Macy Moreland, a senior in Chi Omega, and Kate Waxler, a recent graduate and alumna of Chi Omega Theta Beta, had the unique opportunity to interview Catt Sadler from E! News. Sadler is a fellow Hoosier, originally from Martinsville, and was also a member of Chi Omega at IU. She was generous enough to give 30 minutes of her time to discuss Greek life, perseverance in the work force and what it means to be a Hoosier -- even while living in California.      

The Odyssey: You are from Martinsville, Ind. Did you always know that you wanted to become an IU Hoosier?
Catt Sadler: No, I didn’t actually. It’s funny, because my mom went to IU, my dad went to IU, and my aunt and uncle went to IU. I think at that time those were the influential Hoosiers in my life. I didn’t honestly start thinking about college until my junior or senior year, being from such a small town in Indiana, and my first acceptance was from Butler. I think once I visited IU, though, I just fell in love. I loved the campus, I loved that it was 15 minutes from my parents' doorstep. I think I made the right decision; I had a phenomenal experience! And just to follow up that question, we’ve lived in California since my oldest son was five and my baby was one, but they are hardcore Hoosiers fans! They say that’s where they’re going for college!      

The Odyssey: The Odyssey is a Greek-based news magazine. What made you decide to go through the recruitment process and, ultimately, choose Chi Omega? 
Catt Sadler: Well, I didn’t have any obvious legacies to any houses, but I was in the dorms my freshman year -- in McNutt -- and the girls that lived on the floor were all like, “Of course we’re rushing!” So I had a couple friends that were definitely going through the process and, at that time, it just seemed like the thing to do. I’m not gonna lie, it was hard work and pretty stressful! It consumed most of my freshman year. The two houses that it really came down to, for me, were Chi Omega and Alpha Chi Omega. And here’s a funny tidbit -- the person who was rushing me in at Alpha Chi Omega was Trista Sutter! She was on the dance team with me and we were friends, and have been friends ever since! But in the end, another girl on the team wanted me to go Chi O, and my heart and my gut was just telling me that Chi Omega was the right house -- and that was that!      

O: Did you always know that you wanted to do broadcast journalism? 
CS: Nope, definitely did not know that, either! Although, when I was a little girl -- and you have to remember this was pre-iPhone and home cameras, in general -- I did have a real knack for performing, dancing and the arts. I was in a lot of plays, I loved interviewing my family and friends and I was always creating. In my teens, when home video cameras came out, that’s when I started mock interviewing. I would be constantly interviewing all of my family and friends. I’m not going to lie, I loved the camera. 

When I went to college, though, I didn’t go with the intent to study journalism; I wanted to keep my options open. I started studying theater and my grandma was like, "What are you going to do with a theater major, you’re from Indiana?" So I started looking into journalism, because Oprah was one of my heroes and so was Katie Couric. By the time I was a junior, I finally figured out broadcast journalism was what I wanted to do. My mom kept saying, “How many times are you going to change your major? You’re meant to do broadcast journalism!”      

O: After graduation, was there a specific job that launched you into your career, or was there a favorite that you had? 
CS: Well, my story’s kind of interesting because I was still at IU when I got an internship with FOX59 in Indianapolis. So, I did my internship and I was really, really hungry. I was constantly talking to the director saying watch this interview or watch this tape; I would be at crime scenes or in front of a fire. I was emulating what the reporters were doing and I really wanted to go for it. My news reporter, at the time, saw my dedication and persistence and they made me an offer: they asked if I would consider taking my last two classes at IUPUI -- which they paid for -- and I became the executive assistant, which was more like a glorified secretary. But they also let me start this segment called Youth Matters. So, this was my senior year of college and I got to do this segment on the 10 o'clock news! It was all about really serious youth issues, like social aid and drug abuse. They said I’d be perfect since I was young and could identify, to some extent, with them. At the time, this was unheard of since I wasn’t even 21! So that was my “in.” 

Right before I graduated, I was on FOX, which was really cool! That transpired to some general assignment reporting on weekends, and going out and doing live shots. However, it was hard news, it was facts and crime and serious issues -- not fashion, arts and the subjects I studied. I learned an immense amount while I was there for that year, but mostly I learned what I didn’t want to do. Interviewing 16 year old girls about losing their babies with impending murder trials didn’t agree at all with my being. So I started getting these random calls from an agent in New York and he said, “What do you want to do?” and I was just this 20 year old girl from Indiana who had never even been to California before. So, I claimed the biggest dream I could possibly dream -- national television -- and that’s how it started.      

O: So, what was it like the first time you were on national television? 
CS: Well, that was 10 years later, since I did local news for a very long time, and I already had kids by that point. I was covering celebrity news and I was going to New York and LA, getting a taste for the “end-all-be-all,” when I was introduced to E! News. By this point, I knew I didn’t want to live in a cul-de-sac in Indiana anymore, so I started going to auditions in California. I landed the job with E! called the Daily 10 in 2006. It was my first time being on national television and it was life changing. It was almost surreal; I couldn’t even believe it was happening! I was from Indiana and everyone else had done national television before. However, I had paid my dues: I had done 10 years, six days a week, 18 hours a day, which made it all so much sweeter.      

O: What do your children think of you being on TV? Do they think of you as a celebrity? 
CS: I mean, a little bit. They were really young when I started local news in Indiana, so they’ve been used to having cameras around; they just think everybody does this, it’s part of what they know. But, then, sometimes I’ll be recognized and my kids think it’s pretty funny. Especially when we were in Barbados, they only have four channels there and E! is one of them, so they treated me like Obama! They like to make fun of me, though, which is always embarrassing. And, of course, I’m nobody in LA where everybody is somebody. But it is funny, and we keep it in check. I think their Indiana roots served them well because they’re not particularly impressed with any of it.

O: Has there been a celebrity that has put you in awe? 
CS: Oh, of course! Don’t get me wrong, I am starstruck regularly! And I get nervous still to this day. I’ve done this, now, since 1997 and I still get the butterflies. Johnny Depp has always been a favorite; I’ve interviewed him, now, half a dozen times and he’s really great every time! I also interviewed George Clooney, for the first time, a year ago. With people that talented you just have to have so much respect for them. I feel like I’m 12 years old again, but I need to remain professional and still do my job! I mean this is a job, I have people on the other side saying, “Get it together, Sadler!” I pinch myself all the time, and I’m blessed. The access is really what’s crazy when you do a job like this. I get to be on the red carpet for the Academy Awards and I’m put in all these positions that I would never be in otherwise. It’s pretty remarkable. I’m so grateful, and it really is the dream job.

O: Ultimately, how do you think being a Hoosier has impacted you as a person and in your life today? 
CS: I guess there is just a real grounded-ness that comes with growing up in Indiana; there is realness in how we talk and there’s a real hospitality in the way we treat each other. I remember getting my first full-time job in San Francisco, and I would wave at people and smile in the hallways and hold the door open. I quickly found out in California a 9 a.m. appointment means 9:30 a.m., and while walking in the hallways, you don’t have to say hi to everybody. But I credit that to “the Hoosier way.” I don’t particularly care if you’re the valet, the guy pumping my gas, or the executive on the fourth floor to whom I owe my job, I like to treat everyone the same. I think that has served me very, very well. I’ve heard from fans and people who watch the show that there’s accessibility and realness there, and I hope that’s true. The majority of the people watching the show are from the Midwest, the Heartland, and I think they appreciate my work in that sense.       

O: What advice would you give to current college students or recent grads on breaking into the journalism world? 
CS: It’s hard to give advice because when I did this it was a totally different world. The game has changed so much. I do tell younger students that there is no excuse for not doing mock interviews with your iPhone. You can practice by looking at your work. Were you maintaining eye contact? Did you look comfortable? How did you formulate that question? How did you make your subject feel? Were you articulate? You could do this every single day and improve. When I did it, you had to hire a cameraman and pay a lot of money for one day a week and he would have to sit with you to see the footage. 

You guys have so much access, and technology has improved so much; you have no excuse! Get good! So, that would be number one, and experience has served me so well. I know that’s a catch-22, because how do you get the experience without getting hired? But, now, you don’t need that big job to get experience. The Internet is the future, and it sounds cliché, but you have to find your voice! Hone in on what makes you uniquely beautiful and what your strengths are. Find your crush, your real, true passion, and incorporate that into whatever it is that you want to do.      

O: Has there ever been a time on E! when you completely messed up, or fumbled an interview, and how did you overcome that?  
CS: Yeah, there have been a couple times. Luckily, none of them were on live TV. There was one time when I was interviewing Alexander Skarsgard from True Blood, and his publicist came up to me and told me to ask about his new show. So we’re talking about Fashion Week and I asked about the wrong show and he just looked at me and said, “You have no idea who I am do you?” It turns out the publicist was for a different actor, not Alexander. The problem was, I didn’t recover; I just stood there and said, “Okay, thanks!” I was so embarrassed, and it was so amateur. The lesson in that is, that you need to be able to interview anyone about anything and make it work. If you don’t know exactly who someone is, make the questions generic and leave them open-ended.      

O: Do you have any other advice for the students in general? 
CS: You’ve done the work, you’ve kicked butt in college, and keep up the hustle. Be kind to other people and the universe will reward you. It’s really not that complicated because it is all going to work out. Sometimes, when you’re young -- and I think I was guilty of this -- you feel all this pressure to graduate and don’t know exactly where you’re headed. You feel like you have to have everything figured out, but you really don’t. Give yourself a break, live every moment and be in the present, and when you’re really open to those opportunities you will be surprised at the good things that come your way. Celebrate your accomplishments. Don’t be so stressed about the next, celebrate the now!