Get To Know Mike Janela - A Glimpse Into The Life And Career Of Mike Janela By: Jennifer Kate

Welcome to an exceptional blog. I had a fantastic experience and the opportunity to talk to the New York Mets In-Game Host, Mike Janela, via email. This experience was incredible, but I was nervous because this was a huge opportunity. But to say Mike Janela was super cool is an absolute understatement. If you guys don't know me, I'm Jennifer Kate, a producer for Fruity Serial here on the Empty The Bench Podcast Network.

As a kid growing up, his initial dream, like many others, was to grow up and be a pro athlete. He quickly realized around 8 or 9 that he was too slow and unathletic ever to happen. But despite that, he still loved sports, and he figured that becoming a host like the people on TV covering sports and entertainment all of the time was the best way to live out his dream. He forgot who the announcer was, but he was watching coverage of Cal Ripken breaking the consecutive games played record. Somebody on air said something like, "I can't believe I'm lucky enough to have a front-row seat to history like this' and he thought, "Hey yeah, that sounds pretty great!" as Janela said to me in his email "a career path was born."

I asked him if he has anyone in the media industry you admire or idolize as a role model. He told me his role model was Bob Costas, who was always the guy for him growing up. He saw a lot of myself in him. Costas was also the most prominent sports voice on TV growing up in the 90s. Costas did the World Series, NBA finals, and Olympics. Another one of his biggest inspirations growing up was Alex Trebek. He has watched Jeopardy! Every night since he was around three years old. He tells me that Alex Trebek is so poised and professional, and that was always something he tried to emulate. He also looks up to Katie Nolan, Ryan Seacrest, and Gary Cohen.

I asked him one final question, which was a great one. I asked him if there was anything he wished he could say to his former self. If so, what would it be and why? His response was genuine and honest, which I appreciate so much, Mike; if you see this, I appreciate you being so honest and open. It was fantastic to see someone who is thinking about possibly going into the journalism field. But anyway, let me get to his response, and he said, "I would've told my younger self not to take yourself so seriously." Once he realized to let go of his hang-ups about being a perfect host or getting nervous about introducing himself to someone new and learning not to give a damn and be himself, it made his life and career much more manageable.

Let me give you guys a quick overview of who Mike Janela is. He is a host/producer for MSG Networks and the American Kennel Club. Janela is also a media coach for aspiring on-air talent, public speakers, and content creators. He grew up in New Jersey and graduated from Syracuse University with a degree in broadcast journalism. He also worked for Guinness World Records from 2009 to 2014. Let me backtrack a little bit: In a past life, at the beginning of his career, Janela worked as a newspaper reporter for The Home News (N.J.) Tribune and play-by-play announcer for several minor league baseball and college sports teams. A few years ago, he won $150,000 and a bonus vacation on ABC's The $100,000 Pyramid. Fun fact: he was the first player to have ever done that, which is excellent if you ask me.

Let's transition to how Janela ended up with the New York Mets, but before we get too far into talking about his career with the New York Mets, let's talk about his career with the San Diego Padres. Janela started his baseball career as a play-by-play announcer for several minor league baseball and college sports teams. When he started in the Major Leagues, Janela worked for the San Diego Padres as a producer for an hour-long talk show in 2016. The show he produced for the Padres was called Padres Social Hour, broadcast live on the Fox Sports San Diego. The seven-day-a-week presentation covered the latest in Padres baseball, MLB news and notes, and lots of stories outside of sports, with fans able to interact and ask questions live on social media. Guest ran the gamut from baseball legends like Mark McGwire to general life icons like Snoop Dog.

Now, let's get to his career with the New York Mets. I asked him what led him to accept a job working with the New York Mets, and the response I got was pretty cool. Let me share with you what he said. He told me that he's always been a Mets fan his whole life and that it was always a goal for him to work for the team. He always thought he would be a play-by-play broadcaster, but before his first season, the guy who was one of the hosts here before he decided to leave and pursue other projects. He heard they were auditioning for replacements, so he went in and did a good enough job to get offered the role.

Since then, his role has grown from the original in-game responsibilities to more digital and content creation. And now, five seasons later, he is still there. The second part of the question I asked him was about the interview process for the New York Mets. He told me they had him audition as if it was a real game, doing some practice segments like we would in an actual game setting. He did a few alone and then some with another host to test chemistry, and he would work with someone else. A few decision-makers were there to watch and then talk with him about his background and the gig; he said it was all pretty straightforward.

On top of being the in-game host for the New York Mets, a host/producer for MSG Networks, and the American Kennel Club, he also has his own company, where he is a media coach for aspiring on-air talent, public speakers, and content creators. He also wrote an E-Book called 10-Step Talent Toolkit. He also has a website called mikejanela.com, which I used to write some of this blog. I recommend doing so if you still need to check out his website and E-Book. On his website, he has clips where he does masterclass conversations with hosts, producers, and other experts. He also does coaching workshops where he offers live coaching sessions to visit your office, class, or group to improve hosting skills, public speaking, or any other communication you'd like to work on.

Before i wrap up this blog, I want to thank Mike Janela for being awesome and responding to my D.M. with an email. You should have seen the look on my face when i saw that email come through. I honestly was so nervous that i had mentally convinced myself that he wouldn't respond, but he did and was one of the nicest people ever. Honestly, this blog was an absolute honor to write, and I said I was not expecting him to answer back, so i didn't think i would ever be writing this blog, but here we are. Thank you so very much for reading this blog. I hope you enjoyed reading it as much as I wanted to write it. Until next time, I'm Jennifer Kate, and I will catch you guys in the next one.