On September 12, 2011, Suite101 had the pleasure to interview Valerie Smaldone, a distinguished media personality, actress, producer, writer and celebrity interviewer, among other talents.
Valerie Smaldone Talks About her Career
According to Valerie Smaldone, "My life is very full. I never think of myself as just a radio personality. I know that was my main job for a long time. I was attracted to media and performance at a very young age. I was always interested in being a writer, as well as an actress. My earliest influence was Johnny Carson, and I would watch all the other talk show hosts too. I was so enchanted by their ease of interviewing and their conversations. I was always attracted to that kind of medium."
Valerie Smaldone Talks About her Early Years
Smaldone notes that she grew up in the Bronx and attended the prestigious Bronx High School of Science. While there, she enhanced her creativity and artistic skills, and enjoyed theater. She also attended Fordham University in the Bronx where her radio career began.
Valerie Smaldone Talks About Getting Involved with Digital Space
"I saw the whole trend of media changing before our eyes. I wanted to get involved with the digital space and really become one of the pioneers of that kind of industry. I started to create content for online consumption. The last few years I worked for the Tony Awards organization, TheaterMania and for News Talk Radio (WOR), where I created a daily show for their stream called ‘Valerie’s New York,’ which targeted my interests in New York City."
She continues, "That show ended in the summer, but from that experience I created a five minute podcast which may be heard on the WOR stream, my page on WOR710.com, and is available on iTunes for download. I learned a lot about how people consume media online. I am really fascinated by the online world. I really focused my energies on not only hosting content, but producing in that area as well. I still do a lot of voiceovers and emceeing, since it marries my media personality with stagework."
Valerie Smaldone Talks About Teaching
"I started teaching a few years ago at the School of Visual Arts, where I created two courses for them. One course is 'How to Become a Media Personality' and how to do it effectively. The course has been very popular and I’ve had surgeons, district attorneys and real-estate business people come in and take their expertise and brand it. I also teach a course in Voice-over copy-reading. I also coach privately, where I take clients into my world and help them with their talents."
Valerie Smaldone Shares her Future Goals
"I want to continue what I’m doing with the online world and develop more opportunities for people. I’ll probably be doing larger seminars down the road. Also, to get my content out there. I like opening people up to the idea that we are all multi-dimensional. There is much more to me that I want to explore. I love media and I love being able to influence people and make them think in a different way, and inspire them to ask questions. That is very important."
Valerie Smaldone’s Proudest Accomplishments
Ms. Smaldone’s notes that her proudest accomplishments include "winning an award from the World Foundation for Medical Studies in Female Health along with Jenny Craig, as well as being invited to speak at a medical conference in Bari, Italy, where she was the only non-medical speaker there to discuss patient advocacy to the medical community, ringing the opening and closing bell at the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE) in honor of ovarian cancer month, as well as receiving the Golden Apple Award from the American Women in Radio and Television (AWRT)."
For hopefuls who wish to go in the media and entertainment industry, Smaldone recommends "find something that you know, love, and are passionate about. Be an expert and know it really well and use media to elevate you. We have the power today to become our own media outlets. When you follow what you love, success follows. It really does!"
Valerie Smaldone Discusses her Dream Interviews
When asked which two individuals she would have liked to have interviewed, living or non-living, Smaldone reveals that she would have loved that have interviewed Frank Sinatra and Meryl Streep.
"He had such a great career and an interesting life. He shaped so many singers and his style was unique. Who doesn’t smile when they hear a Frank Sinatra song? Also, Meryl Streep. She is such a brilliant actor and has tackled every role successfully. She’s a great New Yorker and she also has a lot of causes that she’s involved with."
Valerie Smaldone’s Alternate Career Choices
If Smaldone were not in the media and entertainment scene, she notes that she would love to be in the food and wine industry, or in shoe design, which is yet another love of hers.
Valerie Smaldone Defines Success
For Ms. Smaldone, success means "maintaining relationships while being creative and ambitious. Always being aware that life is short and that we are here for a certain period of time. Live in color and not in black and white!"
For more information on Valerie Smaldone, please visit her official website.
Source
- Telephone Communication with Valerie Smaldone. September 12, 2011.
Markos Papadatos - Markos Papadatos holds over six years journalism experience, authoring over 700 articles, many of which are feature profile interviews.
