MICHELLE DAWN MOONEY
In a compartmentalized world fraught with multiple slashes – diverging menus and icons/and over-specialized apps - it’s rare to find a talent who bowls you over in practically every endeavor she undertakes. Meet Michelle Dawn Mooney: Singer/songwriter, Motivational speaker and News Anchor for Atlantic City, New Jersey’s NBC TV-40 – yes you read that right – News anchor! – whose affable charm and powerhouse musical presence has made her a multi-platform ambassador of self-empowerment and goodwill.
She’s single-handedly redefined the role of newscaster for thousands of South Jersey residents who’ve come to rely on her straight-up approach and emotive insight into stories that affect their lives. The first network affiliated reporter to file a story from ground zero, she’s also enlarged the canvas of public trust-holder into a multi-tiered mosaic – successfully forging a parallel career as a music performer helping to enrich and re-purpose the lives of those fortunate enough to encounter her uplifting songs. It should be no surprise that her deft mix of musical narrative and first-person anecdotes are also wowing audiences thanks to a speaking/motivational repertoire dedicated to getting the most out of every experience as old and new generations pursue the re-focused life.
And have you also heard she can bake a cherry pie? Well, how about custom-made, hand crafted cakes. As owner/operator of ‘Over The Moon Creations,’ she’s launched her own line of DIY baked goods that have even caused staid Cuisine critics to drool over her creations. “I really do go the distance in anything I set my mind too,” she laughs. “Gotta’ be the ‘Jersey girl’ in me.”
It’s been her uncanny ability to weave her inspiring songs and stories into a larger tapestry - connecting with that everyday school student or forgotten senior citizen - that has made Michelle both a local treasure and a one-woman trail-blazer currently poised to emerge on the national landscape. Hailed recently by a myriad of NJ publications as among the area’s top ‘People To Watch,’ and honored in the prestigious ‘Top 40 under 40’ annual countdown by Atlantic City weekly, (as well as recognized as ‘Outstanding Media Professional’ by Atlantic Cape College) – she seems to be taking it all in stride.
“It’s a thrill to be recognized by the people and peers I’ve grown up around,” Michelle says. “But it’s important to note I’ve never given too much credence during those rough periods we’ve all hit in life, when the naysayer says: ‘Oh you’ll never achieve that.’” Says Michelle. “I’ve never been a big believer in labels. For me it’s never been a question of what to be, but how to be. It’s the grain running through the varied experiences of our lives that really contains the message of who we are. That’s what I try to remind people with my music, or when I speak to an audience of high school kids. Or even when I’m delivering the news. What do our lives as a whole convey?”
She demonstrated just such a message a few years ago when Atlantic City police officer Thomas McMeekin was killed in the line of duty. Realizing only after the news flash hit her anchor desk that she knew the officer, Michelle went into what friends and colleagues call her typical ‘behind the scenes’ compassionate mode. She contacted a noted and national record producer to help produce and release the song “Little by Little” that she wrote on behalf of Officer McMeekin, in hopes of benefiting the young daughter and widow he left behind. She also arranged and performed at live events held in honor of the Officer and his bereaved family, with the local community marveling at Michelle’s ability not only to touch heartstrings, but bring others together in an age where celebrity newscasters are often too busy and distracted to even sign an autograph.
“I think it’s the music side of me that’s able to reach out in ways where a newscaster might not,” she says. “Music has such power to affect lives, I realized at an early age – no matter what profession I chose – I would always rely on my passion for music to connect with people.”
It’s a recurring scenario that has defined her life, beginning with one of her earliest musical memories. “I remember we were at a Doctor’s office when I couldn’t have been more than 3 years old, and to my mom’s surprise, I got up and started singing Barry Manilow’s ‘Copacabana’ for the people that were in the waiting room.”
She began taking accordion lessons at an early age. “My grandmother had passed away and it affected me deeply. My mom thought I was becoming too introverted, so she wanted me to take music lessons. Our school had this old accordion…” she smiles. “Sure, I got the Lawrence Welk jokes, but it kept my zeal for music alive.” Close to her grandparents, she would write her first song when her Grandfather died, switching to the piano as her instrument of choice in her teens (but later she would buy the original accordion from the grade school where she took those first lessons as a memento symbolizing those first nurturing steps to a music-inspired life). “I began writing songs and never looked back.”
Well, there were a few over-the-shoulder moments, particularly during what she calls ‘the pageant years,’ when she won her fair share of competitions, including Miss Atlantic County, Miss Mays Landing, Miss Collegiate, Miss Central Coast and others – but would encounter formidable resistance in other New Jersey competitions when it came to singing her own songs. “I initially took the pageant root because I needed money for college and they offered significant scholarships, but once I entered they told me I shouldn’t sing material I wrote. To sing something everybody knew,” she recalls. “Kind of dissuading one’s talent in a talent competition.” Needless to say, Michelle was not moved. If anything, she was more determined than ever to pen her own songs. She attended Richard Stockton College, studying biological sciences and communications, but music was always occupying that sacred space in her heart.
She landed an on-air radio job out of pure tenacity, applying for the position with zero-hands on experience but beating out several more experienced candidates. She parlayed a knack for cheerfully handling pressure and harnessing the cross-wired reins of live production into a couple more radio positions before landing at NBC affiliate TV-40 as a producer. Never abandoning her passion for music, she continued to play and write on the side, a fascinating ying/yang combo that would make Mary Tyler Moore and Pat Benatar proud. She eventually rose to prominence as TV-40s most popular newscaster, with her colorful musical incarnations refusing to take a back seat, as well. Among Michelle’s most coveted gigs are several stirring national anthem renditions performed in front of the tri-state areas most hallowed sports teams – the New York Jets and the Philadelphia 76ers among them.
She has also been among the state’s most in-demand speakers and hosts, addressing groups such as the Public Relations Council of Atlantic City, Ewomen network, North Wildwood Beach Writers Conference, New Jersey Association of Women Business Owners (NJAWB), the Cape May Film Festival and others. She’s also brought her signature brand of can-do-power to numerous charities and community endeavors, including United Way, NJ Food Bank, American Heart Association, American Red Cross, Youth Services America, Marine Corp Law Enforcement Foundation, Literacy Volunteers of America, D.A.R.E., and many others.
Michelle is currently in the studio working on an album of material, as well as putting a live band together. The creative musical process – she reminds herself daily – never, ever rests. “I relish the opportunity my music career and news career has given me to bring positive change to people’s lives,” says Michelle. “I always want to deliver the best I can bring to an audience, whatever the forum.”
And that includes the dozens of speaking appearances she headlines each year dedicated to expanding ‘the realm of the possible,’ and re-discovering a sense of purpose in the lives of all she encounters. Michelle often notes how ‘the blessing of not being intimidated’ has been at the forefront of a great deal of her personal projects close to her heart, including her songmaking. It certainly remains the central theme of the popular ‘spontaneous’ portion of her message delivered to audiences hungering for authentic rapport. “I realize I’ve been given a platform,” she says. “Multiple platforms. You hope to make a difference. I’m always reminded when I speak to young people of the tremendous pressure on them to suddenly ‘know’ what path they should take. I try to be a reminder to them that life can hold a lot of surprises. That one door opens and another closes. I didn’t know what I wanted to be, or even how to get there even after I graduated college. In many ways I’m still pursuing my dreams. I find that empowering. How fearlessly embracing change is an exciting, viable option made available to us every single day.”
For more information please contact Tracey Miller & Associates, 609-383-2323 or [email protected]
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