Written By Mary Spiro
Westminster’s Michele Alessi didn’t pass “Go.” She burst directly into TV’s big time.
There is nothing in the way Michele Alessi looks, dresses or speaks that would lead you to believe that she’s rubbed elbows with rock stars and sports icons.
Attractive, blonde and 30-something, the Westminster mother of two apparently marches to the beat of a fairly typical drum. Mornings involve getting 6-year-old Mia and 8-year-old Noelle ready for school or sending her husband Mark, a Baltimore City police officer, off to work. Evenings consist of dinner, homework or driving the girls to activities. She also works part time as a medical practice consultant for physicians who rely on her people skills.
But over the last few years, Michele has been cooking up something more exciting than pot roast. In fact, only her cell phone address book would clue you in to the fact that she has met “Glory Days” rocker Bruce Springsteen, Orioles “Ironman” Cal Ripken, Jr. ?or KISS bassist and mega-self promoter Gene Simmons. ?During early morning Internet sessions and mid afternoon long distance phone calls from her home office, Michele pulled together a rock and roll, baseball-themed reality show–”7th Inning Stretch”–shown on ESPN2 in mid July.
The 60-minute program follows Pat DiNizio, lead singer of the seminal ’80s rock band, The Smithereens (whose songs include the 1989 hit “A Girl Like You”), as he attempts to join a minor league baseball team. In the show, DiNizio trains with Ripken, as well as former San Diego Padre Tony Gwynn, now head coach of the San Diego State University baseball team. And along with Simmons, reportedly a pretty mean stickball player as a kid in Haifa, Israel, the show also features Don Mattingly, David Wells, Joan Jett and George Thorogood.
The story of a rocker trying to turn ball player is one thing. But what is surprising is that Michele was able to produce this amusing reality piece with no prior television experience. Other than childhood plays for her parents, Jean and Edward Musil, she was no “insider” and had no network. What she lacked in experience, she replaced with enthusiasm and gumption. While others say, “Why try?” Michele says, “Why not?”
Growing up, Michele never considered a career in television. After graduating?from Westminster High School, she worked at the Westminster Nursing Home. And rather than finish college, she chose to begin working as a medical assistant and physicians’ practice administrator. Her knack for getting things done while keeping physicians, coworkers and patients happy became a prized commodity.
It turns out that running a doctor’s office and coordinating sports legends, rock stars and television crews have much in common. But the switch from health care to entertainment was more a combination of luck and fate. Had she not been a lifelong Smithereens fan, it never may have happened.
“I grew up listening to The Smithereens,” said Michele. “Their posters were plastered up in my bedroom.”
When the group went on tour again in 2000, she and a friend bought tickets to a Hammerjacks’ performance. Because Michele’s friend suffered from multiple sclerosis, special seating was requested. It could have been Michele’s winning smile–or the fact that the friends were seated in chairs next to the stage during a general admission show–but DiNizio took notice, and he and Michele began corresponding by e-mail.
Several weeks later, DiNizio appeared at an XM satellite radio open house in Washington, D.C., where he hosted a show. Michele dropped in, and, by the end of the evening, DiNizio was interviewing her about ’80s music on the radio. A friendship blossomed. When family friend and physician Ken Kochman became ill, Michele thought a benefit concert would help raise his spirits and a little cash. She asked DiNizio to perform–Why not?–and he agreed.
Following the concert’s success, Michele produced various other local benefits, as well as higher profile events in New York City with Michael Stipe (of REM), The Ramones, Cyndi Lauper, Nancy Sinatra, Sandra Bernhard and others. Michele also wound up doing publicity for actor Steven Seagal and his blues band, Thunderbox. She even secured a debut for his gourmet energy drink “Lightning Bolt” in the luxury goodie bags given to guests of both the 2006 Grammy’s and the Oscar’s.
Naturally, Michele also became DiNizio’s publicist. She had to coordinate people and places, so–just like for the physicians–she picked up the phone and made calls to get the jobs done. And Michele was not intimidated by celebrities.
In December 2004, DiNizio, who had recently turned 50, shared his idea about being the oldest man to try out for the minor leagues. (Buck O’Neil, 94, of the Kansas City (MO) T-Bones recently accomplished the feat.) Before long, the pair had put together a proposal for a reality television show. When it came time to pitch the show to Mark Durand, director of development for original entertainment for ESPN2, Michele said DiNizio was apprehensive. She was not.
“I had no fear at all.” she said. “I was passionate about the project and the fact that I had a day job took a bit of the pressure off me. It wasn’t life or death or an effort to resurrect my career.?It was a stepping stone, a new beginning and challenge to me, so the pitch seemed like a breeze.”
Apparently her attitude inspired Durand’s confidence.
“The refreshing thing about Michele,” he said, “is that there is a bit of navet. ?She never thinks, ÔOh, I can’t do this.’ She just believes in herself, and she has a way of convincing others that she can do it, too. That is 50 percent of success. Of course, the other 50 percent is out of your control,” Durand says.
Once given the go-ahead, Durand was further impressed with Michele’s follow-through. “I trusted that she would do what she said she would do and she did.”
Production was challenging. Working with film crews across the country via phone led to mix-ups. Some of her favorite footage with blues legend B.B. King was edited out in production. And though the program was well-received, Michele spent more of her own money on production than she ever made back.
Still, she thinks the experience was worth it and has spawned new projects. Michele struck up a friendship with Tony Gwynn’s wife, Alicia, and they are developing a sports and cooking-themed show, as well as what Michele promises to be “some amazing events” leading up to Tony’s anticipated induction into the National Baseball Hall of Fame in 2007, along with Ripken. Stay tuned for further details.
The bottom line is that Michele plans to follow her newfound dreams. “I’ve picked an unusual time in my life to be finding my Ôself’, but it’s funÉ for now.”
