I was browsing The LA Times and saw this story…
Also See:
- How Dr. Phil Got On Television
- How ‘Simple Abundance’ Got On Oprah
- Who is Brené Brown and How Did She Become Famous?
How did Judge Judy become famous?
It all started with Heidi Evans, a reporter for The New York Post.
Heidi had observed Judge Sheindlin for a story about family courts.
She told her husband, Josh Getlin, a Los Angeles Times reporter about it.
Josh profiled Judge Sheindlin in the Times, and it snowballed from there.
The profile ran on Valentine’s Day in 1993.
Soon, Heidi got another call.
This time from a ‘60 Minutes‘ TV producer who had seen the story.
She’d read the profile and wanted to do a television segment.
The story aired on ’60 Minutes’ in October 1993.
Several days later, Judge Sheindlin got a call from a literary agent.
He wanted her to write a book.
(Actually, Judge Sheindlin would talk, her reporter pal Josh would write).
HarperCollins bought the book.
Judge Sheindlin wanted to call it ‘Don’t Pee On My Leg and Tell Me It’s Raining.’
The publisher balked, saying no one would promote it with that title.
Judge Sheindlin, as usual, stood her ground.
The book sold 216,709 copies.
Soon after, Judge Joseph Wapner retired from his 12-year run on ‘The People’s Court.‘
Judge Judith Sheindlin replaced him.
Three years later, ‘Judge Judy’ was the highest-rated show on daytime TV.
Judith went on to earn $47 million annually as one of daytime TV’s highest-paid stars.
And she’s still friends with Josh, the journalist who started it all!
The lesson?
It pays to get national publicity.
If she hadn’t, Judge Judy would still be stuck handling 50 to 60 cases a day and popping eight Tylenols each morning to help with the headaches of dealing with juveniles charged with violent crimes, abuse, and sexual assault. (Source: LA Times)
Today she’s famous, makes mega millions, lives in a highrise overlooking the Gulf of Mexico, drives a Bentley, and parties with Oprah on yachts. (Source: WSJ)
Who wouldn’t want THAT?
Maybe you can…
Want a national profile written about YOU?
You’ll get to pitch national television, magazine, and newspaper reporters YOUR story.
Who knows?
Perhaps a profile about you could turn into a big feature story, then a TV segment, then a book, then your own show.
Just like it did for Judge Judy.
About The Author
Jordan McAuley
Founder of Contact Any Celebrity with ‘Shark Tank‘ judge Barbara Corcoran
Jordan McAuley is the author of ‘Celebrity Leverage: Insider Secrets to Getting Celebrity Endorsements, Instant Credibility & Star-Powered Publicity,’ ‘Secrets to Contacting Celebrities: 101 Ways to Reach the Rich & Famous,’ & ‘The Celebrity Black Book: Over 56,000+ Verified Celebrity Addresses‘. He is featured by American Express OPEN Forum, CBS News, CNN, E! News, Entrepreneur Magazine, Fast Company, Forbes, FOX News, New York Post, USA Today, The Guardian, Tim Ferriss‘ The 4-Hour Workweek, The Mirror UK, The Wrap & more. He graduated from the University of Miami with Motion Picture Business and English Literature degrees from the School of Communication and College of Arts & Sciences. Jordan is a former 90s high school video store clerk who has lived and worked in Atlanta, Miami, Los Angeles, and New York City.