Centralight

Holey often is asked to relate the difference between working with the two broadcast legends, Brokaw and Williams. "I was honored to join NBC and work with Tom. I watched him covering Watergate when I was in grade school, and he was already a huge figure in the industry," Holey says. "Then suddenly I found myself working with Brian, who is roughly my age and was raising two kids a few towns away from my family. Much more of a peer relationship, it's been a real treat to watch him find his voice and rise to a well-deserved, prestigious position in the business." Holey, winner of nine Emmys and many other awards, was recruited away from ABC News in 1996. Since his arrival at NBC, Nightly has been the most-watched newscast in America. Holey played a key role in the transition from Brokaw to Williams – a handoff deemed so successful it has been studied in both industry and academic media management programs. "From the time he arrived on campus as a freshman, Brett took every opportunity to develop his craft in BCA cocurricular activities," recalls Peter Orlik, director of the School of Broadcast and Cinematic Arts and a former professor of Holey's. "His talent and diligence served him well on campus and have served the national broadcast news audience equally well in his subsequent successes at ABC and NBC." In addition to Nightly, Holey also directs NBC News Special Events and breaking news coverage. In these roles he has covered the first Gulf War, the Sept. 11 attacks and the wars that followed, the Japanese tsunami, the Arab Spring, and Hurricane Sandy. Holey also was deeply involved in planning NBC's 2012 Election coverage and the construction of Democracy Plaza, which turned NBC's landmark location on New York's Rockefeller Plaza into a giant election set. He's been a major influence in expanding the NBC News audience in a declining market, combining success in "old media" with a solid footing in new media. He was integral in bringing multimedia to MSNBC.com, making the network's news broadcasts available on the Web, and in launching NBC Mobile. Looking back at CMU, Holey recalls learning his craft and making lifelong friends. "It's not unusual to be on a team or a panel where everyone is an Ivy Leaguer or from 'top' schools. I've always been proud to say I'm from CMU, even though I usually have to explain where it is." He jokes that he "tried not to let classes get in the way of his education." Yet he also credits classroom lessons and practical experience at Moore Hall TV for giving him a solid, professional foundation. Holey continues to give back to his alma mater as a consultant to the Broadcast and Cinematic Arts Alumni Advisory Board and as a founder and board member of the Sue Rozman Delia Scholarship Endowment. He received CMU's Distinguished Alumni Award in 2001 and was keynote speaker for BCA's Annual Awards Banquet in 2007. In 2010, Holey served as CMU commencement speaker in addition to receiving an honorary doctoral degree. "Even though I work in a landmark building such as 30 Rock, it's the life lessons I learned while growing up in Lambertville and the professional expertise gained during my stay at CMU which I rely upon daily," he says. "I always enjoy coming back to campus and talking to students about their core of personal heroes. Identify and thank them. What they taught you will be with you the rest of your life." Holey values most is time at home with his wife, Susan, an Emmy-winning former NBC News producer, and their three children. • Despite his professional success, what (Top) Holey on the Nightly set with Tom Brokaw; (bottom) Holey with President George H.W. Bush at the Bush Presidential Library in College Station, Texas, on the 20th anniversary of the beginning of the first Gulf War. centralight winter '12 17 ANTHONY QUINTANO/NBC NEWS

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