Transcript 0:00 This is In The Dirt with ASOTU. [engine revs] All right, I am with Laura Harris- Hi, hi... 0:06 of Automotive News, a news anchor, and she just told me that it's way more fun to be on camera 'cause you haven't been on camera all day. Is that right? No. 0:14 So far, I've been interviewing everyone and I've been behind camera. But being a news anchor, I'm always on camera, so it's, it's nice change of pace. I feel like you're doing my job right now. 0:21 You gotta get one of these flag things and you'll be fine. I, I do gotta get one of those. I feel like I'd be more official with it- [laughs]... than the little mic and clip, but. There you go. Okay, so you weren't at... 0:30 This is your first NADA convention- Yes, it is... right? Because auto is new to you. Mm-hmm. So talk, how did the whole Automotive News, uh, gig come up and, and how has, how has your first year in auto been? 0:41 So it's been a wild ride so far. It's almost been a full year, and it's just kind of crazy because I'm born and raised in Chicago, and I've been going to the Chicago Auto Show since I was four years old. So- Okay... 0:51 I've done journalism since high school. I was my school's weekly anchor. I did it in college, did it in grad school, and here we are doing journalism in a different way. 0:59 So the automotive is just exciting 'cause you get to come to fun events like this. Yes, ac- okay, so you've been to a lot of events. Yeah. I follow Automotive News on social. Yes, yeah. I've seen you at all... 1:08 What's been your favorite event so far this year? Ooh. Okay. We just went to Vegas for CES, so being in Vegas was kind of just cool in of itself. Just nuts, right. And, like, all the technology and all the mobility. 1:21 So I'd have to say CES has been my favorite. Also, I went to Pebble Beach for car week. Con- Concorso d'Eleganza? Yeah, Concorso d'Eleganza, and that was just, it was just surreal. Just unbelievable. 1:31 So it's very, very exciting. Yeah. Very cool. Okay, so you've been in the industry a year. Mm-hmm. You kind of get a little bit of flavor of the OEM side. You're understanding the dealer side. 1:40 What's your biggest kind of, like, feeling about what the auto industry is? For those that, you know, have maybe never heard or been in the auto industry, it's your first year. Yeah. Like, what's the vibe that you get? 1:50 Well, it's just kind of crazy because then you think of vehicles, everyone says, "Oh, this is cool. The horsepower, this is exciting." But what I've learned is it's very much about mobility. 1:59 It's about innovation, and it's about EVs. Everyone says EVs are the wave of the future, but there's so much more to that. So how the industry is gonna change in two years, five years, 10 years, it's just exciting. 2:10 And you know, I've only been in the industry for a short time, but in that short time, seeing how aggressive automakers and just different innovators and engineers are going, it's like, wow, there is so much more than just, oh, I'm driving on the road from point A to B. 2:23 Yes, absolutely. All right, so that's enough of the automotive questions. Yeah. So you get out of work, you're not doing journalism, you don't have to smile for the camera. 2:32 What's, like, what's weekend vibes or travel vibes for you? Hmm, travel vibes. So I just went snowboarding for the first time. I learned how to surf last summer. I went rock climbing. So anything outdoorsy. No way. 2:42 I fitness instruct, so anything outdoorsy and physical, I just like trying new things, and I just moved to Michigan as well. So going up north- I'm sorry. Yeah, well, mm- [laughs] I mean, it's no Chicago. 2:52 It's no Chicago. Fair. I can't, I can't argue with that, but Midwest is best. So basically, just exploring Michigan. I li- I really do like Michigan, so it's nice. Very cool. 3:01 All right, so you're heading into this next year, what are you most excited to learn, do, see, and, and interview, whatever you're, like, most excited for? 3:10 Well, honestly, so going to the auto shows are super, super cool because talking to the engineers and designers is what's phenomenal. 3:17 'Cause so often, you speak to the executives and you speak to, you know, the salespeople, but the designers and the engineers, the, the brains behind something, is just really cool 'cause you can tell how passionate they are, and it's just, the energy is just infectious. 3:30 Yes. All right. So if people wanna follow along where you're going- Yeah... what you're doing, how do they do that? Yeah, so you can follow me, LauraHarris_News. That's for all social media platforms. 3:39 And I post a little behind-the-scenes of my life. I post news updates and everything auto in between. Look at that. Yeah. Well, thank you so much for hanging out with me. Thank you. I appreciate it. 3:47 Getting on camera and being on the, the other side of the mic. It's fun. I like it. There you go. Good. Thank you so much. [laughs] Thank you for listening to In The Dirt with ASOTU. 3:56 We love the automotive industry and the people who make it run day in and day out. We would love to connect with you more through our daily dose of fun, a free email that you can sign up for at asotu.com. 4:07 That's A-S-O-T-U.com. We put our heart and soul into it every day. Thanks again for listening. Join us next time for more conversations In The Dirt with ASOTU. [upbeat music]
