Lynda Halligan
- Producer
- Writer
- Casting Department
Lynda Halligan is a longtime national host, writer and producer best known for hosting, writing and producing hundreds of episodes of "Hollywood's Top Ten," a daily countdown t.v. show about movies,
Hollywood's Top Ten (2010)
which aired on ReelzChannel. Movies and television have been her passion since she
was a little kid, so it was the perfect job for her. Lynda grew up in
Malibu and got used to seeing celebrities around town and interacting
with them. She had an incredible experience as a child working as an
extra on a John Hughes film for an
entire summer. Lynda got her first agent at the age of 15. She was
approached by a talent manager after performing in a showcase in front
of her and director Garry Marshall. It
was then that she decided to have a long-term career in entertainment -
in front of and behind the camera. So far, so good. Lynda's first big
job out of college was as an assistant to a talent agent at the world
famous Creative Artists Agency (CAA). She dealt with celebrities in
person and on the telephone on a daily basis. She says working there
was the best experience she ever could have gotten, because she made
amazing contacts, learned a ton about the business and gained a thick
skin. Lynda eventually left there and used all that knowledge as a
casting associate/director for major feature films and television.
After doing that for a number of years, it then came time for her to
get back to the on-camera side. Her goal was to eventually combine the
business side of entertainment with the creative side, returning to her
roots of performing and writing. That transition came when she was
hired as a media spokesperson for the first Structure Male Underwear
Model Search. She had to travel around the country looking for sexy
guys with great abs. Sometimes her job can be really tough! From there,
she got her first real job in broadcasting at KESQ, the ABC affiliate
in Palm Springs, California. She worked as an associate
producer/producer on the morning show. After a few months, she got her
first on-air news position at KTVF, the NBC affiliate in Fairbanks,
Alaska. Lynda packed up her Jeep and drove from the hottest place in
the country that week to the coldest. There, she anchored the 11 p.m.
news weekdays and the 6 P.M. news on Saturdays. She did just about
everything - reported, produced, shot her own video, edited... even
directed a couple shows. After learning a lot, Lynda hopped back in her
Jeep and moved to Sioux City, Iowa, where she spent two years as the
morning anchor/reporter at KMEG, the CBS affiliate. She also worked
part-time as a radio disc jockey on KZSR-FM. Then, QVC, the shopping
channel, came calling, so she headed to Minneapolis to work as a
national, live host and producer. Moving around the U.S. was a great
experience for her, but it came time to move closer to home, so she
took a position at KBAK/KBFX in Bakersfield - just an hour and a half
outside L.A. Lynda started out as the noon anchor and live reporter on
the morning show, but quickly got promoted to anchor the 6 and 11 p.m.
news on KBAK (CBS) and the hour-long 10 p.m. show on KBFX (FOX). She
also filled in as a weather anchor and producer when necessary. After
that, she worked non-stop in Los Angeles. Even as a full-time writer on
the "FOX 11 Morning News" and
Good Day L.A. (1993), she still
found time to host a number of projects, while sleeping very little.
Lynda hosted 13 episodes of a show called "Make A Star", a talent
contest for singers and bands similar to "American Idol". It aired all
over the country on Fuse. As a former D.J. and a true karaoke lover
(Pat Benatar, anyone?), this show was right
up her alley. At the same time, Lynda hosted and reported for a
consumer show called "Best Deals", where she traveled around Southern
California searching for the greatest bargains. It still airs on KTLA 5
and KCAL 9. Because she believes variety is the spice of life, she
thought she'd take on a home improvement show, as well. She had a blast
co-hosting a pilot called "Paint It Forward". She got to get down and
dirty renovating a kitchen and dining room for a couple in need of a
little extra help. One of her most enjoyable positions was co-hosting and writing for "The Morning Blend" at the FOX affiliate in Southwest Florida. Lynda continues to act as the national spokesperson
for a company called Melaleuca and has hosted numerous infomercials, a
video for Disney and much, much more. She's even played a newscaster
and E! Entertainment host in various films. Lynda also produced a T.V.
pilot for FOX and Twentieth Television called "Yahoo! Buzz". It was a
half-hour, national news program that covered the top stories being
searched on the Internet in a unique way. When she isn't working, you
can catch her seeing movies (often times, a few in a day), writing,
hiking, biking, exploring new places, going on road trips, spending
time with friends and family, and trying to make the most of every
single day!