Meet AM: Caroline Gottlieb – Graphics AP

[cnn-photo-caption image= http://i2.cdn.turner.com/cnn/2009/images/05/08/gottlieb.caroline.art.jpg caption=" CNN's Caroline Gottlieb sits in the back row of the control room, checking banners and ordering graphics throughout the show."]

Each Friday in “Meet AM,” we’ll introduce you to the people who get American Morning to air.

Today, we’d like you to meet Caroline Gottlieb. Caroline is the Graphics Associate Producer on the show, which means she is the graphics coordinator. She makes sure all on-air graphics are ordered correctly and look good on air.

She also checks banners, which are the text at the bottom of the screen that change from story to story. She’ll have been at AM for three years in July.

How did you end up doing what you doing?
I’ve always been a news junkie and a big CNN fan. I lucked out and got an internship with American Morning during college and was determined to work at the show after college. After graduating from the University of Wisconsin-Madison (go Badgers!) with a double major in Journalism and History, I learned the ropes as a PA (prompter, scripts, tapes, etc.) and then moved on into working with the graphics department. I became the Graphics AP in the fall of 2007.

Describe your average day:
I hit the ground running at 2:00AM. I immediately start going through a stack of graphic orders waiting for me. Examples of some of the orders waiting for me include quotes you might see during a guest segment, a wall graphic, or maps of various hot spots. I check for editorial errors in the orders, format them, and pass them along to our fabulous artists in the graphics department. I’m busy straight up to the show (if I’m not busy, I’m concerned, and will find something to do).

During the show I’m in the back row of the control room ensuring that the graphics are ready for air, that they follow our style, are readable, and are editorially sound. I’m also checking our banners for coding errors and trafficking our breaking news banners (helping make CNN the first to break the news!). I’ve on occasion banged out a breaking news banner myself. After the show I’m handling any long-term graphics projects.

What's the hardest part of your job?
I’d say the multitasking required in the control room of a live, 3-hour show is quite intense. It’s a bit of a juggling act – there are times when I’m on the phone reviewing a graphic with an artist, while simultaneously checking the coding of our banners and responding over my headset to various requests and questions. I’ve learned how to handle it and, strangely, find it fun, but it’s definitely not for the weak of heart.

What do you like most about working at AM?
I think the fact that I still get the occasional butterflies in my stomach when I walk into our building in the morning – the feeling of, “er, who let me in here, I hope no one notices,” – attests to my feelings for the organization and show I work for. I love when I look up at the monitors in the control room and see we were the first to break a story, or when I think our graphics explained a complicated story well. All of this, of course, would not be possible without our great editorial and technical staff who make waking up at 1AM worthwhile!

What do you do outside of work? What do you do for fun?
I feel a bit unfulfilled if I don’t have a good book to read. Right now I’m FINALLY reading Jeffrey Toobin’s “The Nine” about the Supreme Court (and not just because he’s a contributor at CNN!). Good timing on my part!

What else do you think people should know about you?
I’m easily bribed with food. Could be Taco Bell, or a fancy steak dinner. I’ll throw away all my journalistic standards for a good meal. I kid! (sort of).

From Aparnaa Seshadri, CNN