WEBSITE OF THE DAY: CNN (FOR MY CNN DEBUT)

In case you missed it, I did my very first CNN interview today. It was an amazing experience. It all started when I received an email one night, asking if I was available to talk about Thanksgiving travel on CNN the following day. Of course, I jumped at the opportunity! I was in Connecticut visiting my family and CNN arranged a car service to pick me up and drive me into NYC. Showtime was 1:45pm and I didn’t arrive at the CNN Center until 1:20pm. Talk about cutting it close! The CNN staff was calm, professional and made me feel at ease. After clearing security, I was taken up to makeup and then, without even having time to visit the green room, I was shuttled down to the newsroom. I have done countless interviews over the years but none bigger than this. Nor have I ever spoken directly into a camera before. I was sitting in a director’s chair, with an earpiece in my ear, and all of a sudden I heard a voice, like a higher being saying, “Hi Johnny Jet! This is the CNN Center in Atlanta doing a mic check. Can you please count to five?” One, two, three, four, five ... and before I know it, I’m being broadcast live around the world! I stumbled through the first part of the interview but the host made me feel so comfortable and eventually I warmed up. I think it went well and so far, I’ve received lots of positive feedback from friends, family and even strangers. What a day!