Alumna Writes Book About Path to TV<\/p>\n
![\"Gagne-feature\"](\"https:\/\/blogs.stthom.edu\/encounter\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/15\/2020\/01\/Gagne-feature.jpg\")
Some people wander their whole lives looking for their passion, but Communication alumna Kim Gagn\u00e9 \u201986 knew she wanted to go into television at age 7. Her path started with a University of St. Thomas internship, and her road to success includes two Daytime Emmy \u00ae Awards as a supervising producer on the \u201cSteve Harvey\u201d show.<\/p>\n
\u201cI had a small TV in my room, and with all the turmoil at my house, I could stay in there for hours watching everything,\u201d Gagn\u00e9 writes in her book about growing up. \u201cIt was my escape.\u201d<\/p>\n
Gagn\u00e9, the youngest of four and 16 years younger than her oldest sister, grew up in Houston\u2019s 5th Ward. With a drug-addicted sibling and another who died during the Vietnam War, Gagn\u00e9\u2019s home life was less than perfect. She used to watch Johnny Carson and knew that one day she was going to interview people, meet celebrities and work in television. TV was a welcomed distraction from the chaos in her home.<\/p>\n
In sixth grade, an anchor from KPRC Channel 2, Napoleon Johnson, one of the first black reporters in Houston, visited her school. For Gagn\u00e9, it was a celebrity sighting. A teacher suggested she apply to the School of Communications magnet program at Yates High School, so she did.<\/p>\n
Gagn\u00e9\u2019s father, an electrician, and her mother didn\u2019t place much emphasis on a college education, but Gagn\u00e9 was motivated. She attended Lamar University in Beaumont and Texas Southern University, but when neither was right for her, a friend encouraged her to look into University of St. Thomas. It was at UST that Gagn\u00e9 found her fit and studied television production.<\/p>\n
TV Production at University of St. Thomas Opens Doors in Television<\/strong><\/p>\n Professors like Dr. Robin Williamson and instructors such as Aprille Meek took her under their wings.<\/p>\n \u201cSt. Thomas was a great experience for me, because it was small; it was manageable,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n Gagn\u00e9 credits instructor Meek, a professional at FOX 26, with connecting her to her first television internship at the station.<\/p>\n \u201cSt. Thomas opened so many doors for me,\u201d Gagn\u00e9 said. \u201cIt was that internship that launched my TV career.\u201d<\/p>\n Meek, now executive producer of special projects and digital content at FOX 26 News Houston, recalled that while teaching \u201cIntroduction to TV Production\u201d at UST, Gagn\u00e9 stood out for her desire to learn everything she could about television.<\/p>\n Having worked with Gagn\u00e9 for several years at FOX 26, Meek sees Gagn\u00e9 as a natural leader, someone who can look at a project, decide what needs to be done and take initiative.<\/p>\n \u201cShe just stood out as someone eager to learn, someone who wanted to succeed,\u201d Meek said.<\/p>\n Gagn\u00e9\u2019s Husband is Her Biggest Supporter in Television Career<\/strong><\/p>\n Gagn\u00e9\u2019s husband, Emilian White, is perhaps her biggest cheerleader. The couple met backstage at an MC Hammer concert, while Gagn\u00e9 was working on an assignment for FOX 26.<\/p>\n White, now acts as Gagn\u00e9\u2019s press agent.<\/p>\n \u201cI would never seek the attention for myself that he seeks for me,\u201d she said. \u201cHe pushes me, sometimes almost to annoyance.\u201d<\/p>\n It was White who told his wife she had outgrown local television, and he connected her with Steve Harvey, who invited her to work on a TV project in Atlanta five years ago.\u00a0The project ended, but in 2011, Harvey\u2019s staff asked Gagn\u00e9 for her help in creating a pilot for a talk show. In 2012, the pilot was picked up and the \u201cSteve Harvey\u201d show was created.<\/p>\n Working as a supervising producer, Gagn\u00e9 traveled weekdays to work in Chicago, while her husband and three kids remained in Houston\u2014the cold was too much for them.<\/p>\n Her work paid off, and, in 2013-14 and 2014-15, the show won Daytime Emmy Awards for Outstanding Talk Show Informative.<\/p>\n \u201cI can\u2019t explain how amazing that was for me,\u201d Gagn\u00e9 said. \u201cIt was absolutely a blessing. I was supervising producer. I had a team under me of seven amazing women. I loved it.\u201d<\/p>\n After four years, being away from her family took a toll, and she left the \u201cSteve Harvey Show\u201d in May 2016.<\/p>\n \u201cI missed a lot when it comes to my family,\u201d she said. \u201cMy husband did a fantastic job while I was away, but I missed most of my oldest child\u2019s high school years. After four years of hopping on a plane twice a week, I didn\u2019t want to do it anymore.\u201d<\/p>\n