Meet Allison…aka “my partner in crime.“
Every now and then you will hear me say the name “Allison” on air. I’m sure you are curious who I am talking about. Allison Wenger is the producer of First at 4, so yes, I work with her day in, day out, and boy am I lucky. Allison is a pro. She knows what she’s doing, is a great journalist and is just an all around “cool chic.“ You know when you have two girlfriends and you know they’ll “hit it off” so you want to introduce them? That’s exactly what I’d like to do. I think the world of all of you who swing by my blog. I know lots of you are parents and going through the same things I am. You share great advice, and we all get to vent a bit. I also think the world of Allison, so I think it’s about time you meet her! Truly, she is my “partner in crime.“ :)
Every morning I walk into the newsroom and Allison and I “catch up” for a minute before we hit the ground running. (And I mean running!) Allison will catch me up on how her husband killed a huge spider for her in the bathroom that morning and I’ll fill her in on how Caroline threw up in her crib and we had to pick vomit out of her hair. Lovely, I know, but those details are important when you’re chatting with friends. Then we get to work. I usually head out the door to cover a story for First at 4, while Allison produces the show. That means she determines which stories will air, where they will be presented in the show, and she determines when you’ll see video, graphics, or me. There are lots of things that we “tag team” on, such as setting up stories, making calls, and writing news stories. You name it, we do it, and it feels like we are both in a constant state of “sprint” until 5:05. Every day is jam packed with stuff to do, and I’m glad I have someone who can read my mind and help me “juggle” the day.
Here’s the “behind the scenes” scoop on Allison. She’s a fabulous 27 years old (oh—I remember those days!) and a newlywed. She hasn’t even been married a year, so she still has that “glow of a bride” to her. Allison’s family means more to her than anything, and I love that about her. She really will make a fabulous mama one day….and is already great at finding important stories for parents.
Allison graduated from Dublin Coffman High School. She grew up in three different states, but spent most of her childhood in Columbus. That’s really important, because she definitely knows this community. She’s been a news producer for five years, and this is actually the first time she hasn’t worked on a morning show. How she managed to get up that early amazes me. Anyway, she’s happy to have normal hours to go along with her normal life now. :)
Here are some other “fun facts.“
*Allison is the oldest of 3 kids.
*No pets…but LOVES labs. (and wants one of those dogs on the Cottenelle commercials)
*She’s a scrapbooking queen—her favorite hobby—and even makes homemade cards, yet I have yet to see one. :)
*The love of her life is her Kitchenaid mixer.
*Red is her favorite color (how can you not love a woman who loves red—perfect color)
*She’s obsessed with weddings—and if she wasn’t producing First at 4 she’d be a wedding consultant (and a darn good one, too)
*Her favorite NBC shows are ER, Law & Order SVU, and The Biggest Loser
*And this is HUGE—she’s a a certified Wilton cake decorator (who knew you could get certified—you go girl!)
So Everyone meet Allison. Allison meet Everyone!
I knew you’d get along perfectly.
Have a great day everybody!
Ellie
