In the Spotlight #LikeaGirl: An Interview with Keltie Knight
Keltie Knight had humble beginnings as a young girl growing up in Canada who just loved to dance. It’s her dancing that eventually brought her to the United States, and she began rising through the ranks. Her broadcasting career began when she hosted an episode of CMT’s Top Twenty Countdown, and now she is a weekly host of The Insider on CBS. There is a lot we can learn from her life in the spotlight, so keep on reading!
1. Hi, Keltie! Tell us a bit about yourself.
Hi, I’m Keltie. I’m a dog loving, fashion loving, tea drinking TV host. I wake up super early, I work very hard, and the only celebrity that I get starstruck by is Paula Abdul.
2. I’m going to be totally honest, interviewing someone who has interviewed celebs like Taylor Swift, Oprah, and Adam Levine is a bit intimidating. What’s it like having the opportunity to talk to all these great people?
What is even cooler is that after all these years, the stars sort of know me, and while I’m not heading over for dinner parties, we always visit and I feel like they are my people! I just saw Chris Pratt, and after the interview he was all, “Keltie, how was your holiday?” Celebrities are more normal than we give them credit for…well, MOST of them are. Taylor Swift is crazy tall, though.
3. What sparked your interest in pursuing a career in broadcasting?
I’ve always been a curious person, and I’m really outgoing. I started making my own videos, and had a really popular blog. Next, I realized that I really loved telling stories. Eight years later I am borrowing fancy diamonds and getting kissed on the cheek by Harry Styles! Not a bad life!
4. In your opinion, what’s the highlight of your career so far?
Meeting Oprah. I mean, ugh, O P R A H. I watched her show every day after school eating my cereal before homework and to even be in the room with her, and spend one on one time with her. It just makes you feel like you have “made it!”
5. In addition to being a noted interviewer and TV host, you’re also a successful blogger. What drew you to blogging ten years ago?
Again, I am a storyteller. I’ve always been really outgoing in public, and then very thoughtful and a homebody at home. Blogging is a perfect thing to do if you want to interact with the world, but you only want to wear sweatpants. I still blog! My LadyGang podcast hosts a blog, and my co-hosts and I write on it all the time!
6. What’s the hardest obstacle you’ve had to overcome in your career, and how did you get through it?
The rejection. It is absolutely crushing. I’m talking daily rejections, big and small. My job is to be “me,” but on camera. So, when someone doesn’t pick me, or doesn’t like my work, it is not as if I am separate from that. It’s not a project I worked on that they do not like, it’s me. It’s the way I look, the way I sound, the way I talk. That really cuts into your soul, and I have to have incredibly thick skin (which I don’t so please triple like all my Instagram photos, ok?).
7. What are you looking forward to in 2017?
So many things! New music from Ed Sheeran! Growing out my hair! I’m going on a big tropical vacation! I have a Givenchy gown for the SAG Awards that fits me perfectly and I cannot wait to spin around in it! The thing about having all your dreams come true is that you have to keep making newer and bigger dreams. For me, a lot of those dreams center around our LadyGang Podcast. We just launched a subscription box service and our first set of boxes sold out instantly! That feels good. I’m excited to be a LadyBoss in 2017.
[clickToTweet tweet=”The thing about having all your dreams come true is that you have to keep making bigger dreams.” quote=”The thing about having all your dreams come true is that you have to keep making bigger dreams.”]
8. Do you have any advice for Millennials who aspire to be in the spotlight?
I think much like The Bachelor, you have to want to be in the spotlight for the “right reasons.” It’s easy to get a lot of followers posing naked on Instagram, or pulling out a girls hair extensions on reality TV. I think it’s best to really follow your heart to what interests you and aim to be the very best at whatever that is, because there is notoriety in being the best at something, and there is also a following in that. The world can only have SO many superstars, so try to figure out what you are good at, and go with that. I will say in my early 20s I just wanted attention, and now all these years later, I can honestly say that I wish for recognition for doing excellent work, over straight up attention. There is a big difference.
9. Is there anything else you’d like to add?
I just want to inspire anyone that might be reading this that if you are looking for “a sign,” let this be it. I am a girl from Canada, without famous parents or any connections, and I have a dream gig in Los Angeles. If you work hard (and I mean actually hustle, not say you are hustling but actually binge watching TV on the couch) and you are GOOD at what you do, I believe the cream rises to the top. Do not think it could never happen for you. I always use the motto: Why not me? Someone has to do the gig you want, so IT SHOULD BE YOU.
Thank you so much, Keltie!
Check out Keltie’s podcast and blog, LadyGang, and also follow her on Instagram and Twitter!
