I am honored that CNN Producer, Henry Hanks, wrote this article about my new online news show. Hanks wrote about my interview with Charles Gibson and my idea of creating an online monthly interview show. He also included an overview of my broadcast history on CNN. Thanks again to Mr. Hanks and the CNN iReport team, who are all very supportive. Read the article here.

Friday, September 13, 2013

‘Marcus Harun Reports’ and lands a network news anchor

He first got our attention in a big way when he parodied “The Situation Room,” flawlessly recreating the set from the comfort of his basement back in 2008.

Now, at the age of 21, Marcus Harun is hosting is own professional-quality online news show. In the first episode of his monthly iReport web series “Marcus Harun Reports,” he recently posted an interview with former ABC News anchor Charles Gibson, reflecting on how the world has changed since 9/11.

“With iReport, you have a power that I haven’t found anywhere else. You’re doing reporting, but you can actually get an audience to see it. I’ve missed posting there regularly so I wanted to do a show throughout my senior year of college before I graduate,” he said.

Harun sure has come a long way since that parody of Wolf Blitzer’s CNN show, which he produced as a book report on “Lord of the Flies” while in high school.

After we were blown away by that first video, Harun became a frequent contributor to CNN iReport. He ended 2008 the way he began it, this time spoofing “Anderson Cooper 360” as “Marcus Harun 360.” The host, the correspondents and the guests? All of them were played by Marcus Harun. Anderson Cooper and crew were so impressed that they featured him on air as “The Shot” that week.

Through blizzards and election days, Harun continued to share the news from Hamden, Connecticut and his views on what was happening around the world.

This past election year, he shared his thoughts on the campaign as an undecided voter, complete with professional graphics and backdrop, looking more and more like the anchor he aspires to be.

“I think iReport is such a great place for citizen journalists to be able to thrive. With this show, I hope to be able to feature other iReporters’ work, get their opinions on topics in the news,” he said.

Congratulations on a fantastic pilot, Marcus! We can’t wait to see the next episode.

Follow Marcus’ latest exploits here and check out his interview with Gibson.

CNN Article Posted at: http://ireport.cnn.com/blogs/ireport-blog/2013/09/13/marcus-harun-reports-and-lands-a-network-news-anchor

Published On: September 16th, 2013 / Categories: CNN, Spotlight Videos /