Jill Washburn

GEOGRAPHY

I’ve lived in all the glamor capitals. Born in Cleveland, raised in St. Louis, moved to Detroit as a high-schooler and never left. I was lucky enough to start my broadcasting career here and have managed to stick around in the city that has become so much more than home to me.

EDUCATION

I did my Bachelors’ degree at Michigan State where I earned an art degree that, as it turns out, is not super marketable. I didn’t care. I went there on a track and cross country scholarship, and that’s what I put all my energy into. I was super successful at that, but… it also turns out that a career in running is not a good long-term plan.

THE PATH

Enter reality, which forced me to figure out a legit way to support myself. I bumped around through numerous starter jobs before deciding that stand-up comedy was my calling. Amazingly, I was good at it. Who knew?? I travelled the country for a few years, working the road and honing my skills. It’s unconventional, but it’s the best place in the world to develop speaking skills and a stage presence. Ultimately, that led me to the radio world, and then to TV news.

EDUCATION (Phase 2)

Several years ago, I caved in and admitted that my art degree wasn’t going to cut it anymore. (Actually, it never had.) I went back to school to study meteorology at Penn State’s World Campus (online school). It goes down in history as one of my best decisions ever. I figured out that I was way smarter than I had ever given myself credit for, and found a field that I loved.

THE EXTRAS

Along the way, my years of budget-friendly do-it-yourself projects have spawned yet another incarnation of me, The Jill of All Trades one, where I share my weird amalgamation of D-I-Y knowledge with viewers in a regular weekly segment.

So, here I sit, in a job I love, at an amazing station, in a city that I call home. It doesn’t get any better than that.  

P.S. (Personal Stuff)

I’ve got a daughter whom I adore, despite the fact that she rolls her eyes at me on the regular. We also have a couple of canines who think I’m the best thing ever because I know where the food bin is, and I let them sleep on the bed.