Jan 11, 2019
By Emily Knitter
Ten Olympic games. Traveling in an RV for three days with Bono, the lead singer of U2. The āTODAYā show. 51³Ō¹Ļapp.
What do these
have in common? Kerry (Donovan) Byrnes.
A ā93 journalism and mass communication graduate, Byrnesā lifelong love of storytelling has manifested into a life worthy of a story itself.
A producer for the āTODAYā show, her workday often starts on the 4:45 a.m. train from Connecticut to New York City. While most people are still sleeping, Byrnes is fielding emails based on the dayās news and checking in with each department
to ensure it is ready for the morningās guest or concert segment.
āItās all live, so hopefully things go according to plan,ā she said.
Although today Byrnes sits behind the scenes of the live show, she still remembers when she would sit by a television to watch it.
āI have been a loyal āTODAYā show viewer since college,ā she said. āI always had 8:30 a.m. classes Monday, Wednesday and Friday, so I would start my day with Katie Couric and Bryant Gumble. I was attracted to the variety,
news, human interest, entertainment; āTODAYā had everything I was looking for.ā
Byrnesā career path has been the result of a childhood passion that never dissipated.
āEver since I was young, I have loved television,ā she said. āI was fascinated by the way it was put together, and the stories that shows told. The way to tell a great story is through writing and, for me, whether itās a script
for a sitcom or a breaking news story, the way itās told is the way to connect with viewers. When I realized what I loved about television were the stories, I knew that was what I wanted to do.ā
Along with knowing her career
path as a child, Byrnes also had an idea of where she wanted to attend college.
āMy first words may have been āGo Bonaās!āā she said. āOne of my fatherās best friends, Willie McNeece (ā65), went to Bonaās and from the time I was very young, talk always centered on the Bonnies.ā
It only took one visit over Spring Weekend when she was in high school for Byrnes to be sure St. Bonaventure was the university for her.
āI had a few friends from Wilton High School that were in their freshman year at Bonaventure at the time, so it was great to meet up with them and watch a girls lacrosse game and tour the campus,ā she said. āI was hooked!ā
Byrnesā career has spanned myriad historical events and changes.
āWe have had a president impeached; Columbine, the first of too many school shootings; 9/11; the first African-American president elected; so many historical events I canāt even count,ā she said. āI have also been so lucky in my
career to have been at the epicenter of incredible moments: I have covered 10 Olympics; spent three days in an RV through Nebraska with the lead singer of U2 while he educated high school students about the AIDS epidemic in Africa; covered presidential
conventions, concerts, celebrity interviews, and so many heartbreaking stories, but many more joyful ones.ā
Before working for āTODAY,ā Byrnes was a White House producer for NBC News in Washington, D.C.
āAfter spending a couple years traveling with President Clinton, I felt I needed a change,ā she said. āI started exploring options in New York and āTODAYā was at the top of my list.ā
Ask Byrnes for advice for high school or college students, and her response exemplifies the lessons she has learned over a lifetime of experience.
Her first suggestion is to āfind something you love then figure out how to get paid for doing it.ā
As she rides the train back to Connecticut after a long, successful day at āTODAY,ā the rest of her advice echoes the trajectory of her career.
āDonāt be afraid to work hard,ā she said. āPeople look for the ones that put in the time, the ones who donāt mind logging the extra hours, working weekends, late nights, holidays. Advocate for yourself and donāt
expect someone to hand a job to you, you have to earn it.ā
But most importantly?
āGood things happen to good people. Be aggressive, but be kind,ā she said.
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