Husband🤵♂️, pet dad 🐈🐈🐕🐕🐕, and gardener 🥕
I am an Emmy award-winning broadcast journalist whose spent the past two decades sharing stories throughout the Midwest.
From shooting and editing, to writing, producing, and even operating (and parking!) a satellite truck, I’ve never stopped growing and developing my storytelling skills.
For me, a byline isn’t just a formality. It’s personal. I am proud to put my name behind every article and every video edit. After two decades in broadcast journalism, I’m looking to take my broad skill set and experience in a new direction.
Here’s a look at some of my recent work.
Husband
I first met David Leszcynski in 2014.
I was in Indianapolis for the Indy 500, a longtime family tradition, and I met David by happenstance at the 500 Festival Parade. David was there, camera in hand, taking photos of the parade. We struck up a conversation which lasted most of the day. He too was planning on attending the 500 the following day and we agreed to meet each other around the halfway point of the race.
We did. We kissed. And five years later, we were married.
Pet dad
When David and I first moved in together he had a dog named Buddy and I had two cats named Bolt and Moose. What could go wrong?
Eventually, the pets found harmony and affectionally became known as The Herd. After Bolt and Moose crossed the Rainbow Bridge, we added two cats, Lenny and Stanley, and a dog, Dillinger, to the mix. Two years later, Evelyn joined The Herd.
Backyard gardener
It’s safe to say I’ve always had a green thumb.
I likely inherited it from my grandfather who always tended a backyard garden.
I got my own start as a vegetable gardener at Mill Creek Park in Youngstown, Ohio. I was enrolled into a newly launched program which taught kids how to grow and maintain a vegetable garden.
This is also likely where my interest in broadcast journalism also took root.
I still remember the effort it took to execute a live shot from the vegetable gardens and the thrill of a live television interview.
I didn’t realize it then, but it seems so clear now, broadcast journalism was in my future.
Michael Hartz 