Robbie Messer has held just about every position in a newsroom, from producer to News Director, but his passion is producing. He has two Emmys and a Mark Twain Award winner for producing newscasts. In recent years, he’s turned his attention to writing. We caught up with him to discuss his broadcasting career, books, and upcoming projects.
Thank you for agreeing to have this interview. You’re an award-winning producer but did you always have an interest in broadcast journalism?
When I was 18-years-old, I wanted to be an actor. My talent agent at the time got a call from a news station that was looking for an 18-year-old who looked 14, to play their decoy for a story they were doing on adults who prey on kids using the internet. I later testified against two men, including one who flew my “14-year-old” from Arizona to Atlanta, Georgia for, let’s just say, less than noble intentions. At that point, the seed was planted. A few years later I had my degree in broadcast journalism and later worked at the station that first hired me as an actor.
You have won several awards including Emmis and Mark Twain Awards. Has such acclaim provided opportunities in your career, and what would you say has been your proudest achievement to date?
You know, it’s great to be recognized for your work. I’m not going to lie, hearing my name announced when I won my first Emmy was an amazing moment. I think the best opportunities were created by my ambition and ability to remain calm in a crisis. The proudest moments in my career have been the chance to see history as it happened and knowing our news team was about to report it to the masses. I’ve also had the chance to meet some pretty amazing people.
It seems journalism is very much under scrutiny, with accusations of ‘fake’ or biased news via mainstream channels. Has broadcast journalism and the way news is delivered changed since your early days in the sector?
Broadcast journalism has certainly changed in 20 years. When I first started as a show producer, I would put together the broadcast, we would air the broadcast and then the next producer would do the next newscast. Now we’re assembling shows, publishing stories to the web, sending them across social media, and doing it with fewer resources. That’s not a bad thing as it teaches people efficiency and time management. I think the accusations of fake news come from people who don’t take the time to get all of the facts and the immediacy of social media. It’s easy to be an uninformed hater on social media without the facts.
Please tell us about your latest project, ‘Life of the Party’, and what we can expect?
I have always been a theatre geek and writing plays has been a great creative outlet. Life of the Party is about a man who is either dead or somewhere in between and runs into people from his past. Hopefully, it makes people think of who might show up at the last “party” of THEIR life if they were not in control of the guest list.
Are you currently working on any other projects?
I have another play that I wrote before “Out in the Race” and before “Life of the Party” that I would love to finish editing and publish for people to enjoy. It feels like the timing is right to get that one done. Timing is everything!
Where can people find out more about you?
People can find me on Instagram @RobbyMesser or Facebook by searching my name. My plays are available on Amazon and they are free to Kindle Unlimited subscribers http://amzn.to/3jGrad2 .
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