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Linda Ellerbee Speaker's Home Base: NY Linda Ellerbee is an outspoken journalist, award-winning television documentary producer, writer and anchor, best-selling author, a breast cancer survivor, a mom, a grandmother and one of the most sought-after speakers in America. Ellerbee began her career 39 years ago in 1972 at the Associated Press. In 1973, she was hired to be an on-air reporter at KHOU in Houston, Texas. Six months later, she was offered a job at WCBS, New York, as the “hard news” reporter for the 11pm newscast. In 1975, she moved to NBC (national) News where, as Congressional Correspondent, she spent years covering national politics. In 1982, she pioneered the late-night news program NBC News Overnight, which she wrote and anchored with Lloyd Dobyns. Overnight was cited by the duPont Columbia Awards as “possibly the best written and most intelligent news program ever." In 1986, Ellerbee moved to ABC News to anchor and write Our World, a weekly primetime historical series. Her writing on Our World won her a national News & Documentary Emmy. In 1987, Ellerbee and Rolfe Tessem, her partner, quit network news to start Lucky Duck Productions, a New York based company that produces news, documentaries and other specials for broadcast and cable. Lucky Duck Productions began by producing documentaries for PBS. Then, in 1991, Lucky Duck began producing Nick News for Nickelodeon. Ellerbee is Executive Producer, writer and anchor. This year, 2011, marks the 20th anniversary of Nick News, the longest running children’s news program in television history. Nick News is watched by more children than watch all other television news shows put together—and has earned honors traditionally associated with adult programming. Known for the respectful and direct way it speaks to children about the important issues of our time, Nick News has collected three Peabody Awards (including one personal Peabody given to Ellerbee for her coverage of the Clinton investigation), a duPont Columbia Award and eight national Emmys for Outstanding Children’s Program. In 2009, Nick News received the Edward R. Murrow Award for best Network News Documentary — and made history as the first children’s television program ever to receive this prestigious award. For the last 20 years, Ellerbee and her work also have been seen all over the television universe, as Lucky Duck Productions has produced and continues to produce specials for ABC, CBS, HBO, PBS, Lifetime, MTV, Logo, A&E, MSNBC, SOAPnet, Animal Planet and TV Land, among others. In 2004, Ellerbee was honored with another Emmy, this time for her series, When I Was a Girl, which aired on WE: the women’s entertainment network. Ellerbee’s first book, And So It Goes (published in 1986), a humorous look at television news, became an instant best seller, and a favorite among journalists. Her second book, Move On, published in 1991 and containing stories about being a working single mother, a child of the ‘60s, and a woman trying to find some balance in her life, was also a best seller, as was her third book (2005), Take Big Bites: Adventures Around the World and Across the Table, a humorous account of her love of travel, talking to (and eating with) strangers, and, according to Ellerbee, “oh, just making trouble in general.” Her foray into books for children, an eight-part fiction series entitled Get Real (published in 2000) about middle school students who start a school newspaper, won (and continues to win) her raves among young readers. As a popular and versatile speaker, Ellerbee travels thousands of miles each year, inspiring audiences with her insight and filling banquet rooms and concert halls with laughter. They come to hear her trademark wit and wisdom on everything from how to survive corporate America with your values intact, to how to survive breast cancer and live to laugh about it (also, she often speaks to medical groups concerning healthcare from a patient’s point of view), and in general how to accept, even embrace a changing world, perhaps making a few changes yourself. In 2011, Ellerbee received the Tribute Award, the highest honor given by the Alliance for Women in Media. On presenting the award, former CNN anchor Aaron Brown said to a ballroom full of women, “The two most important women in the history of television news are Barbara Walters and Linda Ellerbee. Barbara Walters made it possible for you to be on television news; Linda Ellerbee made it possible for you to be YOU on television news.” Although Ellerbee has won many of television's highest honors, she says it’s her two children who’ve brought her the richest rewards. Her son is a journalist, and her daughter is a novelist. Ellerbee spends her personal time in New York City and Massachusetts with Rolfe, her partner in work and life, and their dogs, Daisy and Dolly. Preview video available. Please ask. Most Popular Topics: All speeches run approximately 45 minutes and can be followed by 15 minutes of Q & A. Also, some topics can be combined. How To Be Successful and Hang Onto Your Values How Ellerbee balanced having kids and building a career...or tried to. Ellerbee delivers her trademark wit and wisdom on everything from leaving the networks to starting her own company, from having a boss to being the boss. How to Survive a Changing World and How to Change Your World Ellerbee gives her rules for surviving a changing world with the heart intact – from surviving breast cancer, to climbing mountains, from overcoming obstacles to making a noise. In her life and in her career, Ellerbee has learned that change is the norm. How to Raise Media-Savvy Kids In the future, our kids will either learn to use the media that surround them as tools, or they will be tools of that media. Television. The Internet. iPhones. What's next? And what is media literacy today, and how do we teach it? Ellerbee offers insight and perspective gained from speaking with (and listening to) kids for nearly 20 years on the critically-acclaimed children's television series, "Nick News".…and from raising two media-savvy kids of her own. Kids, Television, and the News Ellerbee talks about her journey to producing children’s television – how she created Nick News, her long-running series on Nickelodeon and “what I’ve learned about children, television and the real world.” PLEASE NOTE: THIS SPEECH MAY BE TAILORED FOR EDUCATION GROUPS. Ellerbee talks about how teachers can use television as a teaching tool and turn television from the enemy into the teacher’s friend. Surviving Breast Cancer to Laugh Another Day Ellerbee describes her experience with breast cancer – from the heartfelt yet amusing reactions of friends and colleagues, to the determination and spirit that make her an 18+-year survivor. Adventures in Journalism From newspapers to networks, she’s gone from covering fires and parades to presidential debates and international terrorism, and collected some of the most prestigious awards along the way. Ellerbee talks about her experience as a veteran journalist. Linda Ellerbee offers expertise in: Aging, Breast Cancer, Cancer Support, Cancer Survivor, Career Change, Change, Inspiration, Leadership, Mid-life, Motivation, Personal Growth, Womens Health, Womens Wellness Linda Ellerbee is a good fit for: Association Keynote, Breast Cancer Events, Cancer Events, Keynote Womens Event, Mother-Daughter Programs, Womens Health Seminar, Womens Events |
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