When you hear the term “Super Star,” your first thoughts might be of LeBron James, Beyoncé, George Clooney or a plethora of other sports and pop culture icons. At Prosio Communications, when we hear, “Super Star,” we think of our industry peers! From talk show hosts, to broadcasters to writers, take a look at our favorite media role models that inspire us to be the best we can every day!
Aaron: My favorite, since-retired media personality is Jon Stewart. Some of the best, most poignant, and sometimes most hard-hitting one-on-one interviews I’ve ever seen were on The Daily Show. Not only did he confront people such as Jim Cramer, John McCain, President Obama, Al Gore, Mike Huckabee, and Bill O’Reilly with real questions, he focused on finding common ground with every guest on his show and breaking the tension with strategically-placed humor.
Alma: My favorite media personality is Ellen DeGeneres! I’m a huge fan and I think she’s hilarious. She’s always so happy and in a great mood and I love that she uses her show as a platform to do so many good things.
Andrea: My favorite media personality is Ellen DeGeneres. She not only left her mark in the LGBT community, but continues to encourage people to be themselves. She has constantly shown kindness around the world and isn’t afraid to spark important conversations about social norms and promotes gender equality, education for girls, kindness, animals, and so much more. Every day she reminds us to be kind to one another and that a hug can go a long way.
Chris: I remember listening to Paul Harvey (1918-2009) in the car as a kid. My father always liked the way he would tell a story. He would keep your interest from beginning to end with a lot of dramatic pauses, and always ended with “and now you know….the rest of the story…Good day.” My brothers and I would always stop talking (fighting) and be quiet while he talked. I think he was probably the most listened to radio broadcaster ever.
Dan: My favorite media personality is Mike Tirico. Mike is an American sportscaster best known for his NFL play-by-play on ESPN’s “Monday Night Football.” A human Swiss Army Knife, Tirico has also called golf tournaments and the NBA finals. The reason Mike is my favorite media personality is that he never shows bias, he demonstrates extensive knowledge of all of sports, and the way he carries himself is widely respected by his peers. He’s a great broadcaster and an even better person.
Jarid: Without question, my favorite media personality is Vin Scully. He is one of the best baseball broadcasters and maybe even the best sports broadcaster of all time. One of the reasons why he is my favorite is because of how he tells personal stories of almost every player that comes to bat. It really shows his love of the game and it’s refreshing to hear personal stories instead of just their statistics all the time.
Jessica: My favorite media personality is Candace Cameron Bure. We all know her as DJ Tanner from Full House but she is so much more! She’s a producer, author, and talk show panelist. Not only do her political, personal and religious views line up with mine, but I admire the way she speaks her mind, even when it’s unpopular. Along with that infectious smile, she exudes positivity and kindness! Something we can all use a little more of.
Jonathan: My favorite media personality is Conan O’Brien. Conan is effortlessly funny and is so natural on camera during his skits and interviews. I’ve been watching his Late Night show since I was a kid and his string dance still makes me giggle. #teamcoco
Kari: My favorite media personality is Tim Flannery (former player and 3rd base coach for the SF Giants and current post-game analyst). He speaks his mind, is respectful of everyone – regardless if he disagrees with them – and he does an excellent job of presenting “fair and balanced” analyses of the game (something most notable news reporters can’t do). Off the field and out of the studio, he’s a philanthropist who champions for the “Love Harder” charity, and is an extremely talented musician to boot.
Lindsay: My favorite media personality is Ellen DeGeneres. She is the epitome of kindness, respect and generosity. She consistently shows, through her actions and words, what it means to truly care for and give back to others (people and animals). She’s also really funny – and a pretty darn good dancer!
Lori: My favorite media personality is Ellen DeGeneres because she’s funny, she’s kind, she’s honest and she treats everyone she meets with respect and dignity. She seems to genuinely care about everyone she speaks to. Oh, and she is a dancing fool – and I love her for that.
Pam: One of my first memories of sports, and how I came to love to watch them with my father, was sportscaster Howard Cosell (1918-1995). Howard Cosell was unapologetically abusive and crass. His “tell it like it is” style always made me laugh and made me want to be a sportscaster when I grew up. He was arguably one of the best sportscasters in modern history, capturing your attention with a simple phrase; “Down goes Frazier! Down goes Frazier! Down goes Frazier!” Not to mention his outrageous suits!
Ryan: Easy… Jon Stewart. He is what made the Daily Show the Daily Show, and also developed the John Stewart Show which was the first talk show that ran on MTV! Simply put, he is an intelligent, well-spoken media personality who sprinkles his brilliant news dialogue with witty humor.
Sarah: The more I think about this, I always find myself coming back to Joan Didion. Didion is best known for her literary journalism and memoirs. Probably cliché, but as a Sacramento native, her writing has been a staple in my rotation of books, and always inspires me when I’m writing. Her short sentences and conversational style are easily digestible and somehow still relatable.
Tyler: My favorite media personality is the one and only Oprah Winfrey. Oprah is a living legend. She is a talk show host, actress, producer, author and philanthropist who literally came from nothing. She left her mark on media and the world by constantly stepping outside of her comfort zone, breaking down walls and using her platform to spark important conversations around the world about social norms and constructs, gender inequality, education for girls, racism, drug use, institutional corruption and so much more.