by Ondine Brooks Kuraoka

—[ live your dream ]—

Jane Mitchell has interviewed Ted Williams, Trevor Hoffman, Tony Gwynn, Junior Seau and Doug Flutie, among others. With 22 Emmys in hand for her show, “One on One with Jane Mitchell,” she is not about to rest on her laurels. For Jane, living her dream is part and parcel of working hard to make it happen. The epiphany of her life’s work came in eighth grade, while watching the news with her father. A reporter was standing in front of the pyramids with a microphone. “I said, ‘Wow! He gets to travel the world, tell stories, be on TV and get paid for it.’ From that day I said, ‘What do I need to do to be a news reporter?’”

Journalism was a natural path for her: her mother had always encouraged her to write about her experiences. Jane grasped the opportunity to do her own public access TV show, featuring community interviews, during her senior year of high school. She completed her undergraduate studies in political science at UCSD and earned her master’s degree in journalism from Northwestern University in Chicago. The ultra-competitive television reporting landscape then compelled Jane to drive 3,000 miles in three weeks, interviewing with 28 news directors. She finally landed a reporting job in Wichita Falls, Texas. After almost two years she moved to Tulsa, Oklahoma for another reporting job. “Even in the craziness of hardcore news I always tried to find the story about the person,” Jane said.

After learning that her father had Lou Gehrig’s Disease (amyotrophic lateral sclerosis or ALS), she moved back to San Diego to spend time with him and help her mother. “I put my dream on hold. I took a risk in quitting my job; in television they say that once you’re off the air it’s hard to get back on.” Jane took a substantial salary cut when she accepted a producing job in San Diego at NBC with no promises of being on the air. Jane said, “I was told I didn’t have the ‘it’ factor; I didn’t fit the right look.”

In 1997, she participated in a short-term television project for the Republican National Convention. After four months of 12- to 18-hour days, Jane was asked to help create programming surrounding the Padres games on Channel 4. She accepted on the condition that she could be on the air and was given the go-ahead. She gave her notice at NBC the next day.

“Part of my dream is to use my gifts and talents,” Jane said. “I try to capture the essence of those I interview and not miss something that they think is important. I’m inspired when I walk away from an interview.”

4sd.com • oneononewithjanemitchell.blogspot.com