Ay i OA pA A ATCA eT P iil AND a ead \ iV) Ms : (i LE TT NtJ rh EMMY AWA A il TeV ABC7 TELEVISION PRODUCER CATHY VLAHOGL ANNIS PETITE PIVE-FOOL-TWO FRAME BELIFS HER BUOYANT SPIRIT. BEFORE HER 34TH BIRTHDAY, THE BRIGHT GREEK-AMERICAN BRUNETTE FROM TH NORTHWEST CHICAGO SUBURB OF ELMWOOD PARK— THE LAND OF BLUE COLLAR FOLKS WITH THICK CHI- CAGO ACCENTS — HAD ALREADY WON THREE EMMY AWARDS FOR HER WORK AT ABC. TWO EMMYS WERE AWARDED FOR HER PRODUCTION WORK ON TH WEEKLY ENTERTAINMENT AND LIFESTYLESHOW, 190, NORTH, HOSTED BY CHICAGO'S JANET DAVIES. THE, THIRD WAS FOR LIER WORK ON THE MAGNIFICENT, MILE. LIGHTS FESTIVAL, ‘THE, TELEVISED. PARADE, HER DEPARTMENT PRODUCES LIVE EACH YEAR. o stranger to working on popularlive televised events and pa rads, the Countdoen ¢ 013 she produced with Edgar Vargas for ABC's New Year's Eve celebration brought in an enormous 17.4 rating and 40 share — with more than 600,000 households and four out of every ten television's tuned in at the stroke of midnight. She also created, launched, and pro- duced two successful programs for ABC's Live Well Network However, i's not the attention that inspires her pursuit of excel: lence. Instead, she says i's her strong upbringing and family values know every step that fel her di ward I take Is one that speaks well of my family,” she said. “For me, the awards don’t mean much, Iam my worst critic and if Tam happy with the work I produce, then that’s good enough for me! The most important thing my parents ever taught me was to never give anyone a reason to talk badly about my work.” Aside from being asked whether her life is lke Wading, Viahogian My Big Pat Grok isadores her heritage. She especially enjoys the pect she is able to hamess to tell the larger story of Chicago's vibrant ‘Greek community. One of her fondest memories is visiting her par ents! hometowns in Greece, including her mother’s place of birth, annis leamed to drink Frappe long be- Starbucks made the frozen coffee drink cool. Her father is from Patras, a place where Viahos Argalasti, near Volos the idyllic mountain town in northern Greece whore Jason stole the fabled golden Feece in the Argonauts.” With th rytelling? My Greek upbning “Jason and heritage, how could she not nfluence he said lace atthe big. encls and faenily Uleamed the value of hard work and earning your lable, Growing up, I constantly heard stories making good on the risk and investment their pazents had made for. 4 THEN THATS GOOD \ ENOUGH FOR ME! 59spired me to chase my dreams,” she revealed with a laugh. “I knew they got their start straight out of high school, so when T we college, | thought it they chased their dreams when they were my age, [could too!” Incidentally, she happened to run into one of the Beastie Boys! {group members, Adrock, at The Metro ler on in her career. “Thad the chance to fell him how much his band's music and story had inspired me, He was 50 positive and tal me Twas the right tack Definitely one ofthe coolest moments of my life! Se began her broadeasting career in radio at Triton College's lo cal station, 88.9FM WRRG. When the opportunity came up to audi- tion for an on-air shit she auditioned, landed the spot, and loved every minute of i. One day, while she was interviewing The Dub Pistols at the Metro, she ran into someone who worked for 92.7 Kiss PM, Chicago's newest pop station at the time. He mentioned they had an opening in their marketing and fromotions department, $0 she applied and followed up repeatedly intl she got the gig. ‘Working at Kiss FM was great, but [soon realized { wanted tobe fa national ratio show” This time, she applied apart ofa station wi for a job at QLOL in marketing and promctions, and in what seemed like the blink of an eve, she was working atone of the most promi nent alternative rock stations in the country, alongside Mancow “Muller, one ofthe country’s most provocative radio personalities. ‘One day, Mancow asked her to voice something for hmm, “I guess he liked what he heard because he asked me to come back the fol- lowing morning to hang with him and the rest ofhis Moming Mad: house on the ai” she recalled with excitement, “There I way, 20, years old, onthe air with radio's most motley crew! ‘Anal he jst kept asking her if she coald come back. he would do radio station promotions at night, then tum around to be on the air with Mancow the following day at am. She kept up this routine for awhile, until she was asked to work on-air full-time forthe show worked side by side with a dozen guys, all creative and really ‘good at what they did,” she said. “They showed me the ropes of on air broadcasting and olf aie producing, It was a erazy, intense, fun time in my life and I stil can’t believe that | was apart ot it, Although, she met many famous people over her past fifteen years in broadcasting ranging from Russel Crowe to Lenny Kravitz, het favorite rusvin was while working with Mancow ~ even though, technically, she only met him over the phone: the late Henry Hil, (¥es that Horry Hill — the seal life mobster that “Goodell” ie based ont) “Vlahogiannis had booked Hilt callin tothe Mancow Show for _an interview one morning, but he never di. A couple of days later, Hill called her~ from jail ~to explain that he had been arrested anc vas deeply sorry he had to miss the intrview. “He wanted to re schedule,” she remembered incredulously. “I told him 1 was glad he called back because he was going to get me in hot water with Mancow. He said, “You tell Mancow to be nice to you, otherwise, whack hint? F guess your boss has tobe nice to you when Heney Hill has your back! pite her affection desided it was time tohang up her radio nat and begin parsing her big dream of working in television “Lfigured [was young, so that was tho time to risk it all.” she re vealed. "So, said goodbye tomy on-air producing gig with Mancow for an interashp” Fortunately, that internship happened to be at the ‘number one news broadcasting station in Chicago, ABC 7.She began working with the moming news team and she was determined 10 radio, once Vahogiannis turned 23, sheLE 8 0 1 TPL UNE TaN NTC, ST WP TYget a job as a producer in local programming, Soon, she was recommended to Janet Davies. “She and I clicked, andthe next thing I knew, I was a local programming producer at the nun 1 one slation in Chicago. I wouldn't be where I am today if Janet Davies ~ and, of couse, Mancow Muller ~ hada givers ‘me a chance. They both met me when I knew only a litle, but they ench took me under thee wi nd tought me everything [now today. I will forever be grateful to them.” “The testi television history, and sha has hoon swarking at her dream jo Viahog! job, think twice about putt at ABC ever since. As she followed her passion nnis says there isnothing she does not love about her Everyday I get excited to go to work,” she sai, “Inever gin a sixteen hour day because i's true what they say: ind 3 job you love and you'll never work a day in your Ife’ That definitely applies to me!” (Of course, this is not aiways a breezy feat. "Is and hours thinking about work and how to make wt better,” she revealed. ably satistying from start AA the end of the day, Jevant and interesting to people, working togelher with a talented team to introduce bi Boing a television producer is incre: ne because Lama part of the ereative process ne relishes producing content that nudicnee to new and interest ing things through her eyes. She enjoys spending her free time with ng parents, going trips, to the movies, or to the mall Parents won't be around forever, 0 try to do my best to spend! time with them and let them know how much I appreciate themy” she said Both of her parents immigrated to tke US, from Greece in the mid 70s where they metand married in Chicago in 1977. Her father worked as abig machine mechanic at Brach’s Candy Co., and her mother held a vanety of obs from factory worker to surance agency elerk. Growing, siannis that “peoplellike hee” children ‘workingyclass inanigrants who lived paycheck to paycheck) could ‘make it in broadcasting she would have up, people constantly told Via swol work it a eieaive Nel. I naysayers also told her that t before she sould make iin Chicago. “Well, I've been wor 1998," she said Although st ple will be ins hope they can do it” she s ing, in the broedastng field in Chicago sino ‘My greatest triumph is defying the naysayers. does not consider herself a role model, she hopes peo- red by her story to pursuit their own goals. “T would lize that if [can set a goal ancl make it a reality, anyone d. “I wasn't omn with a silver spoon in my mouth; I just knew what I wanted to do and was willing to work hard to make ithappen." © “Ilove everyting about Chicago: te neighborhoods, the peopl, te food, the night," Vabooianns sad “t's my aly, there's no othe pace quite ke i" FAVORITE OVERALL RESTAURANT: Untied. “Ar 16,000 sauare foot speakeasy/supper cub themed Ver ue. Untied has 2 great ambiance tasty food, eoleious cooktals, and fun lve music! | cant say enough (900d things about this pace!” FAVORITE GREEK RESTAURANT: ‘The Athenian Room. “Like. most ‘rook people | ove my food extra lemony and with ots of feta cheese. Tiss the fist time havent had 0 ‘order extra lemon or feta a a r0s- taurant! nd, the steak ore i abso- Iutely the best ve ever hax.” FAVORITE NIGHTCLUB: The new Dolphin. "| love going there on Sundays for Boom Boom oom, the longest running cub night in the county. Its unike anything ‘se going on in the city” FAVORITE PLACE TO RELAX: ‘ilu Spa. “1 love taking me for ‘myget witha chakra balancing and massage therapy combo. 1 always leave fon olaned and grounded.” FAVORITE MOVIE: ‘Aentures In Babysiting sd Fer~ "is Bueller's Day Of. "These two ‘tat fins that capture the essence ‘of Chicago. lo, Te Ke Stas inthe Pcie, the slury of fin producer Robert Evans, When | fst saw this more, the editing blew me aay and the sioyinspied me," FAVORITE STORES/BOUTIQUES: Mojo Spa “Afun Grea owned bust tes in Wicker Pak where you can pick up handmade beauty products Tike tle sonps that ok and sre (00d enough to ea!” strowitey “| nod a show-stop- ing manicure, Ashley Crowe, aka Ato Nooks up Ure best nal ar. intownt Tigerlie, “Owner Angelica Fivra specializes in vintage ‘dos. I's the only piace where | vl get my hai one for special events.” OTHER CHICAGO FAVORITES: ‘rtopolis. “When I'm looking for quick and dolioove lunch, this ‘reektown cafes my go-to spot” Hala Kahiki “| lve ail things thi and this plac in River Grove Is one of my favorites! They serve up tasty tropcal amis. ma Kischy ambi- Johnnie's Beet, “Every Chicagoan hae ther favorit beef stan, snd for mo its Johnnie's — and, its not just because it located in my hometown of Elmvcod Park! The boot sandwich here has favre oa até Iberico. “The Spanish tapas ete ave phenomenal And, the san fas oven beter”