Dan Moran will be doing a new twist on his column every now and then, sharing real life stories of people who redirected their life or career and followed their true passion. Follow the stories, learn from the mistakes and get motivated by the possibilities to do what you want to do in your career and find your true passion!
If you tune into WNYT News Channel 13 any weekend morning for the news, you can’t miss anchor Dan Bazile’s ear-to-ear smile – it beams – and you just know that he loves what he does. He is a true example of one who followed his passion – but got sidetracked for a bit.
A bit of history. Dan is from (as he admits), the “hood” in NYC. He speaks three languages fluently: Spanish, French and Haitian Creo. He was an art major in high school and sketched people for money. One of his paintings won a national award and hung in the White House, quite a nice honor. His English teacher recognized his personality and style and suggested that he should be in television. Dan went to WABC in New York City as an intern and caught the bug. He was unsure of his ability to make it in the news broadcast industry as an afro-American, because so few had. But he persevered.
Dan, what took you from the streets of NYC to Albany?
I knew I had to get out of the city, so I went the furthest away I could to Plattsburgh, where I attended SUNY College at Plattsburgh. After graduation, I worked for the local newspaper and started my entry into television, volunteering at the local PBS channel. I knew I needed to move to advance my career, so I relocated to Albany, which is an easier market to break into. I went to FOX-23 in public relations, but wanted to get in front of the camera. In 2004, an opportunity surfaced at WNYT as a Political Reporter and I jumped at it – and I loved it. The following year, I got the opportunity to anchor the weekend news.
But that is not where the story ends, is it Dan?
You made a decision to try something new and left?
Yes I did. As much as I love journalism, I love politics as well and had this nagging feeling that I just needed to try a career in the political arena. I left WNYT in 2007 and started doing public relations work for the NYS Assembly. It was interesting work and I met people from all over.
But you did question your decision, didn’t you?
I sure did, as did those who know me. They wished me luck, but they knew I would be back. My wife told me I would miss the business. And I have to admit – I thought so too, but didn’t want to accept it.
So you came back – how did that occur?
I realized when the Spitizer debacle occurred that I wanted to be on the other side – reporting. It was then that I accepted that I truly loved the news business. So I quit – without a job, without income – and focused on finding a job, and whew, that was tough. I called everyone I knew. I kept at it full-time and then an opportunity surfaced here at WNYT. I returned as a reporter, the weekend morning new slot opened and I grabbed it. So, I am here happy, content and loving what I do.
From this experience, what advice could you give our readers?
Always visualize your moves, before you take them. Think and ask yourself, “Is this really best for me?” Follow your passion – you cannot excel if you don’t love your job. When you find what you want to do, stick to it – the money will come. And if it doesn’t right way, do other things around your job until you make it.
This is great advice from one who is living the dream of doing what he loves. By the way, you can also catch Dan on “his little baby”, WMHT’s Help Wanted program that he co-hosts and produces and will be running throughout the summer (www.helpwantedinteractive.org).
Dan Moran is president & founder of Next-Act, a career management & transition firm located in Colonie. You can reach him at 641.8968 or dmoran@next-act.com or visit www.next-act.com.