Kate Botello is a former American television personality best known for her work on the San Francisco, California-based ZDTV (later known as TechTV and then as G4).
Career
editBotello was born in Dallas, Texas and raised in Santa Fe, New Mexico.[1] She graduated high school in Mendocino, California and studied theater in San Francisco State University.[1][2] Following a series of temp jobs, she joined Ziff Davis as a tech support staffer. Botello's Judy Garland impression while installing a printer caught the attention of Leo Laporte, who offered her a co-hosting position on the technology-oriented television program The Screen Savers.[2] In 1999, Botello and Laporte were described as "the two most popular personalities on the only 24-hour national cable channel devoted exclusively to computers and the Internet".[3] When the pair appeared at a promotional event in York, Pennsylvania that year: "Geeks swarmed the local electronics store where Kate Botello and Leo Laporte were signing autographs. Security had to be called to help guide the two computer advice experts to their car."[4]
In 2000, Botello left The Screen Savers to co-host GameSpot TV, a video game review show, with Adam Sessler. In February 2001, the show was renamed Extended Play. She also co-hosted a TechTV video on computer basics with Chris Pirillo.
Botello left TechTV in 2002 and moved to Brooklyn, New York where she worked on Broadway as a freelance actor, singer and playwright. In her time there, she starred Off-Broadway as Judy Garland in the cabaret musical, Judy Garland and the Uninvited Company and the annual holiday musical, Judy's Christmas Garland. The cabaret show later toured other cities. A critic wrote that "Botello nails Garland's familiar speaking voice, singing voice and facial expressions".[5]
In November 2005, Botello moved to Traverse City, Michigan where she and Raymond Weigel founded Traverse City Web Design.
In June 2011, Botello began hosting Weird News Radio,[6] a weekly audio podcast, with Jim Harold.[6] She is also on the air from 7 to 10 am Eastern on "Classical IPR", part of Interlochen Public Radio, WIAA (FM), Interlochen, Michigan. Her latest endeavor is "Showtunes with Kate Botello" airing on Classical IPR, Sunday evenings at 7 pm EST.[7]
References
edit- ^ a b "Focus On... Kate". ZDTV. Archived from the original on September 30, 1999. Retrieved April 18, 2024.
- ^ a b "On-Air Hosts: Kate Botello". TechTV. Archived from the original on October 17, 2000. Retrieved January 27, 2024.
- ^ Hunt, Dennis (November 30, 1999). "Technology's the star on ZDTV: The nation's fastest-growing cable network doesn't rate with Nielsen but clicks with Web". USA Today. McLean, Virginia. pp. 03.D. ProQuest 408845344. Retrieved September 2, 2013.
- ^ "GEEK TV: ITS TARGET AUDIENCE LOVES CABLE STATION ZDTV, WHICH COMBINES THE IMMEDIACY OF TELEVISION WITH THE IMPROVISATION OF THE WEB". Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. June 13, 1999. pp. C3. Retrieved September 2, 2013.
- ^ Damiano, Mary (March 8, 2007). "TWO ACTRESSES DEFTLY STRING TOGETHER GARLAND'S LIFE". South Florida Sun. ProQuest 387737607. Retrieved September 2, 2013.
- ^ a b "About Weird News Radio". Archived from the original on September 21, 2013. Retrieved September 2, 2013.
- ^ Show Tunes with Kate Botello | Interlochen