Westmeath native enjoying burgeoning US media career
Nobody could ever accuse Mullingar native Odi Fitzgerald of taking it easy.
The US based father of one not only has his day job as an engineer and family life to balance, he is also now juggling a burgeoning media career that includes presenting jobs on TV and radio, and a podcast that is growing in popularity.
After a hiatus of two years, his TV talk show ‘Nighttime with Odi’ returned to two local cable channels in South Carolina and neighbouring states last month. The show, which focuses on local people, businesses and groups, airs every Wednesday and is available to watch on YouTube.
Speaking to the Westmeath Examiner, Odi says that he is delighted that the show has returned. “I was really looking forward to it and was chomping at the bit to get back.”
Odi says that the first series of Nighttime with Odi, which aired in 2022, went down well and led to him being recognised a few times when he was out grocery shopping in Anderson, the town where he lives with his American wife Lauren and son Lachlan.
“One older guy in a shop told me that I was ‘getting better’. I didn’t know if that was a compliment or not! He had an opinion, which I will take as it means he watched the show.”
In addition to his TV show, Odi also presents a radio show every Saturday night on Word 98.9FM, which is part of one of the biggest radio companies in the South.
Odi’s voice may be a new one to his listeners in South Carolina, but he has extensive experience as a broadcaster and producer from working with the likes of Will Faulkner on Midlands103 and Fergal D’Arcy on iRadio. He also presented the show Westmeath Matters, a Nationwide style show, on the Irish TV channel for a time.
The day jobs helps pay the bills, but Odi says that he thoroughly enjoys his media side hustles.
“They hired me as a stand-in presenter/producer, but I now have my own show on a Saturday night, The Pulse.
“I am an engineer by trade but media always calls me no matter where I am. You come back to what you love and I am happier when I am doing it, as well.
“It’s like my wife Lauren. She has a rodeo coming up and while she has lots of other things in her life, I can see her getting excited, as that’s her passion.”
If his radio, TV and podcasting work weren’t enough, Odi has also been collaborating with a production company on a TV show that he is hopeful will be broadcast on a national station later this year.
He can’t say to much about it at present, but he is very excited about what may transpire over the course of 2024.