There’s a reporter at CBS who I cherish.  His name is Steve Hartman and he does quirky, upbeat, slice-of-life feature stories on, well, anyone.  See, he’s got this great shtick where he throws a dart on a map of the United States.  He then traipses to that town (no matter how big or small), grabs a phone book and blindly picks a name at random.  He proceeds to call said person, hoping they’ll tell their “story”.  That, my friends, is the brilliance behind his “Everybody Has a Story” segment.

From Hawaii to Alaska, he’s done over 100 “Story” vignettes over the years.  When I worked for CBS, Hartman’s work was must-see viewing for me.  Somehow Steve always managed to eke out these fascinating stories from Joe and JoAnn Public.  I vowed after watching him I was going to make a friend wherever I went.  If Steve could do it, so could I. 

httpv://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DvfaCuVveVw

For some inexplicable reason, people will divulge just about anything to me.  I’ve had this problem my entire life.  And every lurid tale always starts with the obligatory, “I can’t BELIEVE I’m telling you this …” or “Don’t tell anyone I told you this, but …” 

I’d be an award-winning journalist (or tabloid hack) if I just had a cameraman in tow with me 24/7. 

Hartman’s feature stories are legendary … exquisitely written and often painfully profound.  He manages to let his stories breathe, a rare occurrence in the ADD world of cable news.  His stories are touching tributes to his subjects … some not even human.  Take for instance the piece that featured two best friends … a stray dog and an elderly elephant.  It’s a video that’s gone viral.  And it’s a video that doesn’t just yank at your heartstrings … it goes RIGHT for the jugular. 

httpv://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cBtFTF2ii7U

When I grow up, I wanna be Steve Hartman.  Oops, seems I already am … oh, the stories I could tell if I wanted.  Must be my inquisitive nature … or that I seem to care, both of which have served me well.