Me with Al Roker — a very good grandpa.
Tune in to see my interview on the NBC TODAY show on Friday September 5th, 9am hour.
Here’s the story:
In my wildest dreams, if I could pick any celebrity TV host to help me tell the world about my Good Grandpa book, it would be Al Roker. He is well-loved by millions of TODAY show viewers — the most popular morning show on television. And he’s a grandpa (Pop-Pop to his granddaughter, Sky).
My wildest dreams have come true.
My publicists at Fortier PR came through for me big time. They reached out to NBC’s producers back in June and I sent an advanced copy of Good Grandpa to them for review — one copy signed for Al Roker. The producers immediately expressed interest. Sure enough, in early August they confirmed not only that they wanted to do a segment for the show, but that Al wanted to come to my house to interview me!
Any author would do backflips upon hearing this news. Since I had just turned 66—with limited gymnastic skills—I settled for jumping jacks.
A date was set for the interview, and we decided to have it take place at my daughter’s house in Connecticut, requiring less travel for Al. As fate would have it, my daughter Abigail’s kitchen was under construction. The whole family dived in to help get the rest of the house as ship-shape as possible for national television. A senior NBC producer arrived in the morning with a small crew, and Al arrived at noon. Right away, his personality filled the room. It was immediately clear why Al has become a celebrity — from his engaging, warm personality, to the bright fresh flower on the lapel of his jacket.
Al Roker is a gentleman through and through.
The producer said Al would interview me for around 15 to 20 minutes. We ended up speaking for close to an hour. The reason is, I think, because Al and I both share the extraordinary experience of grandfatherhood. We had a chance to compare notes, talk about love and purpose, and think together about the difference we can make in the lives of our grandchildren. I even had a chance to ask Al a few questions. It will be a tall order for the editors to get it all down to around 3 to 4 minutes.
Al and I ‘on set’ in the living room.
The interview was a great experience for our family. My grandsons, Charles and Henry, learned a lot about TV production.
I am deeply grateful to my family for helping make the special day happen, especially my daughter, Abigail, and my wife, Nancy. A big thanks is also due to David Wolpert with Fortier PR, who doggedly pursued this amazing opportunity.
Have I mentioned that Good Grandpa can now be ordered on Amazon and other sites?
I’m hoping it gets distributed to small independent booksellers as well. If your local bookstore does not currently carry Good Grandpa, they will likely order a copy for you. I recorded the audiobook, which should be available no later than September 10th.
Stay tuned to the TODAY show on Friday September 5th during the 9am hour.
Love,
Grandpa Ted
