My sister works here now.
Not sure if any of you have worked with a family member before. It's actually the third time it's happened with me. More on that in a moment, but first the confirmation that the Emily Vitrano who's appeared on Live at Daybreak this week is in fact my sister.
As viewers know, Road Warrior Lisa Mana is about to have a baby (no news on that front as of this writing). While she's on maternity leave, my sister Emily is standing in as the Road Warrior.
I can pretty much hire whomever I want around here, so why not my sister? I'm trying to get my mom a job right now, and I have a friend who I may bring in too.
Okay, that last part is purely in jest. Here's how it came about. I had everything to say about her getting an audition for the job, but nothing to do with the fact that they actually hired her. Emily is an actor, recently back from New York. She's in a play with Next Act Theater this Fall http://www.nextact.org/0809_season/lombardi/index.html. She also landed a part with the Rep this Spring.
Knowing that part-time employment that doesn't interfere with rehearsals and auditions is tough to come by, I suggested she audition for Lisa's fill-in role. She did the rest. Everybody else on the team liked her, and thought we'd have a good time having her around. Plus, if she's horrible... it's only for a few weeks!
A few more vital statistics on Emily: She's 24 years old, 10 years younger than me. We always got along as kids, probably because of the wide gap between our ages. She was my cute little sister. I was her older brother who took pretty good care of her... or just left her alone. Either way, we didn't bother each other too much. There were a couple things... maybe I'll follow up with a few good stories.
As for the two other times I've been employed along side family members, both have involved my younger brother, Nick. As kids we both worked for Suzy's Cream Cheesecakes. Nick and I worked the festivals, Summerfest and beyond, often on the same shift. We also worked on and off at the store on 59th and Vliet (pictured right). It was a great job, and we are both indebted to Suzy and Mark Strothmann for years of guidance and employment. They were great people to work for... make some pretty tasty desserts too.
Later in life, I brought Nick on as a call-screener for the sports radio show I was working with in Green Bay. I co-hosted a 2-hour talk show with Green Bay area legend John Maino. Nick took over co-hosting duties after I left, and remains with WNFL in Green Bay http://www.1440wnfl.com/shared/airstaff/airstaff.asp?jid=977, still doing the show as well as Assistant Program Director duties.
So, yes. That's my sister. Hope you like her.
emails: vvitrano@todaystmj4.com
