David Gerlach is a writer/producer for ABC News and works on “Good Morning America” and “World News with Diane Sawyer.” He is also the founder of Blank on Blank, a new media nonprofit building and broadcasting a digital archive of the American interview. B on B was named a finalist in the 2011 Knight Foundation News Challenge. Just 28 projects made the finals from more than 1,600 applicants.
Previously, he was a producer for MSNBC’s “The Rachel Maddow Show” and “Verdict with Dan Abrams” where he covered politics, the Justice Department, and the Supreme Court.
Before working in television, Gerlach wrote about politics for Newsweek and the New York Sun. He also has written about culture and travel for the New York Post, Time Out New York and others.
Gerlach has interviewed senators, bartenders, artists, a former Playboy Club mother bunny, a graffiti legend, economists, playground stalwarts, a son of a president, business titans and Harley riders. He has found the best interviews require two things: open-ended questions and room for the subject to fill those essential moments of silence.
Once upon a time he taught the gamut of history at one of Chicago’s top charter high schools where students thought calling him “Mr. G” was pretty funny. Gerlach has also walked the sidelines coaching basketball in New York City and believes it’s all about playing within the system.
Speaking of revered basketball programs, Gerlach studied history at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. He grew up in Milwaukee and has lived in Copenhagen, London and Chicago. Gerlach currently resides in Brooklyn with his wife, Danielle Sacks, a senior writer at Fast Company magazine.
Email: davidgerlach at yahoo dot com
