mort@mortmeisner.com
Direct: 248-613-0948
Mort has been recognizing, developing and honing talent in the news industry for more than 30 years. With direct experience as a major market news director, assistant news director, investigative producer, managing editor, and assignment editor, Mort has knowledge of all aspects of the broadcast news world.
Mort has a proven ability to identify the “it” factor in both young and seasoned talent.
The “it” factor is the right combination of pop, sizzle and substance to make it in the business.
In an industry driven by competition, he is known as an honest critic and an honest businessman. Always direct and fair in his critiques, Mort tells clients what they need to hear. This is often not the case, as many agents will say almost anything in order to get a contract signed. Working with Mort is working with a powerhouse of a personality. Mort has a big presence, a big voice, and a big heart. He is respected for his ethical treatment of his colleagues and clients.
Recognized as an industry expert, Mort is frequently quoted with regard to the news media and is cited in college textbooks on the subject. Many of today’s decision makers, news directors and general managers, worked with or for Mort during the span of his career. Relationships drive this business and since Mort has the advantage of knowing so many key players personally, he can reach them directly and gets honest feedback on talent.
Working with talent is in his blood. Right out of high school, with endless energy and an eye for talent, Mort began working in the rock music industry, honing his skills as a promoter. Some of the biggest names pay tribute to Mort as seminal in their successes. Names like KISS, Aerosmith, Bruce Springsteen and Elton John, owe some of their early bookings to his natural networking and development skills. Rock ‘n’ Roll by night and school by day, Mort studied journalism and communications at the University of Detroit, and in the late 70’s, shifted his career path to the highly competitive broadcast news industry. Today, Mort’s high energy and vision help some of the nation’s most gifted on-air talent develop and further their careers.
Mort has always been a hands-on working journalist. In the 80’s and 90’s, he orchestrated numerous undercover and investigative stories. In the early 80’s at WBBM (CBS) in Chicago, he worked closely with legendary crime reporter John “Bull Dog” Drummond, investigating the infamous Chicago Mafia. In 1985, Mort made national news while in St. Louis during the TWA Flight 847 Hostage Crisis. He scored exclusive live interviews from Lebanon with Amal militia leaders and was the first to orchestrate interviews with some of the hostages after their release, as he flew to Boston with now NBC correspondent Ann Thompson. It is a tribute to Mort that both the hostages and their families trusted him.
In 1988, working out of Detroit’s CBS station, Mort traveled to Rome to cover the installation of Bishop Szoka as Cardinal. Always one step ahead, Mort landed an exclusive interview with Pope John Paul II. Mort is a great investigator and information seeker. All of which translates to his expertise as a TV news agent – he seeks out, recognizes, and helps talent reach their full potential.
During his career, Mort earned numerous Emmy awards. Among his awards, Mort won the Emmy for Outstanding News Cast in 1986 as Assignment Manager at KSDK in St. Louis. And in Detroit, in 1995 as News Director at WJBK, Mort won an Emmy for “Breaking Story – Kerrigan Attack;” he uncovered the details of Olympic Skaters Nancy Kerrigan’s and Tanya Harding’s personal and public conflict during the 1994 Olympics. Mort remained as News Director at WJBK until 1997, taking the station from a CBS Affiliate to a FOX O&O (Owned and Operated). Mort and his management team were responsible for putting together one of the first multiple-hour morning newscasts in the country.
In his personal life, Mort is a committed family man with a life-long passion for baseball–he has played or coached baseball most of his adult life. So, it is no surprise that when his own children began to play, he became their coach as well. Volunteering his time as a baseball coach, he has helped develop the skills and talents of many young players in his community, many of whom have become division one athletes, including his own 19-year-old daughter in track and his and 18-year-old son in baseball. In the sports arena, as in the news business, Mort’s keen eye for talent as well as his grooming and coaching skills have helped him create years of award-winning championship teams.
Mort welcomes your inquiries.
