Jill Martin
| Jill Martin | |
|---|---|
| Born |
Jill Sondra Dorfman April 14, 1976 |
| Residence | Manhattan, NY, USA |
| Alma mater | University of Michigan |
| Occupation | Television Personality |
Jill Martin (born Jill Sondra Dorfman, April 14, 1976) is a sportscaster and television personality. She is a reporter for the New York Knicks contributing to the pregame, halftime and postgame shows. Martin is also a contributor on NBC's "Today Show", reporting on the latest fashion trends and entertainment stories. The Long Island native can also be seen frequently on Access Hollywood.
Biography
Early life
Martin grew up in Plainview, New York, where her family still resides. She graduated with honors from the University of Michigan, where she received a degree in communications. During her time there, she interned for various television shows including Regis and Kathie Lee and Geraldo. She has since reunited with Kathie Lee as she appears on the Today Show's fourth hour, hosted by Kathie Lee and Hoda Kotb.
Broadcasting career
Jill Martin is a four time New York Emmy Award Winning Sportscaster, Television Personality, and New York Times Bestselling Author of "I Have Nothing To Wear". She has appeared as guest co-host on Anderson Cooper and Today. Jill is also a contributing editor to People's Stylewatch.
Martin's broadcasting career began when she started working as an assistant on The Maury Povich Show. She got her break when a designer doing a fashion show was late for a taping and Martin took over the segment. After working on The Maury Show, she moved on to host an entertainment program in South Beach called “LIVE!” After a year there, She moved back to her hometown and became an entertainment reporter at News 12 Long Island where she started a segment called “What’s Hot in the Hamptons.”
A year later, she returned to Miami, and went on to become the first NBA in-arena host for the Miami Heat. Martin interviewed celebrities courtside and participated in celebrity shootouts on the court during time-outs. She defeated many big names including Martin Lawrence and Jimmy Buffett. While working with the Heat, Martin wrote for Ocean Drive Magazine, highlighting athletes lives off the field and court. While in Miami, she would also travel to New York to appear on ABC’s Good Morning America, reporting on the latest fashion trends.
In 2000, she was hired as a Sportscaster by CBS 4-WFOR in Miami to anchor and report the 6pm and 11pm newscasts. Her interviews included: Willis McGahee announcing he was going pro; Tim Hardaway’s apology for his biased remarks; and Shaquille O’Neal’s only sit-down going into the 2006 Finals. Martin was also the only reporter inside the Miami Heat’s 2006 NBA Championship party following the Heat’s victory in Dallas. She broadcast live for a 24-hour period to chronicle the celebration. Her duties at CBS also included hurricane coverage. In response to the Katrina disaster, Martin, along with Loews' CEO Jonathan Tisch, chaired a charity event at the Loews Miami Beach Hotel which raised $750,000 to benefit the victims and their families.
Martin then joined Madison Square Garden Network in 2007. Her stint with MSG began with Martin hosting and reporting for "MSG, NY," a nightly sports recap show that featured updates, highlights, interviews, in-depth features and analysis on the sports and entertainment happenings in the New York-area.
Following her time on "MSG, NY," Martin moved on to report for the New York Knicks on MSG telecasts. Martin conducts pre-game and post-game interviews. She is best known for her halftime segment entitled “GIMME-A-MINUTE.” The quick-paced interview highlights a celebrity in attendance at MSG. Among those Martin has interviewed are Ron Howard, Spike Lee, Chris Rock and Robert Plant. Another segment, “20 Questions…with Jill Martin”, is a format where Martin asks celebrities and athletes questions like, “3 people from the past and present you would want to have dinner with,” and “Something you are most insecure about?” Martin is now involved with the “Garden of Dreams Foundation” which helps dreams come true for kids in crisis. Her story with Matthew Von Dolen in 2007 earned Martin her second Emmy Nomination.
Along with production company DiGa, Martin is currently developing the upcoming I Have Nothing to Wear.