Oamenii Vorbesc
Madalina Burduja (COM'05)
Email: mburduja@hotmail.com
Like so many others, Madalina Burduja (COM'05) has Oprah Winfrey to thank, in part, for helping her dreams come true. Burduja became fascinated by the day-time talk diva while still a student at B.U.'s College of Communication. Inspired, she wrote a draft of her own talk show based on Oprah's example and decided to return to her native Romania after graduating to pursue her television career.
Shortly after graduation, Burduja interviewed for a television reporter position. Fortunately for her, she didn't get the job. During the interview, she mentioned her talk show idea and was immediately offered her own show. She began to design the show's format, propose topics for the first season, and interview candidates for the show's staff. Two weeks after her original interview, Burduja was shooting the pilot to her own day-time talk show and Oamenii Vorbesc (in English, People Talk) was born. The first episode aired on September 2, 2005, on Prima TV, one of the largest private national networks in Romania.
"The show," says Burduja, "is about life." On Oamenii Vorbesc, Burduja, her guests, and a live studio audience have covered topics from relationships to health issues. She has interviewed over 100 people, sharing a couch with Vasile Blaga, the Minister for Internal Affairs, and Sergiu Nicolaescu, a famous Romanian film director, as well as other artists, musicians, and everyday people. One guest, an insulin-dependent diabetic participating in a ten-week weight loss competition hosted by Oamenii Vorbesc, thanked Burduja, telling her that he felt great and was not taking insulin for the first time in years. "Those words and the many more that followed in letters, emails and handshakes are the true reward," says Burduja.
Following the success of Oamenii Vorbesc, Burduja was offered her own column in the women's magazine, Bine pentru Mine (in English, Good for Me). In the column, "Talk to Madalina," Burduja answers readers' questions about issues that concern women everywhere. In addition, she regularly keeps in touch with her audience through the Oamenii Vorbesc website (www.oameniivorbesc.ro).
Oamenii Vorbesc is currently on hiatus, but is set to begin its second season later this year. In the meantime, Burduja is keeping herself busy teaching seminars at the Lauder School, an "American-style" middle school in Bucharest. She talks to students about her work and experiences. Perhaps one day, one of her students will be living out her dream on the small-screen thanks to Burduja's influence and inspiration.
Website: http://www.oameniivorbesc.ro
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