Behind the Scenes….Meet Julia

Julia Catalfino.  Hmmm….how do I say this without sounding like a total geek.  Uh—I LOVE her.  Julia and Allison are my “gals.“  We work with each other day in, day out, and I’m so lucky to work with an amazing team.  Julia is the executive producer of First at 4, but wears many hats.  She’s also the executive producer of NBC 4 at 5 and 6, but can step in and do whatever needs to be done.  I know you’ll love her too, so I wanted you to meet her.

Here’s the scoop on Julia.  First things first, Julia has gorgeous hair.  Not just cute.  Not just pretty.  I mean to DIE FOR hair.  Check out her hair in the picture of her and her father.  (How cute is that pic by the way?!)  I have never seen her have a bad hair day.  Unlike me who is the queen of ponytails on the weekend, and tossing my hair up in a clip because I’m too tired in the morning to do it, Julia always has these beautiful, fluffy curls.  They’re so big and fluffy there just might be something living in there.  But MOST IMPORTANTLY,  under all that beautiful hair, is one brilliant brain.  Julia is a smart woman.  Don’t mess with her.  And that’s what I really respect about Julia.  She’s a professional, and always graceful in her job.  She’s one of our “bosses,“ but I really think of her as a leader in our newsroom.  She’s an excellent journalist, and again, I’m just lucky to have her two desks away from me.  In fact, as I write this, I can hear her giggling with Allison about a story about pedicures and carp (yes, carp) on First at 4.  What am I going to do with those two?  :)

Oh—this is one of the coolest things about Julia.  She comes from an old school Italian family.  In fact, if the name sounds familiar you’ve likely been to their restaurant, Catalfino’s Italian in Pickerington.  Their pizza even brings home the hardware in pizza tasting contests.  Yum!  So—the picture of Julia is with her dad, Frank.  They’re a close family, and that’s cool.  I love hearing Julia talk about her nieces.

Some more fun facts about Julia:
*She’s an NBC 4 vet…been here almost ten years
*Julia was born and raised in Columbus, so she knows our community inside and out.
*She loves to write, and is quite good at being “in the know” with what’s happening in our community.
*Julia spends a lot of time with her family and friends, and has great stories about her nieces, who are the cutest!
*And like Allison, Julia likes to scrapbook and even makes jewelry.

Ok—so now you’ve met Julia.  Be sure to say hello.  My friends are your friends.  :)

Have a great Monday everybody. 

Ellie

You nailed it Ellie!

I agree with everything you said.

Julia is like a rock in the newsroom. She’s such an inspiration to so many people. You can go to her with questions about anything…be it about work or your personal life and she’s willing and eager to listen.

We are really lucky to have such a great woman to work with!!

Don’t forget—she was voted on by her co-workers to the be Peacock Pride winner for July!! (an award she really deserves)

Hi Ellie -

I am not sure if you received my previous response.  I submitted it and then my computer did something real weird so, if you recv’d it then there is no need to submit this one.  If not here is my response…

Hi Julia -
It is nice meeting you.  You all make a GREAT team and we truly enjoy catching the news and interesting stories early.  That way it allows us to play and devote all of our time to Cameron in the evening.  I grew up in Pickerington and graduated from Pickerington High School so, I know all about Catalfino’s Italian Restaurant (can you say YUMMY).  Anyway, thanks for all the great stories especially that one today on the pedicures.  Uh yeah, I think I would have to pass on those pedicures especially since I wouldn’t be able to relax.  I would be too worried about the fish eating off my foot (lol).  Keep up the great work that you all do on a day in and day out basis.  We love you out here in London.

Lisa

P.S.  I love your hair and curls… my hair is so poker straight that I would love to have some of those curls PLUS has your family ever thought about opening a restaurant up here in London?  We could use some GOOD Italian…

Her hair is gorgeous!!! Producers make it happen.

Hello all! 
Ellie is way too kind, especially about the hair.  Curls… no so much fun on a rainy & humid day, and definitely not a pretty sight!  Thank heaven for styling foam! (Yes, for those of you raised in the 80’s—like me, that’s hair mousse to you!) 

People should know how excited we all are to know you’re enjoying the First at 4pm news!  This is certainly uncharted territory for our newsroom and our city… since no one has ever done this before, there’s really no “template” to follow.  Instead, we’ve been working hard to LISTEN to you, our viewers.  We want to know the types of stories that are important and relevant to you and your families.  Who do you want to hear from… what would you ask if you could?  I promise, you couldn’t have a better team working on this program than Ellie & Allison, our producer.  They care so much about their work, and making First at 4 a news show you want to watch every day!  Plus, they’re fantastic people.  My mom asked me the other day… “is Ellie as nice as she seems on TV?“  I told her, absolutely!  She’s exactly the person you see everyday!  Allison is just as fantastic, and so creative.  You should see how she turns a few scraps of paper into a work of art on a scrapbook page or a handmade card.  I’m so jealous!

So, thank you all for watching and caring about First at 4.  And never hesitate to drop us a note or email and let us know what you think!

Have a fantastic, and good hair day! :)
-Julia

I know I’m responding a little late to this post, but I didn’t want to miss it.

I second everything you said!!!  First off, she does have fabulous hair!  I ask every time I see her how she does that, but have yet to be able to do it myself.

But most importantly, Julia is a true class act!  We pass Catalfino’s on a regular basis, and Jason and I say all the time how we have the utmost respect for her.  She is smart and kind and totally professional!  Personally, she is always super nice when I bring in the kids.  And professionally, I am so impressed with her ability to always take the high road!  Jason has worked with her for a long time, and I have seen that time and time again.  To boot, I have never heard her say a bad thing about anybody.  It would be impossible not to respect her. 

So…Yay Julia!  We think she’s great!
:)Lauren