Baltimore Sun: Swimsuit-Clad Mike Revisits Baltimore for Somebody’s Gotta Do It

By Mary Carole McCauley Baltimore’s image — badly tarnished in the past few weeks by the death of 25-year-old Freddie Gray after his arrest by Baltimore police and the subsequent outbreak of violence — is about to get a much-needed boost of charm. The Baltimore-born television host Mike Rowe is setting this week’s episode of his show, “Somebody’s Gotta Do It,”  in his hometown. The episode, titled “Highway Boulder Crew,” airs at 9 p.m. Thursday on CNN. According to the show’s promo, “Mike tries his hand at water ballet, learns rock climbing and repelling in a day and raises a super-sized Read More

WGN Radio: CNN’s ‘Somebody’s Gotta Do It

Mike talks about his past, present happenings in Baltimore, and the future with the new season of Somebody’s Gotta Do It. Dave chats with tv host, narrator and actor Mike Rowe about eight seasons of Discovery Channel’s ‘Dirty Jobs’, eleven seasons of ‘Deadliest Catch’ and his new CNN series ‘Somebody’s Gotta Do It’, as well as life as an opera singer, his messiest assignments and the recent upheaval in his hometown of Baltimore. Listen to the interview – WGN Radio

ADWEEK: My First Big Break

How Mike Went From the Opera to Somebody’s Gotta Do It. The CNN host never wanted a 9 to 5 gig By Chris Ariens Mike Rowe got his first big break in TV because of a bar bet and a pencil. Rowe, the longtime host of Discovery Channel’s Dirty Jobs, who now presides over CNN’s Somebody’s Gotta Do it, told Adweek the key to landing the job of your dreams isn’t by doing something you love, but by doing something you’re good at. “Learn to love it later,” he says. Adweek.com

CNN: The art of lucha libre

Ryan Bergeron, CNN Clothes may make the man, but a mask transforms him into something more. “With just this mask, the life is changed,” Manuel Quiroz says. “Because when you put the mask on, you feel bigger.” Quiroz has become the go-to mask and costume maker for a new generation of fighters in the world of Mexican freestyle wrestling, known as lucha libre. The work is a labor of love for Quiroz, who spends 15 hours a day sewing the detailed masks and gear from his home in South-Central Los Angeles. When CNN’s Mike Rowe wanted a taste of the Read More

Entrepreneur: Facebook Obsession, Working Hard & Singing Opera

Mike Rowe has a lot of love for entrepreneurs. Best known as host of Dirty Jobs, Rowe works hard and advocates for others who have the courage to blaze their own path. In this short video, Rowe answers our rapid-fire questions. He talks about what inspires him (hard work, duh), honesty and about sometimes having to “eat the shit sandwich” at work. We also got him to talk about his obsession with Facebook. “I try to post something every day,” Rowe explains. “Now there are almost 2-1/2 million people who are sitting there, waiting for me to say something, which Read More

A Pithy Valentine to the Stuff that really Matters

OFF THE WALL I sat down a few minutes ago to write something whimsical and amusing about Valentines Day, but got distracted by the rich tapestry of random musings filling my wall. This one jumped out. It’s not so much whimsical or amusing, but it made feel good about our efforts with mikeroweWORKS. On the one hand, it’s a short thank-you note from an Englishman who likes watching Dirty Jobs on the telly. On the other hand, it’s a story about real life, hard work, true love, alternative education, and skilled labor – in barely 400 words. In other words, Read More

Mediaplanet USA Today – Manufacturing in America

  Mike’s call to Empower America’s Tradesmen ENCOURAGING THE NEXT GENERATION: ‘We need to nurture mechanical talent in all those who possess it and encourage all forms of learning.’ I have a neighbor named Doris, she’s approximately 130 years old and legally blind. Doris called me on Labor Day and asked if would help her assemble a bookshelf — I said sure. Why Doris needs a bookshelf is a bit of a mystery, but neither here nor there. The instructions were on the box, along with some helpful illustrations of a child, happily putting the whole contraption together in six Read More

Mike’s Experience With Travis Mills

Say hi to Retired Staff Sargent Travis Mills, formerly of the 82nd Airborne, US Army. As you can see, Travis has undergone a few structural modifications, most visibly in the leg department. Likewise, his left arm is more machine than flesh, and though his right arm appears to be around my waist, it really isn’t. Like the rest of his limbs, it’s been missing in action for some time. I met Travis a few weeks ago in DC at The Science and Engineering Festival, and spent a half hour talking, mostly about Dirty Jobs. He wanted to tell me how Read More

America Gets a “D” in Infrastructure

Every four years, the American Society of Civil Engineers issues an “Infrastructure Report Card.” This year we got a “D.” Again. It’s been this way since 1998. (Technically, this year was a “D+” but I never saw the value in assigning pluses or minuses. When I grew up, D’s had consequences that came in the form of extra chores. And a D+ meant the same thing as a D-. But whatever.) Studies show most people don’t know or care about infrastructure grades, in part because we don’t really care about the infrastructure itself. Until the bridge collapses or the steam Read More

Naked Mike Unauthorized Video

The Naked Truth Question: If I were to form “The American Idol Scholarship Fund” and announce $15,000 of professional training for anyone who wished to become a pop star, how long do you think it would take to give away a million dollars? A day? An hour? A minute? What if I offered the same money to anyone who wanted to learn how to maintain and repair diesel engines? How fast would the million dollars go then? Currently, this question has no official answer. But I can tell you this – for the last month, mikeroweWORKS has been offering FULL-RIDE Read More

Mike Writes About His Time In DC

I’m typing in the back of a taxi just outside Logan Airport, headed to an event in Boston. DC was great, but I’m happy to be out of there. Lots of rain, lots of traffic, lots of gridlock – metaphorical and otherwise. The place always makes me feel 15 minutes late, even when I’m early. Congress was a kick, as always. I spoke to the House Committee on Natural Resources this time, and addressed my comments to The Honorable Doc Hastings. Prior to that, we took a selfie, at the Chairmans request. Brave new world… My message was one you’ve probably Read More

Mike Writes about DC and USASEF

Well, that was fun! Two speeches, three panels, 7 interviews, hundreds of exhibitors, one robot, a truck from the future, my very own security team, a Swiss Ambassador, and 400,000 visitors. I’m pretty sure I met them all. Far as I’m concerned, STEM now means “Spectacular Turnout Enveloping Mike.” Not that I’m complaining. The mikeroweWORKS Pavilion was a big hit, and I’m humbled by the enthusiasm that surrounded our little slice of the festival. It didn’t really hit me until I walked through it myself, but 12,000 square feet is a crap-load of space, and I can’t believe who we Read More

War on Hard Work Continues

It now appears we have a new culprit that explains the cause of global warming – hard work. Early this morning, one of San Francisco’s free newspapers found it’s way to the sidewalk in front of my apartment, proving yet again that you don’t always get what you pay for. Because I abhor litter, I picked it up for deposit it in my mandatory recycling container. But not before glancing at the headline. Apparently, this is their annual Green Issue, and their contention is pretty straightforward – work is killing the planet. Below the headline it gets better – “Climate Read More

Mike Gives Dear Abby Advice to a Fan

Saturday Mail Call Hey Mike! I’ve spent this last year trying to figure out the right career for myself and I still can’t figure out what to do. I have always been a hands on kind of guy and a go-getter. I could never be an office worker. I need change, excitement, and adventure in my life, but where the pay is steady. I grew up in construction and my first job was a restoration project. I love everything outdoors. I play music for extra money. I like trying pretty much everything, but get bored very easily. I want a Read More