 Hi, I'm Rusty Komori and this is Beyond the Lines. We are broadcasting live from the beautiful Think Tech Hawaii TV studio in the Pioneer Plaza in downtown Honolulu. This show is based on my book, also titled Beyond the Lines, and it's about leadership, creating a superior culture of excellence and finding greatness. Today's special guest is someone you've most likely seen anchoring the KHON2 news. But you might not know how great of a person she really is. Well, today is the day. She is Bridgette Nomata, and today we are going beyond the news. Bridgette. Beyond the news. Love it, Rusty. You're a good writer. You're such a great person and you're a lot of fun. I mean, we've been to some events and concerts, right? Thank you. First of all, you're such an amazing person. And I am so honored to be sitting here at this desk because you've interviewed a lot of inspirational people here in Hawaii. And just to be, I guess, looped into that, you can't imagine. I really can't imagine. But also, this is kind of weird because I'm normally you. Yeah. I'm not sitting in this seat, so it's a little weird for me. Well, you are definitely one of those that you're going to inspire a lot of our viewers too. Yeah. So Bridgette, I want to ask you, where did you grow up at? So I'm actually from the mainland. When I meet a lot of people here, they're like, where did you go? What's the word you go to? Did you go to Punahou? And I'm like, I did not. They're always surprised that I actually grew up in the suburbs of Washington, D.C. So my parents immigrated from the Philippines. My father is actually one of nine siblings. And his oldest sister actually brought everyone here. And a lot of people that I meet here in Hawaii, they're like, how did you end up in Washington, D.C.? Well, my auntie always would say, when she thought about America, she always thought about the nation's capital. So when she came over here, that's where she wanted to be. So that's where we ended up. Suburbs of the nation's capital. Bridgette, I know that you are a great dancer and you were on a dance team in college. Well, yes. Tell me about that. Sure. So growing up, I was always inclined. I always had an artistic streak. And I think my mom noticed that. So I was a dancer growing up. I did a lot of different ballet, tap, jazz, hip hop, Filipino cultural dance point when you're literally on your toes. And I carried that into my college years. What you would just saw was my dance team. So I was one of the captains of my dance team. And I loved it. I thought it was so great. It really actually helped hone leadership skills that I didn't realize I had. It helped shape me realizing that I had to take care of a group of 20 or so girls and ensure that we had a nice streamlined dance routine and that we put our best foot forward. So it really did. Along with my studies, that was definitely a memorable part of my ecology. That's because you were the captain. You were the leader. Yeah. Yeah. I barked a lot of orders. Sorry, girls. I hope you forgive me years later. Bridgette, tell me about your family and I want to know what's the most important principle you learned from your parents? Oh, my parents. Well, my mom and dad are two very different people. My father had a lot of enthusiasm and exuberance. He was certainly an extrovert. That's him. That's the kingpin in our family. My mother was quieter, but she exuded this type of charisma that you can't really craft. That was part of who she was. The great thing I learned about my mom was she led by example. If I think about it, I never learned anything from her. She never sat down and said, Bridgette, do this, do that. She always did things and I watched her and she was such a hard worker. That's something that I definitely learned from her. My father, I learned that it was okay to be a little vocal. It was okay to talk and ask questions because that was the kind of character that he was. I think I learned the best of introvert and extrovert qualities perhaps for both of them. Now your boyfriend, Bobby, he's such a fun guy. He's fantastic. Thank you. What's the most, what do you most admire about Bobby? Let's see. He's probably watching this right now. The great thing I love about him is his patience. I don't know about you, Rusty, but nowadays in this world of dating, it's all about online apps and if you don't mesh with one person, there's something wrong, on to the next. I am not going to lie. I did not make it easy for him. I want to say it took months for me to even give him the time of day and I loved that he was just so patient and then when I finally let my guard down, I realized what an excellent person he is. He's got a great character and he's just a nice, a genuinely nice person. That's fine, don't you think? I totally agree with you because he is genuinely a nice guy and everybody that meets him just loves Bobby. I'll tell him that. Bridget, I want to ask you, what was the first job that you ever had? The first job I ever had, okay, I was 16 years old, I got a job at Popeye's. Popeye's. I got fired. You got fired. I got fired. It's not my favorite thing to mention, but you know, years later, I can talk about it. Not my finest moment. Why did you get fired? You know what, Rusty? I don't know. To this day, I really don't know. I remember being a 16-year-old teenager, going to the Popeye's and realizing I was no longer on the schedule. I remember calling my brother like, what did I do wrong? He's just like, it's just Popeye. But it was a big deal. Oh, yeah. I was the first time I was ever making money, but yeah, I still don't know. Maybe they knew that I just didn't have the passion for chicken. I do love Popeye's chicken, though, still to this day. I won't knock it. Yeah. And you have to make sure you have the biscuit, the honey. Got it. Yeah. So Bridget, what led you to Hawaii? What led me to Hawaii? The job. KJ-1. Really? Yeah. So. They found you? I guess. But I reached out. Oh, okay. I reached out to my news director, Lori, first. I was actually, prior to this, I was a reporter and a film anchor at a TV station in Pennsylvania. The Poconos. Have you ever been? No, not happened. Beautiful place. Do you like to snow ski? Snowboard. Yeah, snowboard. Okay. Well, then you would have loved the Poconos because it was definitely a resort town. It was where you went to go tubing, to go skiing, snowboarding. But see, I'm an island girl. You know, I may be Filipino-American, but in my blood, I'm supposed to be on an island. Yeah. And I mentioned to myself that despite loving the people in the Poconos and loving the area and the food, I wanted to set my sights elsewhere. And I saw that there was an opening at H-O-N. Yeah. And I thought, Hawaii? Hawaii? Okay. It's meant to be. But didn't hear back from them for, I want to say, at least a month. So I kind of, dreams were a little dashed. And then I heard from Christina and Lori, and here I am now. Sitting at the beach. So then, so, okay, so you became a K-O-N2 reporter. I did. What do you like about reporting the news? The thing about being a reporter, one, it kind of works well with my personality, too, because every day is different. Yeah. You know, one day you can be reporting from the side of the H-1 freeway, or the next day you can be really telling someone a story that would really impact them. And it really helped with my creativity in terms of I was able to exercise that form of my brain that is something that is fulfilling to me. And I also loved meeting people. You know, it's not every day you get to meet a random person or meet someone, a stranger that could potentially be a friend, or meet great people like you, Rusty, you know. So that was what was the great part about being out in the community. And not only that, but it really helped me understand Hawaii more. And I realized that despite growing up 5,000 miles away, the ideals and the culture that I grew up in within my Filipino family, that's something that's found here. When I moved here, I immediately felt like I was home. So just being out there and meeting people in the community kind of reinforced that. Oh, that's a great feeling to have. Yeah. You also covered President Obama's trip here, and you saw Air Force One. Tell me about that experience. Rusty, that was so cool. Like, I am not going to lie. No matter what your affiliation is, your political affiliation, the fact that you're in the presence of Air Force One, it'll just blow your mind away. I didn't get to see President Obama up close. I mean, I was pretty far away from him, but I didn't see him. So I thought that was great to be in the presence of greatness, to be in the presence of someone who ran the United States. Yeah. I thought that was great. That is such a great, priceless experience for you. Priceless. And now, you're the famous KHON2 news anchor. Ooh, I don't know about famous, but thank you. What is it about anchoring that you like? Well, with anchoring, it's a different sense in that I'm able to connect with viewers more because with my reporting, yes, I'm out there on the field, toiling away, but the story that we put on air is about two to three minutes. And at least with anchoring, you see more of my face, familiarity for one. So it feels great to know when I'm out in the community and people say, hey, you're choosing news, Laney. I'm like, yes. Thank you so much for watching. That means a lot to me because it really does because it's not just me. Rusty, it's a team of amazing people behind me. I've got producers, reporters, our technical directors, the camera guys. Our executive producers, there are so many people working hard to produce a product to let people know what they need to know here in the community. And so it's an honor to be the face. And it helps me realize that all our hard work is actually being recognized. Well, Bridge, I have to say that you are doing a fantastic job as a news anchor. A lot of people love you. And when you are anchoring with Howard, Justin, and Rob, why do you guys have such great team chemistry? I don't know because we make fun of each other all the time. I mean, you can't even begin to imagine the many eye rolls I have in between commercial breaks because they're just. But I love them like brothers. Yeah. We're always making fun of each other. It's just like it's just a good time. I think genuinely, maybe it's because we're friends as well. And so what you see on air is not crafted. It's very genuine. But that's just kind of how we all are. We don't have a facade. Robbie, Rob Demelo, Howard Dyshevsky, Justin Cruz. They're just who they are on camera. And I think that's great that you guys can sense that. Holy, and, you know, I mean, you said genuine. I mean, they are fantastic guys. I mean, the authenticity that they that people see on camera. Yeah. That's how they are off camera, too. They're just great guys. And anytime you see me rolling my eyes at Howard Dyshevsky. That's real. Those are all real. Now, let's talk about your general manager, Christina Lockwood. I had her on my show a few months ago. She's so fantastic. She's amazing. She is. Why is she such a great leader? But the thing about Christina is she, you know how when you meet her, she exudes warmth. Yeah. And she's just a very caring individual. There's Christina. Yeah. She just really cares about her team. And no matter how busy she is, there's always a smile on her face or she'll always acknowledge you. Say hello. When she's walking through the halls, you can hear her voice carrying through just saying hi from like all the way down the hall. She just is an approachable person. And I think that's important for a leader. Yeah. Yeah. No, I totally get that, too. I mean, she is, she's special, very special. I mean, she's beautiful inside and out, too. So it doesn't hurt, right? That never hurts. No, never hurts. Now, Bridget, tell me what the Laulima giving program is and how Kei Chowen II is affiliated with them. The Laulima giving program has been affiliated with Kei Chowen for many, many years now. And the program is a nonprofit organization that helps underprivileged families, especially particularly during the holidays, you know, when everyone is having a great time with their family and sending each other presents. A lot of families in Hawaii don't have the opportunity to do that. So what we do is we try to ask people to find it within their hearts to donate, you know, or anything to just help a family out in need and make their holidays as bright as your holiday. Yeah. So I love it. I'm very proud to be a part of that. When when they ask on their talent to MC events or certain things, I always jump to do it because it's nothing like helping someone out. Yeah. I don't know. It just gives me a rush. It's a great cause and I'm glad that Kei Chowen II is affiliated with them. Bridget, we're going to take a quick break. And when we come back, we're going to continue going beyond the news. Great. You are watching Beyond the Lines on Think Tech, Hawaii with my special guest, Bridget Namata. We will be back in 60 seconds. Aloha. I'm Keisha King, host of At the Crossroads, where we have conversations that are real and relevant. We have spoken with community leaders from right here locally in Hawaii and all around the world. Won't you join us on thinktechhawaii.com or on YouTube on the Think Tech, Hawaii channel. Our conversations are real, relevant and lots of fun. I'll see you at the crossroads. Aloha. Hey, Aloha, everyone, and welcome to the Think Tech, Hawaii studio. My name is Andrew Lanning. I'm the host of The Security Matters Hawaii. We air here every Tuesday at 10 a.m. Hawaii time, trying to bring you issues about security that you may not know, issues that can protect your family, protect yourself, protect our community, protect our companies, the folks we work with. Please join us and I hope you can maybe get a little different perspective on how to live a little safer. Aloha. Welcome back to Beyond the Lines on Think Tech, Hawaii. My special guest today is the very popular TV news anchor on KHON2. She is Bridget Namata, and today we're going beyond the news. Bridget, you do a lot of speaking at schools for students. How do you like that? So. I love it because there's a story around it. Yeah. When it comes to career days or read to me at various elementary schools, I, when the time permits, I will definitely do it because it was around their age. Then I knew I wanted to be a journalist. Growing up in the Washington, D.C. area, I had a very prominent D.C. anchor come and talk to us for career day. And I remember thinking, yeah, that's what I'm going to do. Wow. Fascinating. Yeah, kind of. I always knew what I wanted to do since I was like seven years old. So. And plus, I just love kids. I just love their exuberance and their innocence and they're just how happy they are. It's just great to be around. And if I can help enrich their minds in any way, I'll do it. Well, you're definitely inspiring the next generation of the future Bridget Namata. The Bridget Future Bridget Namata is well, I hope so. Even if they don't go run or follow the path of journalism, if I can inspire them to follow their passion because I followed mine, that's important. Yeah, that's all I hope. Bridget, how tell me about the differences in the TV news industry between male and female? Hmm. OK, let's get into it. We're going to get into it. We should. OK. So I've been an anchor or I've been an anchor now, was promoted and I've been an anchor for about a year now. Yeah. And I'm beginning to see the stark differences that female anchors or female journalists get for female journalists. I actually have this conversation with Justin and Dash. And I asked them, you know, do you ever get comments about your appearance and they never do. But if you talk to any female on air talent, there will always be someone saying, you know, things about what you're wearing, how your hair is, what you look that day. And it's just very interesting that men don't have that pressure of looking perfect because if you don't look a certain way or you don't look perfect, you're going to get ridiculed and it is part of the profession. It is something that I understand. I put myself in this position, but it's also not. Why I joined this field. Yeah. Why I wanted to be a journalist. So it's very interesting that, you know, especially with women, they tend to get ridiculed a lot more for their appearance versus a guy. It's interesting just, you know, hearing that insight in. I want to ask you, Bridget, about success. In my book, I talk about achieving and sustaining success. You've definitely achieved success. Thank you. How do you how do you define success? When you get to go home with a smile on your face, feeling proud that you did all you could do. I always want to make sure that I'm putting my best foot forward. And there are days when I'm not, you know, there are days where I just feel like, oh, I didn't do this right. I didn't do that right. I'm quite hard on myself. Yeah. But if I'm trying the best that I can and trying to be better than I was the day before, that I feel is what success is. I never want to be stagnant. I never want to think that I can't do better. Or that I have just plateaued. I just don't believe in that. I believe that everyone is capable of being a better version or doing better than the day before. I totally agree. I know you have high standards. And the great Arthur Ash had as a famous quote where he says, you never really play an opponent. You're playing yourself in your own highest standards. Now, I know you have high standards. I do. You have a great culture of excellence. What is your culture of excellence like for you? Culture of excellence. It's interesting because I never really thought about that until just now. Yeah. But I don't compete with anyone but myself. And what I mean by that is that I don't look at another person and think I could be that or better. I always look to myself and think, how can I elevate myself so that I am writing the best story? I am telling the best story. I am making an impact with the words that I'm saying. How can I help put out the best newscast that I can? So for me, is am I proud of the end product? That to me is culture of excellence. Makes sense. I mean, you're trying to be the best version of you that you can be. You're not trying to be like anyone else. No. Yeah. I mean, I love Oprah and I love Lisa Ling. I aspire to be similar to them, but no way I could be them. I always just want to make sure I'm doing what I can. Yeah. Oh, that's good. Fridge, what's been the biggest challenge that you have to overcome in your life? Well, when I graduated from college, this was in 2009. I graduated at a time of the recession. Oh, yeah. It was very difficult for me to find a job, my dream job. So I had to do what I had to do and I took certain jobs that weren't necessarily my passion, but it was also really hard to knowing that this was a dream that I had since I was seven years old. Yeah. And to be toiling away in a job that I'll be at very great. It wasn't what motivated me or it wasn't my passion. And that definitely sank my spirit. And it wasn't until finally a couple of years later, I said, I'm going to do this. I'm going to make sure I follow my dream. And I did that. The second one, too, was actually moving to Hawaii. Oh, yeah. Five years ago, I, five thousand miles away, uprooted my entire life, did not know a single soul. All I had was my dream and my hope that H1 was going to make me a better journalist. And it paid off. Well, that's definitely, you know, risk right there. Yeah. And I always say, you know, risk is giving up something good for something better. And like you said earlier, it's not about being complacent. You got to take risks, calculated risks to be better because risk determines destiny and look at you now. Yeah. I never would have thought that this is where it would be on the beach. Now, Bridget, who is someone that has had a big impact in mentoring you? I mentioned this earlier, but my mother. Oh, great. She is the hardest working person that I know. She always led by example. Yeah. I always saw her working her butt off to provide for family. And it just stuck with me. It's like, you know what, to me, I feel like hard work beats talent. You can have the talent, but if you don't put in the work, I mean, that's why I respect my mom and my brother too, my two of my brothers. There's people that are just genuinely good people. They work hard. They treat people with respect, and that's something that I carry with as well. Hard work works, you know, and people, we need to get back to just some of those basic principles about loving each other, respecting each other, working hard, appreciating, you know, the time and effort that you put in to get to where you are. I mean, those things, we need to do that again. You know, Rusty, it's really interesting because I'm a millennial and I understand the stereotype that, and I know this because my boyfriend's not a millennial, so he'll say this to me, he'll, that millennials are lazy, that they're entitled, and certainly I can understand why that is a stereotype. That's not me. There are people who are millennials that work hard. So I'm hoping to break that stereotype and show that hard work pays off. You know, I started as a lowly reporter. I was actually a one-man band, Rusty. I shot, I had my camera myself. I shot and edited everything on my own. I worked my way up to a reporter, worked my way up to a fill-in anchor, and now here I am. So it was a lot of hard work and showing my producer, showing my new director that I'm willing to put in the work and that I want to do this. Yeah, it also thanks for believing in me. Bridget, what's something that you want to accomplish in the future? My dream has always been to make a difference. And I want to make an impact as corny and cheesy as that sounds. That is my goal. That is my dream. I want to make a difference, a positive difference. Yeah. The stories that we do, which are amazing. They're about three, four minutes, and that's very generous, right? Because our producers have other things they need to put in the show. I would love to do a documentary, something long form where I can dedicate my time to a cause, perhaps, or something that people aren't really aware of. So that's something I'm like looking into. Great. I like hearing that. Yeah. Before we wrap, I want to ask you one more thing. What do you see when you look in the mirror? Authenticity. I always do everything. I am a genuine person. I will never do anything that I don't believe in. I have very strong conviction. I have very strong morals. I'm a terrible liar. You know, I tend to work backwards. I see the end goal and I think that's where I want to go. I'm going to get there. Yeah. But I will always remain true to myself and I will never change for anyone. Maybe that's a bad thing. Hopefully that's a good thing. But I am going to continue to be Bridget Namata and try to make a difference. Bridget, you definitely are. You're definitely authentic. You're definitely making an appearance or a difference. A difference. And I want to thank you for joining me on the show today. I am honored. Thank you so much for thinking of me and having me sit here with you at the beach. Now everyone's going to love you when they watch you on the news. I hope so. Thank you, Bridget. Thank you. And thank you for watching Beyond the Lines on Think Tech Hawaii. For more information, please visit RustyKamori.com and my book is available on Amazon and Barnes and Noble. I hope that Bridget and I will inspire you to create your own superior culture of excellence. And to find your greatness and help others find theirs. Aloha.