1on1 With Jon Evans

Lester Holt has traveled the world covering stories for NBC News. In September 2018, the job brought him to Wilmington as Hurricane Florence lashed out at the North Carolina coast. As the storm raged on, Lester witnessed firefighters feverishly working to rescue a trapped couple and their infant daughter. The veteran reporter recalls what unfolded that day, and the touching images he still carries months later.

Wilmington-born actress Briana Venskus has landed roles on popular television shows including The Walking Dead, Grace and Frankie, Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. and Nashville. In her next role as Queen of the 2019 North Carolina Azalea Festival, Briana wants to honor the tradition of the event, while breaking new ground for the LGBT community.

Webb Simpson grew up in Raleigh but learned the game of golf in Wilmington. He’s walked a lot of golf courses since then, winning tournaments as an amateur and a professional, including the U.S. Open in 2012. Webb says his golf game and his life changed when he started walking with Jesus Christ. The 33-year-old credits that personal relationship for his success at work and at home.

Damian Brezinski has used all kinds of equipment to save lives, including stethoscopes, stents, defibrillators and guitar picks. Whether it’s teaching some of the biggest names in the music industry (Kenny Chesney, Def Leppard, Justin Bieber, Maroon Five) how to do CPR, or inserting balloons into a patient’s artery to treat heart disease, Damian has made it his life’s work to keep the heartbeat, and the music beat, alive.

Growing up in Chapel Hill, all “Little Mickey” Mixon wanted to be was a sports announcer. He’s done it now for almost four decades. Mick has gone from doing early interviews with his dog, to calling Final Fours with the UNC Tar Heels, to doing play-by-play of a Super Bowl with the NFL's Carolina Panthers. We go behind the microphone to learn about the man with the familiar voice, who has made a career of painting pictures with his words.

Devontae Cacok has always loved sports. Football was Devontae’s favorite sport, until he broke his wrist in middle school. That injury, a growth spurt, and a coach’s invitation led Devontae to basketball. He earned a scholarship to UNC Wilmington, and now has his name etched in the school’s record books. But the 6’7” senior is just as driven to succeed off the court. 

Maureen O’Boyle has told thousands of stories in her almost 40 years of broadcasting. She’s anchored local TV newscasts from coast-to-coast, and the nationally syndicated newsmagazines A Current Affair and Extra. By telling her own stories of surviving a vicious sexual assault, and fighting to keep her attacker in prison, Maureen has changed the lives of countless other victims across the country.

Kristen Dalton Wolfe dreamed of being Miss USA. When she won the title in 2009, Kristen realized that achievement did not bring the fulfillment she needed. Realizing she wore another crown paved the way for Kristen’s success as a model, television host, motivational speaker and author. Kristen’s new book, The Sparkle Effect, seeks to help women overcome the feelings of insecurity and self-doubt she battled while growing up in Wilmington.

Roy Cooper was not a novice politician when he was sworn-in as the 75th governor of North Carolina. He quickly learned the demands of the state's top job. Gov. Cooper talks about facing challenges in his first two years that include HB2, GenX, deadly Hurricanes Matthew and Florence, and a legislature with enough strength to make his vetoes virtually meaningless. 

Casey Roman has produced award-winning documentaries and special reports in her reporting career at WECT-TV. She's tackled opioid addiction, homelessness, panhandling and other crime-related issues. Her latest effort centers around lawsuits filed against hog farms over nuisance-related issues like odors, flies, buzzards and trucks, ultimately pitting neighbor against neighbor. 

Sheri Lynch has co-hosted the ‘Bob and Sheri” radio show for more than a quarter-century. It’s syndicated in dozens of markets across the country, and heard around the world on Armed Forces Radio Network. But Sheri’s road to professional success had some bumps along the way, personal challenges she worked hard to overcome. Listen to this revealing conversation with an award-winning broadcaster who also spends time as a Mom, wife, author, blogger, advocate and social worker.  

Alexis Smith spent years keeping her disease a secret. Only her closest friends knew she had cystic fibrosis. Alexis admits, she was not the perfect patient. It wasn’t until she graduated high school that Alexis accepted her situation. Now as a CF Ambassador, the 28-year-old uses her life experience to help other patients and families cope with the stress of CF, while educating others on the toll the disease can take.

Mitchell Slaggert was walking to class at Cape Fear Community College in 2015 when a stranger, and fate, tapped him on the shoulder. Weeks later, Mitchell was modeling Calvin Klein underwear, appearing on runways and in magazines around the world. He has also appeared in several films and television shows, studying to take his acting career to the next level.

Success? Daniel Peddle has achieved it on many levels. Casting Director, artist, filmmaker, author. The native of Winston-Salem graduated from UNC Chapel Hill before setting up in New York City. He’s screened films in Wilmington, and discovered an underwear model here too. But when Daniel needs inspiration, and a backdrop for his most recent project, he's chosen Carolina Beach.

As Executive Vice-President of EUE/Screen Gems Studios in Wilmington, Bill Vassar runs the largest full-service film and television production facility east of California. Vassar got his start in radio as a teenager, worked at NBC Studios in New York with David Letterman and Saturday Night Live, before joining EUE/Screen Gems. He later moved to the North Carolina coast, seeing productions like One Tree Hill, Iron Man 3 and Good Behavior use his studio.

Kimberly Lawrance is one of the strongest women in the world. She’s won several competitions that prove it. Along with lifting stones and pulling trucks, the 27-year-old from Wilmington is also doing her best to lift the sport to new heights.

Early in his career, Sam Gore sold insurance as a second job while he worked as the “Voice of the UNCW Seahawks”. His goal was to become a network play-by-play sports announcer. Never wavering in his belief that God opens doors along the way, Sam took advantage of every opportunity and now has a “dream job” at ESPN.

When Tiger, Phil, Sergio and Dustin finish their rounds of golf, Todd Lewis is one of the first people they meet. Lewis covers the best players in the world as a reporter for the Golf Channel. The North Carolina native shares memories from his life on the road and inside the ropes, years after getting his first full-time job at WECT in Wilmington.

Solomon Harvey’s athletic abilities took him to the finals on two network television shows, American Ninja Warrior and Spartan: Ultimate Team Challenge. He’s now using those talents, along with his martial arts expertise, to grow a new career as a stuntman in the television and film industry.

With coaches and mentors like Kay Yow, Anne Donovan and Sheila Boles, it’s easy to see how Carithia "Nanna" Rivers excelled on and off the basketball court. Her Hoggard High teams won 100 games, at North Carolina State she went to the Sweet 16, and Rivers won two championships in her five pro seasons in Europe. Rivers joined an exclusive club in 2018, when she was enshrined into the Greater Wilmington Sports Hall of Fame.