TRANSIT TV TEACHER

You can find 250+ lessons on the www.youtube.com website by typing the search words "Transit TV Teacher".

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THOUSANDS OF STRUGGLING ACTORS IN LOS ANGELES would kill for their own television program. And so I have to admit that getting the gig as the "TRANSIT TV TEACHER" on the Metro buses in LA County - researching, writing and hosting my own educational TV program - was a total fluke!

It never would have come about, were it not for some idiot talking on a cell phone who rear-ended me on the 10 Freeway back in 2008. This caused me to get rid of my car and start riding the buses around town. I noticed the new on-board TV sets broadcasting local news and programming. An ad mentioned an essay writing contest for Presidents Day - "Pick your favorite President and write a 5-paragraph essay. The winning entry gets $500." I knew I'd win. I always win when it comes to writing. And, growing up on Long Island, I actually had a favorite President - Theodore Roosevelt, whose home is about 20 miles from where I grew up. I'd toured the house and grounds several times.

Well, 300 people entered the contest. I won. Maurice Vanegas, CEO of Tezo Systems, invited me to the production studio to collect my prize and record an on-air snippet to announce the contest results. He asked what I did for a living, and when I mentioned I was a teacher with five credentials, he told me that he had an idea for a program tentatively titled "Extra Credit" (later changed to "TRANSIT TV TEACHER") which would entail researching, writing and taping 2-3 minute lessons on grammar, general knowledge, local news and history, etc. for the commuting public. He asked if I'd be interested in the job. Well, I'd never really thought about being TV actor. But the research, writing and teaching stuff was right up my alley. I figured my students might get a kick out of seeing me on camera (since many of them ride the buses). Plus, the chance to reach and teach half-a-million LA commuters. So I agreed.

Five years later, I've written and aired more than 400 lessons and am recognized almost every day by commuters on buses, in subway stations and on the streets of LA. Kinda cool!