by Wendy Walker
Lisa Ling, I have so much respect for you after seeing your courage this year. Thank you for our friendship.
Bert Fields and Howard Rubenstein—I could not have survived without you. Thank you both for your guidance and endless support.
Thank you to:
President George H.W. Bush, Nancy Crown, Beth Dozoretz, Sarah Ferguson, Tammi Fuller, Cari Klepper, Bill Maher, Dr. Babs Moosa, Gayil Nalls, Suze Orman, Dr. Dean Ornish, Dr. Pam Peeke, Ross Perot, Dr. Phil, Boone Pickens, Haim Saban, David Saltz, Ann Schooler, Bobbi Smith, Nancy, Julie and Mrs. Whitlow, Sandi Mendleson, Seth MacFarlane, Jen Snell, David and Aileen Leavitt, Jeff Loyland, Donna and Bob Holcombe, Michelle Laxalt.
Ethel Kennedy. I really owe this book to you. If I hadn’t waited on you at Brooks Brothers, I would not have worked for you. And I would not have learned that I have to work harder than the other guy. And I would not have worked with the ABC producers on the RFK Pro-Celebrity and I would not have realized that I wanted to be a producer. So you are responsible for my career and my book! I am honored to have worked for you and am proud to call you a friend. You have been an inspiration in my life to reach higher and do more. Thank you so much for being part of my life.
To Jon Klein, Jim Walton and Phil Kent. No one could have better bosses. You have been supportive all the way, and a ton of fun as well. I celebrated my 30th year at CNN, largely because you have kept me there! Ted Turner once said that you should stay at CNN as long as you have something to learn. Well, I don’t think any of us have stopped learning. Thank you for continuing to believe in me and sharing this journey with me. I am always eager for your new challenges, and so appreciate the honor to work at CNN with all three of you. Thank you for everything.
CNN Friends, past and present. Thank you, Ted Turner, for my incredible life. To George Watson, thank you for bringing me to CNN and showing me the way. Tom Johnson, thank you for trusting me with Larry King before I did. You always gave me the chance to do more and I am very grateful to you for everything you did for me. You are a good friend and I want to thank you from the bottom of my heart. Thank you to Charles Bierbauer, Frank Sesno, Candy Crowley, Wolf Blitzer, Carol Cratty, Kevin Bohn, Molly Boyle, Bryan Cole, Peter Morris and Jim Helling, my White House family. I carry our memories with pride and fondness and laughter. To Gail Evans, you have always had my back and I have learned so much from you. Thank you for continuing to be there for me. Thank you to Anderson Cooper, Christiane Amanpour, Sue Bunda, Jim Miklaszewski, Bernie Shaw, Brad Ferrer, Pete Janos, Steve Korn, Rick Kaplan, David Newman, my pal Guy Pepper, Kyra Philips, Eunah Francis, Burt Reinhardt, Kandy Stroud, Mark Shields, Maggie Simpson, Pat Pinto, Erin Sermeus, Juli Gallagher, Donna Rockwell, Scott Willis, Stacey Wolf, Susan Grant, Scot Safon, Dave Bohrman, Greta Van Susteren, Ted Rowlands, Jack Womack, Greg D’Alba, and a special thank you Bart Feder, who has shown me nothing but endless patience and support.
And a note to thank those who contributed to the book by allowing us to ask them about their memories of some of these events so I could get my story straight! Katie Couric, Larry King, Suzy Kelly, Mark Geragos, Gail Evans, Sam Donaldson, Char Margolis, Gary Foster, Tom Johnson, Frank Sesno, Lisa Ling, Lisa Gregorisch, John Towriss, Charles Bierbauer, Hani Masri, and Kevin Mabbutt.
CONTENTS
FRONT COVER IMAGE
WELCOME
DEDICATION
FOREWORD by Larry King
INTRODUCTION
Chapter 1 Freaking Out Is Not an Option
Chapter 2 Be Someone Others Want to Be Around
Chapter 3 Details Matter: They Are Everything
Chapter 4 Organize, Organize, and Then… Organize Some More
Chapter 5 You Are Paid to Do a Job, So Do It
Chapter 6 Work Harder Than Anyone Else
Chapter 7 Mentor Yourself
Chapter 8 Think Bigger Than Big
Chapter 9 Should You Really Care Who Gets the Credit?
Chapter 10 Be Grateful Every Day of Your Life
Chapter 11 How Do You Want to Be Remembered?
Chapter 12 Opposites Attract
Chapter 13 The Love You Take Is Equal to the Love You Make
Chapter 14 Read People Like You’d Read a Roadmap
Chapter 15 Extraordinary Things Happen When You Least Expect Them
Chapter 16 Everything Happens for a Reason
Chapter 17 Treat All People like the “Big People”
Chapter 18 Know When to Hang Up Your Nightly Suspenders
A FINAL THOUGHT: BE TRUE TO YOURSELF
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
ABOUT THE AUTHORS
Praise for PRODUCER
Copyright
ABOUT THE AUTHORS
Wendy Walker has held a front row seat to the world’s stage for the past thirty years, as an Emmy-winning broadcast news veteran and CNN senior vice president. The longtime senior executive producer of Larry King Live, Walker is the force behind television icon Larry King. A CNN original, she joined the network when it began in 1980, soon becoming senior White House producer and later rising to the top, helming the cable news giant’s most powerful primetime program, seen around the globe. Called “relentless” by Barbara Walters, Walker has covered every major news event of the past three decades, producing interviews with every living U.S. President and countless game-changing and notable newsmakers. From statesmen and world leaders, to celebrities and everyday people doing extraordinary things—Walker has covered them all as she created some of the most remarkable, famous, and history-making moments in television.
Andrea Cagan has been writing, collaborating, and editing for two decades. She has brought a dozen books to the bestseller lists, including three New York Times #1 best sellers. She works and lives in Los Angeles, California, with her Balinese cat, Lulu.
Praise for
PRODUCER
“Wendy Walker is a legend in the business and in PRODUCER, she gives not only a behind the scenes account of some of cable television’s most memorable moments, but some of the hard-learned wisdom she has picked up over the years.”
—Anderson Cooper, anchor, CNN
“What an amazing adventure! If you’re a student interested in the world of news, a fan of Larry King or looking for a great [read] about a woman who has seen and done a lot, this is it! The life lessons at the end of each chapter are taped to my refrigerator!”
—Jeff Probst, executive producer/host, Survivor
“Wendy Walker reminds us all to look at life as an adventure. She says that around every corner something miraculous may happen, and she should know, she probably booked it.”
—Lisa Gregorisch-Dempsey, senior executive producer, Extra
“Every day for over three decades, Wendy Walker has held a clinic on how to produce the best television journalism. Now she reveals the insights she’s gained so that every reader can have a stellar career as a professional and as a person. I learn from her every day, and you will, too.”
—Jon Klein, president, CNN U.S.
“Wendy Walker has been one of the most influential people this world has known. From behind the scenes she has shaped the social culture of this world. In this book, not only does she share what she has learned with her many years of producing, but through her work she has helped to teach all of us to maybe be just a little bit more forgiving, understanding and compassionate of those who we share this planet with.”
—James Van Praagh, spiritual medium, author of Talking to Heaven
“If Stewie Griffin had read Wendy Walker’s book, he would have taken over the world ages ago.”
—Seth MacFarlane, creator of Family Guy, American Dad, and The Cleveland Show
“Wendy has written a powerful book—one that I strongly recommend. Having worked with her for twenty years at CNN, I began reading this book thinking I probably wouldn’t learn much—I was so wrong. I learned something on almost every page. She pours her heart out and offers lots of very useful advice. I have already started using some of that advice, and
am grateful to her. In short, read this book and learn.”
—Wolf Blitzer, CNN anchor of The Situation Room
“Take simple, practical, yet profound advice, add fascinating stories of remarkable people, put in a pinch of humor, add a dash of moxie and you have Wendy Walker’s recipe for a deeper, better, more harmonious life. PRODUCER is a terrific read that will help anyone achieve their personal goals.”
—Mary T. Browne, author of The Five Rules of Thought
“Wendy was there for every big moment of the last thirty years. There are plenty of lessons for each of us from what she has seen and learned along the way. There’s no better Producer than Wendy.”
—Jeff Zucker, CEO, NBC Universal
“For decades, Larry King Live has been one of the best shows on cable television and Wendy Walker has been the secret of its success for the last sixteen years. In this highly entertaining book, Wendy takes you behind the scenes of the biggest stories and best interviews from her three decades in television—from the King of Pop to the President of the United States. This is one hell of a good story from one hell of an impressive woman.”
—Haim Saban, chairman and CEO, Saban Capital Group
“A highly optimistic, wildly entertaining, nakedly honest glimpse into the life of a great woman. Wendy’s lessons will open your eyes, inspire you to reflect, and empower you to live your best life.”
—Trish McEvoy, founder and makeup artist, Trish McEvoy Beauty
“This is a terrific read! The behind the scenes stories by a major television veteran will hold you page by page. Enjoy!”
—Larry King
“I have known Wendy Walker for twenty-five years. She’s one of the best television producers I’ve ever had the pleasure to be associated with.”
—T. Boone Pickens, founder and chairman of BP Capital Management
“In PRODUCER, Wendy Walker shares wonderful stories about extraordinary people, but her most amazing production has been her own incredible life and the lessons she’s learned along the way. This is the most interesting and illuminating book I’ve ever read about how television news really works. She is a producer’s producer. Highly recommended!”
—Dean Ornish, M.D., author of The Spectrum, Clinical Professor of Medicine, University of California, San Francisco
Copyright
Copyright © 2010 by Wendy Walker
All rights reserved. Except as permitted under the U.S. Copyright Act of 1976, no part of this publication may be reproduced, distributed, or transmitted in any form or by any means, or stored in a database or retrieval system, without the prior written permission of the publisher.
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First eBook Edition: November 2010
ISBN: 978-1-599-95390-8