Today we’d like to introduce you to Nikki Burdine.
Hi Nikki, so excited to have you with us today. What can you tell us about your story?
I attended the University of Tennessee, Knoxville, and majored in journalism. I knew I wanted to be in TV news – but I didn’t know exactly in what capacity. I am also pretty stubborn and was initially unwilling to move to a small town for my first tv job, something that’s usually standard (or at least back then!) in the news business. I moved to Washington, D.C., and worked for the then-Redskins football team’s radio station, ESPN Radio.
I have always loved DC and wanted to live in a big city in my early 20s. I did random production work, and sales work operated the board overnight, and even worked as a receptionist. Needless to say, it wasn’t what I wanted to do. I remember one day Bob Schieffer came into the station for an interview on the John Riggins Show, I cornered him and peppered him with questions about the business, asking him for advice on anything I could think of.
He invited me to watch a taping of his show, CBS Face the Nation, and he agreed to watch my resume tape and offer advice. I took him up on the offer and watched a taping of Face the Nation. It was kind of a wake-up call for me because I knew if I really wanted to be in this business I had to leave DC and work my way up. I got a new resume tape done (yes, back then it was actually a VHS tape!) and sent it to about 50 stations across the country.
No one called me back for about six months. Then, a news director in West Virginia called me and offered me a part-time producing, part-time on-air job for about $14,000 a year. I declined. I was so discouraged and thought I had wasted all this time in DC when I should have been out using my degree in TV news. I reached out to Bob Schieffer again for advice, he asked me where I wanted to go and I gave him a list of places. The number one place I wanted to go – to was Hagerstown, MD.
It was a small town about an hour outside of DC. Most young reporters have to start in a small town, that’s where you go to make your mistakes, then you move up after a few contracts from city to city until you end up where you want to be. I chose Hagerstown because it was an hour away from my now-husband, in DC.
The problem was, that the news director in Hagerstown wouldn’t call me back. He wouldn’t respond to my emails. I thought I wasn’t good enough. Until Bob Schieffer called that news director and asked him if he had my tape. The news director said yes, it was in a stack of about 75 in his office and he hadn’t even watched it.
Well, he finally did, I got the interview and then the job. I worked in Hagerstown for three years as a one-man-band reporter, carrying my own camera and tripod, editing my own video, producing the show, anchoring the show then formatting it for digital content. It was hard. But it was everything I wanted.
I will never forget one moment when I was working weekend mornings over Thanksgiving. My entire family was home celebrating but I was working. It was cold and rainy on a Saturday morning and I was sent out to get a video of the rain. I jumped out of my vehicle to shoot some video, only to realize I forgot the rain jacket for my camera. The cameras were so old if they got wet – all the footage would be worthless and the camera would break.
I also forgot my rain jacket. I didn’t have time to drive back to the station to get my gear, so I saw a dry stack of newspapers under an awning. I grabbed it and covered myself and my camera while I shot a video of rain. I remember thinking – my gosh this sucks. But I will absolutely remember this one day and it will all be worth it. It was.
After a few years in Hagerstown, I got a job anchoring weekends in Lexington, KY. After my 3-year contract was over there, I picked up and moved again, this time back to DC to live with my fiancé. I freelanced for the CBS station in Washington, DC, and after a few months was hired full-time. It was a pretty special moment because I always wanted to be a reporter in DC, and after years of hustling, I made it.
But after a little over five years in DC, my husband and I decided we wanted to go back to TN. I was hired as the morning anchor for WKRN in Nashville and I feel like I have finally made it. I am in a city I love, near my family and friends, anchoring a morning show with people I genuinely care about. How lucky am I?
Personally, I am married to the love of my life, Justin, and we have a daughter named Andi. She is pretty special, born at 28 weeks and weighing just 1.4lbs, she was considered a ‘micro-preemie.’ She spent almost three months in the NICU. Andi is three years old now and she is the absolute best.
We also have an adorable dog, Reggie White, who is a rescue.
Would you say it’s been a smooth road, and if not what are some of the biggest challenges you’ve faced along the way?
I have absolutely faced adversity, starting when I was a kid.
I was diagnosed with Tourettes syndrome and OCD when I was 12 years old. It was absolutely debilitating as a kid, both from a bullying standpoint but also because it kept me from doing normal things like writing my homework, sitting in class, or taking a test. My tics were verbal and loud, I would sometimes just scream or blink or tap in the middle of class.
With medication and behavioral therapy, they became more manageable, but after I moved out and went to college, a whole new wave of challenges came about. I’m not sure if it was the change in scenery or my newfound independence, but I crashed. I became severely depressed and my tics were unmanageable. I was suicidal and at one point didn’t get out of bed for two weeks.
My mom came to town and ultimately saved my life, but it was a really long road. Initially, a doctor prescribed me 19 pills twice a day, my depression was not as bad and my tics were manageable, but I gained 30 lbs in a month and I was like a zombie. My mom knew something was wrong, and after researching and talking to many many doctors, she got me on one medication to handle all my issues.
It wasn’t easy, but after a while, I started to get back to myself. 15 years later, I’m still just on that one medication. My mom saved my life and my career – because initially, doctors said I would never be able to hold a normal job, much less use my degree in journalism. Clearly, they were wrong.
Alright, so let’s switch gears a bit and talk business. What should we know about your work?
I am a morning news anchor for the ABC station in Nashville, TN. I get up every day at 2:30 am to go to work, and anchor a 3-hour morning show and I love it so much! I’ve received an Emmy for my work in TV news and have been doing this job for about 14 years.
I also run a lifestyle blog, create content on social media, and wrote a children’s book with my dad, called “Live Like Grunt.” I also started a clothing line for kids called “All Boys are Knuckleheads,” based on a saying from my dad when my sisters and I were growing up.
My most important job, however, is being a mom. I have a 3-year-old daughter named Andi who is my proudest accomplishment.
Alright so before we go can you talk to us a bit about how people can work with you, collaborate with you or support you?
Watching Good Morning Nashville is always a good idea! We love hearing from viewers! I also love creating content on social media – Instagram and TikTok especially. Following my personal journey there, makeup tips, Nashville recommendations, and real-life advice are some of my specialties.
I also love sharing the behind-the-scenes of the news business! My children’s book and clothes are available for purchase on my website, NikkiBurdine.com. I also have a consulting firm on the side where I offer media training and consulting for business owners and small businesses who need help getting press coverage or how to do TV interviews effectively.
I am also a big animal lover and am very passionate about advocating for homeless animals. I am on the board of directors for Friends of MACC which supports the animals of Davidson County.
Pricing:
- Children’s book, Live Like Grunt, the paperback is $20, the hardcover is $30
- All Boys are Knuckleheads onesie, t-shirts.
- Consulting fee: Available upon request.
Contact Info:
- Email: nikki.Burdine@gmail.com
- Website: www.nikkiburdine.com
- Instagram: instagram.com/nikkiburdine
- Facebook: Facebook.com/nikkiburdineTV
- Twitter: twitter.com/nikkiburdine
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/nikkiburdine
- Other: https://www.tiktok.com/discover/nikkiburdine?lang=en
Image Credits
Chelsea Rochelle Photography
