Mike Rowe
Full bio (from the Fall 2007 issue of Classroom to Community Express)
To the world, Mike Rowe is the host of the
Discovery Channel’s popular Dirty
Jobs series. In each episode, he serves
as an apprentice to the men and women who do
the sometimes dangerous and dirty jobs that
need to be done – such as cleaning up
toxic bird waste, diving for golf balls in
alligator-infested waters, and removing road
kill from our streets.
To many in Baltimore
County, however, Rowe is also known as a graduate
of Overlea High School and the son of two former
Baltimore County teachers. He is remembered
for his stage performances in high school and
then for going on to sing professionally with
the Baltimore Opera. Many in the Baltimore
County community have followed Rowe’s
career as he sold more than $100 million of
simulated diamonds on QVC and appeared in several
dozen Tylenol commercials. He also hosted Worst
Case Scenario for
TBS, On-Air TV for American Airlines, The
Most for The History Channel, No Relation for
Fox, New York Expeditions for PBS, and Evening
Magazine – a local program on San
Francisco’s CBS affiliate. Along the
way, he has narrated more than 1,000 hours
of television and has performed in dozens of
theatrical productions.
Rowe’s affiliation
with the Discovery Channel began before Dirty
Jobs. Discovery
sent Rowe to the Valley of the Golden Mummies
to host Egypt Week Live! and
to the Bering Sea for the filming of Deadliest
Catch, the network's series on Alaskan
crab fishing.
Below Rowe answers some questions
about his career:
How did your school experiences prepare
you for your career?
A successful career in broadcasting depends
largely upon an understanding of how regular
people work and function in the real world.
I think, in this way, a public education was
more valuable than a private one and certainly
more relevant to what I do for a living today.
As for college, it's still tough to beat a
broad-based liberal arts education, and I'm
grateful to have had one. It might not guarantee
any one thing in particular, but it's helped
me immeasurably in sounding smarter than I
actually am.
What do you like most about your work?
The variety. In the last three years on Dirty
Jobs, I've had more than 150 different
gigs. I've shot in every state and on most
continents. I've met an extraordinary number
of really unique people, made some lifelong
friends, and laughed a lot. I also really love
the fact that Dirty Jobs is such a simple
hit. No script, no agenda, no Hollywood pressure
to constantly up the ante. The level of creativity
and freedom on Dirty Jobs is very high
and very unusual in television.
How did you approach your career? What qualities
were most important?
Luck and realistic expectations. The entertainment
business creates far more failures than hits,
and it's filled with people who only swing for
the fences. Basically, everybody's looking for
stardom, and that sort of mentality creates an
opportunity for anyone not motivated solely by
fame. Personally, I was always more interested
in a career that gave me a lot of free time,
so I looked for projects that wouldn't suck the
life out of me. There is no shortage of them.
I've worked as an actor, an opera singer, a game
show host, a spokesperson, a pitchman, a narrator,
a writer, and a producer. I've hosted game shows,
reality shows, and talk shows. I didn't get in
the business to get famous. I got in it because
it suited my lifestyle.
So what happened? How do you explain your
current renown? Dirty Jobs is a hit show.
Basically, I miscalculated. I pitched Dirty
Jobs as three one-hour specials. My goal
was to become the guy that Discovery would send
to places like Everest, The Titanic, Egypt, etc.
I wanted to be their “specials guy.” To
make that deal work, the network wanted to launch
a mini-series featuring me. I pitched Dirty
Jobs, and more people watched than anyone
ever expected. It blew up almost overnight. So
much for six months off every year…
Regrets?
No. A hit show wasn't part of the plan, but
I'm not inclined to complain. Dirty Jobs has
a good message, and it reaches millions of people
around the world. It's evergreen and will probably
be around long after I'm gone. That's cool.
What's the message of Dirty Jobs?
There are several. Mainly, it's that dignity
and humor can exist in unlikely places. Balance
is in short supply these days, and people with
dirty jobs seem to have more of it than the rest
of us. They have a perspective and an understanding
that keeps them from being defined solely by
their work. It's a perspective worth celebrating,
I think.
What do your parents think of all this?
I think they're puzzled, but pleased. My
parents both taught in Baltimore County Public
Schools. I think it's safe to say they're sympathetic
to those with dirty jobs…
What advice do you have for current students
on choosing/building a career?
I'm a fan of the “reverse commute”:
Watch where the masses are going, and head in
the other direction. I think the best opportunities
are currently nonexistent positions that will
eventually be created by the people who really
want them. I would suggest doing that. Don't
worry about a job. Find an industry that you
like, and then figure out a way to make money
in it.
Photos supplied by The Discovery Channel.
