Are you miscast?

In the annals of Hollywood, it is generally accepted that the most miscast movie in history is Guys and Dolls. That's the one in which some producer hired Frank Sinatra and Marlon Brando for the film, then gave Sinatra the talking part and Brando the singing part.

Last night we sat down to watch Mamma Mia. (Cut me some slack here... all New York men love musicals.) Anyway, as the movie starts I'm looking at the DVD box and note that it stars Meryl Streep and Pierce Brosnan. So I'm naturally assuming that they must have talking parts in the movie.

Nope. Now Streep is a wonderful actress and Brosnan's James Bond beats the heck out of the new guy, but when these two sang a duet...

Mamma Mia.

If my cat Bella had sharpened her claws on a blackboard it would have sounded better.

I'm sure both Streep and Brosnan took the roles because they were a nice change of pace and a lot of fun. And that brings me to my point.

Have you tried everything in this business? Since a lot of you are re-thinking a career in broadcasting, perhaps you're being a bit too narrow minded in your planning.

Over the years I've done just about everything, from morning show weather (worst shift in TV) to play-by-play (best gig ever.) But for about ten years I did nothing but features, and then when consultants decided that no one wanted to watch features anymore, I was stuck. I had, effectively, pigeon-holed myself.

These days versatility is very marketable. People who can do more than one thing are valuable to a News Director. You may like what you do, but there might be something out there you like even better... and you might even be better at it.

Let's say your reporting career is going nowhere after five years but you're known as the best writer in the newsroom. Perhaps you need to try producing. Or the weekend weatherman quits and the ND can't find a suitable replacement. Throw your hat in the ring and give it a shot. Or maybe you've always wondered if you'd be a decent anchor but there are never any openings; ask the ND if you can do the morning cut-ins.

The point is, lots of people will have to be flexible in the coming years. You may have wanted to just be a street reporter all your life, but you owe it to yourself to explore all aspects of the business. And trust me, this will give you a lot more options if one of those pink slips ever lands on your desk.