User:Tinapatient/Katrina Szish

Katrina Szish (born March 6) is a television personality and host specializing in fashion, entertainment and lifestyle. She has succeeded in both the publishing and broadcasting worlds; she has held senior positions at some of the world’s leading fashion magazines, She is a red carpet regular at the Oscars and has interviewed innumerable celebrities and designers, ranging from Justin Timberlake to Oleg Cassini (she conducted the last known televised interview with him for ABC NEWS prior to his death in 2006). Szish currently lives in New York City with her husband, former J. Crew model and Dartmouth graduate Brant Stead, and their adorable brood of pets.

Biography
Szish was born in Wyomissing, Pennsylvania, where she grew up an only child, the daughter of Dr. Ronald C. Szish and Maureen Szish. At 13, Katrina was named a national finalist in YM magazine’s cover model contest and was featured in a fashion editorial spread shot by Patrick Demarchelier. She then signed on with CLICK modeling agency in NYC and World Top agency in Tokyo, and continued modeling for clients such as L’oreal and Shiseido through the early 90s. She attended graduated from Wyomissing High School at the top of her class in 1990 and was accepted into the Medill School of Journalism at Northwestern University. After completing her sophomore year at Northwestern, she took a year off after being accepted into a competitive internship program usually reserved for graduate students with CNN’s Political Investigation Unit in Washington, DC. Szish then transferred to Harvard University where she was a member of the renowned Hasty Pudding Club, wrote for The Harvard Crimson and was a pioneer member of the college television station. In 1996, after writing a groundbreaking thesis on fashion, film and concepts of identity, she graduated cum laude from Harvard with a BA degree in English & American Literature and Language.

Magazines
After completing a coveted internship with CNN’s Style with Elsa Klensch in New York City, Szish joined GQ magazine as an editorial assistant and writer. Within a year, Szish moved up the ranks at Conde Nast and was named a fashion writer/editor at VOGUE, where she wrote and edited “Scoop” a monthly trend column in addition to covering Fashion Week and writing feature articles for the magazine. She also aided in the creation of Teen Vogue. In 2000, she was named Editor In Chief/Special Issues and Fashion Features Director for YM, and in 2001, she returned to GQ as Senior Editor and worked for her mentor, Art Cooper, until his retirement in 2003. Szish then decided to return to her broadcasting roots and worked as a freelance producer and on-camera reporter for VOGUE’s Trend Watch, a nationally syndicated television show.

Television
In 2004, Szish made the full transition to broadcasting upon being named on-air correspondent for Us Weekly, a role custom-created for Szish and a title that has since become an industry standard. From 2004-2007 Szish covered breaking celebrity news, style and pop-culture and logged hundreds of television appearances on The Today Show, The Early Show, Good Morning America, The View, Entertainment Tonight, 20/20, Larry King Live, The O’Reilly Factor, Access Hollywood, Inside Edition, MTV, VH-1, The History Channel, MSNBC, HLN and CNN. Szish simultaneously served as a contributing anchor and host for ABC News Now and ABC News on MTV-U, as a columnist for ABCNEWS.com and as a correspondent for E!’s “The Daily 10” and “Fashion Police”. In 2006, Szish and her husband were tapped by The Food Network to co-host a destination spa special. In 2007, Szish was named National Correspondent for InStyle, another custom-created role. While at InStyle, Szish made regular appearances on The Today Show, TBS Movie and A Makeover, CNN, CBS’ The Early Show, and she garnered a recurring role on “Tim Gunn’s Guide to Style” on BRAVO. In 2009, Szish left her full-time position at InStyle to pursue independent broadcasting, marketing and new media projects. She teamed up with Toni Senecal and WPIX Channel 11 as lifestyle correspondent for “Toni On New York.” She remains a regular contributor to TBS’ “Movie & A Makeover,” CNN, HLN, CBS, Fox News Channel and Fox Business Network.

Internet
In addition to Szish’s extensive contributions to ABCNEWS.com, she spearheaded InStyle’s debut style blog, “Style Spy.” In 2009, she joined CNN.com as a freelance correspondent, producer and writer, where she currently creates lifestyle, pop-culture and fashion-related content. Szish is also the co-host of Betty Crocker’s new online cooking show, “The Mixer.” She is a regular on FoxNews.com’s “The Strategy Room,” where she reported on Michael Jackson’s death alongside Geraldo Rivera. She is a featured trendsetter on ShopItToMe.com and maintains a blog on KatrinaSzish.com. In August 2009, she was named Editor in Chief of luxury fashion webzine, PinkMemo.com.

Other Projects
Szish recently launched “Your 2 Minutes,” a one-woman online video series featuring interviews with celebrities, designers, pop culture icons and newsmakers, that she independently reports, produce and edits. Additionally, she travels the country as a public speaker addressing women and teens on inspirational topics ranging from how to achieve career goals to life lessons. She is also an active participant in animal charity groups and fundraisers, including the North Shore Animal League and the Humane Society.