visiting New York City in September to see “Good Morning America” live, I noticed Mr. Stephanopoulos chewed bubble gum that day before the show started. I wanted to know if this was his routine, Mr. Stephanopoulos explained that “gum keeps my throat from getting dry and my voice from getting hoarse. I always have hot water and gum on set.”I was curious to know with all the hours that he works what he does to enjoy time with his family. “We love going to the movies, exploring the city in the Spring and Fall, and heading to the beach in the Summer,” Mr. Stephanopoulos said. As the interview came to an end, I wanted to know what his message was to students who want to pursue the career of broadcast journalism; he stated “best of luck. Learn as much about the big subjects as you can – history, literature, and economics. Be relentlessly curious.” I thanked Mr. Stephanopoulos for taking the time out of his busy schedule to answer my questions and I wished him continued success at ABC News.

There is an interesting story of how I got this interview, I was up in New York City watching the live “Good Morning America” show in September and my goal was to meet George Stephanopoulos and get a picture with him. My mom tweeted out to him and GMA and told them that I had been out on the plaza since 5:00 am because I was trying to meet Mr. Stephanopoulos. I overheard a producer and police officer talking about a kid being here from Cherry Hill and to keep his eyes out, at the same time he saw my sign and realized I was that kid. The producer said Mr. Stephanopoulos got my mom’s tweet and she took me into the side door of the studio. The security guard said they already let all the VIPs in and the producer said “George wants him in there.” Without hesitation, they walked me over to the VIP section and I was able to watch the rest of the show. I could not believe I was actually in the GMA studio, the lights and cameras were fascinating. I knew this is the job I want in the future. When the show was on a break, Mr. Stephanopoulos strode over to me and introduced himself. We got a picture and talked for a brief time, and then he had to close the show. When the show was over, the producer took us on a tour of the studio and showed us the control room and the top floor studio. It was an awesome experience, I thanked the producer for everything and then I decided to email Mr. Stephanopoulos to see if he was interested in doing an interview. It worked out.