|
 Terri
Palumbo's first entertainment industry job was as an audio
assistant on a Jerry Lewis film, which was ironically titled
"Hardly Working". Connections were then made, she worked on
independent projects in Florida before relocating back to the
New York area, and eventually, she landed a position working as
an assistant to the head writer of "Lifestyles Of The Rich And
Famous" (this was back in the day, not so very long ago, when
all television shows had writers and producers and directors,
unlike the slash-slash-slash positions of current "non-dramatic"
television). This wasn't the job she wanted. She wanted to
produce for the show— and eventually, she did, but only after
being encouraged to write by her boss, who slipped Terri's
scripts into Robin Leach's hands. Robin liked her work, and thus
began a long and continuing friendship between Terri Ann and
Robin, in which he mentored and hired her time and time again.
Thus also began Terri's love of writing (and she's eternally
grateful to Jeff Samuels, the former "Lifestyles" writer who
endlessly nagged her into giving it a go, because he thought
she'd be good at it). Terri's producing and writing credits
piled up, from "Lifestyles" and "Runaway With The Rich And
Famous" to hundreds of stories and interviews for E!
Entertainment Television, CBS, and ABC, the startup of The Food
Network with Robin Leach, to "Live With Regis and Kathie Lee",
to creating a celebrity travel series called "Gourmet Getaways
With Robin Leach" (again for The Food Network), back to
"Live"....and then, to "America's Most Wanted". A leap, from
entertainment television to crime-fighting activism? In a way.
More of a circle, really, and a chance to use her talents for a
cause and a greater good (and the work of which she is most
proud). After two years with "America's Most Wanted", Terri was
asked by WABC in New York to join the team of "New York
Non-Stop", the show that everyone watched to plan for their
Manhattan week ahead, and later, to produce and write specials
for the flagship station such as "Above And Beyond", about
exceptional high school students, "Operation 7: Save A Life",
about firefighters and personal safety (for which she won a NY
Emmy), "GospelFest" (for which she won two NY Emmys), and
"Protect Our Children" (another NY Emmy), which dealt with child
protection issues. At some point, Terri went cold. Not
creatively or personally, just physically, and so she moved back
to Florida again. While ping-ponging between New York and
Florida (New York for work, Florida for life), she was hired to
produce a series about animals, which led her to profile a small
pet supply boutique in historic downtown Fort Pierce, Florida.
Another circle met when, in 2004, Terri decided that it was time
to take a break from travel and return to her roots (retail and
wholesale, the industries in which she grew up) for a while. She
bought that boutique and has made it a success, both online and
in brick-and-mortar incarnations; and, while doing that, she's
writing her first non-fiction book (a true crime story),
collaborating on television projects and generally living life
on her terms, happily multi-tasking with Court TV, C-Span and
"Law And Order" playing in the background. In the last year,
she's brought her political interests into play by becoming an
outspoken activist for causes in which she believes, leading the
local Downtown Business Association, doing her best to give
voices to those who can't speak for themselves, and, in general,
enjoying her chance to finally pursue all the aspects of life
that most interest her. Never without an opinion, a new project
or a new idea, Terri is thrilled to be part of the UPBEAT
Entertainment News Syndicate team. "This group feels like home
to me", Terri says. "Free thinking, passionate voices with the
talents and abilities to back up a vision; endlessly curious
vitality and the smart kind of fearlessness that only comes with
maturity and life experience; a blindness to boundaries (except
when it comes to good taste); cooperative, spirited discourse
and mutual support— those are the elements that are most
familiar to me, from my earliest memories. This is the way
'work' is supposed to work— and this team sees the terms 'work',
'life', 'love', 'purpose' and 'joy' as interchangeable. When you
have a group such as this, magic, important, life— and
thought-changing magic, happens". |
Lifestyle Editor