N E W S J U N E 6 L E H A V R E Anna George brings home the gold! BY JILL DAVIS Anna George’s job as Senior Editor for the Rachael Ray Show requires her to be way behind the camera sitting in front of video editing equipment for hours at a time. But Anna was front and center on April 29 when she and her team won the Daytime Emmy Award for Best Multi-Camera Editing (see Sidebar). Rachael is known for her charitable work and frequently includes short segments in her syndicated talk show on issues that appeal to her. These segments are shot outside of the studio, and that’s where Anna comes in. It’s Anna’s role to oversee all of the editing of these special on-location pieces and turn them into compelling stories. Rachael was particularly taken with the story of the Downtown Boxing Gym in Detroit and decided to devote an entire episode to the nonprofit organization. It’s a particularly poignant story about Khali Sweeney, who opened the gym to help inner city kids who are struggling get back on track; the gym’s motto is “Books Before Boxing,” which will give you an idea of Sweeney’s priorities and vision. The episode included interviews with Sweeney as well as the kids themselves, who talked about their struggles to overcome very hard lives in a deeply challenging environment. Evander Holyfield and Laila Ali made surprise appearances with Rachael to present gifts to the gym which included a new kitchen for the facility and $25,000 in cash. It’s the kind of story that has to be presented carefully: You want to grab the viewers (who may not, at first, particularly care about the topic) and keep them engaged without coming across as too heavy-handed or sappy. Anna shared a DVD of the episode with me, and I will say I was a bit skeptical at first…I thought that I might be bored or feel somehow emotionally “manipulated.” The opening segment, which Anna edited soup-to-nuts, runs over ten minutes long, and it hooked me from the get-go; it’s beautifully balanced and compelling, and made me truly care about the story and the people in it. The program, which aired last November, turned out so well that Rachael and the producers decided to submit it for an Emmy nomination. I told Anna later, “It’s no wonder you won.” But winning was actually no easy feat; there was some serious competition, which included no less than perpetual Emmy winner Sesame Street. Anna said that the only other time the Rachael Ray show was nominated for an Emmy was several years ago and it lost to Sesame Street. “That made winning this time especially sweet,” Anna said. I asked Anna how she got into the editing field; it’s not a typical job, especially for a woman. “I went to St. John’s University,” she explained. “I loved science but got bored in the lab. Then I stumbled into the TV studio on campus, and it was like a playground to me.” Anna began her career at Lifetime 20 years ago, first in the control booth, then moving up to editor and senior editor. It wasn’t easy. “I was only one of two women editors at Lifetime,” Anna said. “It’s still a very male-oriented industry,” she added. So 6 LEHAVRE COURIER | JUNE 2016 | WWW.QNS.COM (L-R) Anna George with her team of editors: Richard Kronenberg, Michael Orso and Mathew Ilardo Rachael Ray with Evander Holyfi eld (left) and Laila Ali surprised Downtown Boxing Gym in Detroit with some big gifts. Photo by Jenny Risher, courtesy of The Rachael Ray Show what’s kept her in the field? “It’s always different,” she said, and her enthusiasm was palpable. “Different stories make it different every day.” She’s been with the Rachael Ray Show since its fourth season—the show will be starting its 11th season in September, so that’s a long time. “I love the people at the show or I wouldn’t be there,” Anna said. “I’ll stay as long as they keep me and we keep getting renewed!” Of course I had to ask about Rachael. What’s she like? Anna said, “Rachael is very nice. What you see is what you get. She has incredible energy with her TV shows, charities, magazine, cookware. And she’s starting a furniture line soon.” Wow, I’m tired just hearing about it. Okay Anna, so you enjoy the work and the people
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