Mike Sternoff

I’m a One Man Band, Backpack Journalist, Video Journalist, Multimedia Reporter, Digital Journalist, Preditor (Producer/editor). Call me what you want, maybe except the last one. Whatever the title is, I do the majority of the production myself. From setting up lights, sound, shooting, reporting, editing, producing and writing.

I was born and raised in Redmond, Washington. It was a really cool time to live in the Northwest. With Nintendo and Microsoft headquarters are both about five miles from my house. I started with a photography class in the seventh grade, there's nothing like the smell of dark room chemicals and I developed a strange fondness for them. By my sophomore year I was shooting for the school paper, The Eastlake Edge. We didn’t break any major stories, but my beat was the cheerleading squad, which was awesome. After high school I ended up at the University of Montana. As a UM Griz I learned the nuts and bolts of journalism, not just how to report, but how to get the job done fast. The day to day challenge of covering breaking news is intense and UM prepared me for that.

Just a few weeks after my 22nd birthday I moved to Chicago. My friend was a stockbroker and we decided to head out here together. Most people told me I was crazy. Photojournalists rarely start their careers in a market as large as Chicago. Almost eight years later I’m still here. I’ve worked for Tribune, NBC Universal, and I’m now with ABC. As for my style, you name it, I've done it. News, features, special projects, documentaries. I pride myself on being versatile. Some of the most interesting stories I have covered include; the election of President Obama, the world championships of the White Sox and Blackhawks, and the trials of George Ryan and Rod Blagojevich (we tend to throw our Governors in prison). Now I'm shooting, writing and editing for Windy City Live on ABC 7 Chicago. It's a great morning show where everyone from Senator McCain to the stars from American Pie has stopped by.

Starting in 2007 I taught videography at the Medill School of Journalism, preparing future multimedia reporters.

I've also had a great deal of experience in documentaries. In 2009 I directed my first doc, Under The Ice. It did well and aired on PBS stations in Illinois, Wisconsin and Minnesota. It went on to win two Chicago/Midwest Emmys in 2010. My second documentary, Kindred tells the story of a young woman suffering through cancer. It’s a personal story which aired on PBS Chicago in April of 2012. Also, it won Best Documentary Short at the Illinois International Film Festival.

I have been a reporter, photojournalist, video editor, producer and writer. In my heart I'm just a storyteller. Thanks for reading