We were lucky to catch up with Vittoria Woodill recently and have shared our conversation below.

Vittoria, looking forward to hearing all of your stories today. Let’s talk about innovation. What’s the most innovative thing you’ve done in your career?

While working as a traffic reporter at CBS Philadelphia, I was eager to introduce something new and exciting to local news. My passion for lifestyle content had been clear for a while—my blog Polished for Pennies had gained national attention and evolved into a fashion and lifestyle web series sold to Scripps Network, which owned Food Network and HGTV at the time. So, when I joined CBS3, I was determined to bring cable-quality content that aligned with my passions and was genuinely fun to watch. Who doesn’t want to have fun at work?

I shared my plans for an unconventional addition to our programming with a few colleagues, and the reaction was always, “That will never happen.” In an industry that had stuck to the same format for years, it was hard for others to envision something different. Feeling like a square peg in a round hole, I decided to bring my idea to life instead of trying to convince everyone of its value first.

With a solid concept and confidence, I needed only the crew and resources to make it happen. So, I went into the new General Manager’s office and pitched my idea—a traveling food segment with a Food Network-style flair, inspired by my dad, a small business owner with hidden musical talents. I wanted to spotlight the personal stories behind local businesses and use food as the hook. Intrigued by my enthusiasm he gave me the approval to assemble a production team and put my idea in motion.

The pilot episode was shot at a local deli that held special memories for me—my dad used to take me there as a kid. We featured two Italian brothers who had brought their family recipes from Italy to the community, including their broccoli rabe hoagie with sharp provolone, my favorite and the item we featured as the hook. We shot the video with a production-style camera, not a news camera, and without a tripod. I knew it needed to look and feel different from traditional news production.

When I presented the sizzle reel to the GM, “Taste with Tori” not only got the green light but also landed me my first full-time contract. The segment had a 100 percent retention rate and stood out because it captured real, spontaneous moments with personality and local charm, rather than scripted news. Plus, viewers got to suggest where I should eat next! This interaction helped make “Taste with Tori” one of CBS Philadelphia’s longest-running franchises, featuring over 500 local businesses and running for nearly eight years.

This experience taught me that innovation can come from simply adding your personal touch to familiar formats and making them resonate in a fresh, authentic way.

Vittoria, love having you share your insights with us. Before we ask you more questions, maybe you can take a moment to introduce yourself to our readers who might have missed our earlier conversations?

As an Emmy-nominated storyteller passionate about crafting engaging and meaningful content my career in media has been a rewarding journey. Marked by diverse roles and significant milestones.

For 8 years, I had the incredible opportunity to serve as a feature reporter and host at CBS Philadelphia. During this time, I covered some truly memorable events, including the Eagles’ Super Bowl victory, the Phillies’ World Series win, the DNC, and the Pope’s visit to Philadelphia. Each of these moments and many more in all the facets of feature reporting allowed me to bring a unique perspective to the stories, presenting them with enthusiasm, authenticity, and a personal touch.

My approach to storytelling has always been centered around creativity and spontaneity. Whether delivering live, unscripted reports or hosting segments like “Taste with Tori,” I aimed to connect with audiences in a genuine way. Highlighting the stories of small business owners and celebrating their successes was particularly fulfilling, as it allowed me to share their passions and resilience.

Before my role at CBS, I worked as the afternoon Traffic Anchor at Tango Traffic, where I enjoyed the challenge of providing live updates with an engaging and dynamic style. My experiences also include hosting events for CBS Radio and performing at high-profile occasions such as the Microsoft Windows 7.5 Phone Launch Event in NYC.

Earlier in my career, I hosted specials and promos at CBS Television/CW Philly and worked as a Station Representative for CBS Radio, further honing my skills in audience engagement and content creation. My time as a Philadelphia Eagles cheerleader also instilled in me a strong sense of teamwork and dedication, qualities I continue to bring to my work today.

My love of positive and uplifting content started with social media when I created a blog called Polished for Pennies. There I shared tips and tricks for looking, feeling, and living like a million bucks on a few shiny pennies. It became recognized nationally and I accepted a lifestyle writing opportunity with the Queen Latifah show because of it. A few years later I sold my blog to Scripps network and turned it into a web series that co-produced, wrote, hosted, and styled.

Currently, as a mom of two, I still focus on creating uplifting and immersive content that resonates with audiences and evokes positive emotional responses. I collaborate with both local and national brands to produce custom content that aligns with my values of authenticity and joy and theirs. I create in categories of family, food, fashion, fun, home decor, and fun! My goal is to always have fun in whatever I’m doing and infuse that sense of life into everything I do.

How’d you build such a strong reputation within your market?

Kindness, authenticity, and follow through. People want to help people who help themselves so being kind and genuine in my relationships was natural to me but also crucial to my career. Your resume can only do so much so when I showed up to meet people I wanted them to know how much I appreciated their time. I was grateful to hear their journeys if they ever presented me with an opportunity to show them my talents I follow through in working hard, expressing kindness to everyone, and led with my heart and values. I wanted to be that person in the office you could feel coming in a positive way. As a creative, your artistry is “you” and people remember how you make them feel.

Have you ever had to pivot?

After I left the news industry my first thought when looking for another job was… “what are my transferrable skills?” As time went on I realized that’s not the question I need to ask myself, becasue as a creative you’re not looking for just a job. You’re looking to continue to live and breathe your art. You’re looking for another opportunity to be authentically yourself because who you are is your work. For me, I needed a new audience to be me. I needed to stop searching for another opportunity and instead create one. So the better question I learned to ask myself was, “what are you going to create next?”

Storytelling and making others feel good about life had been the thread in my career journey, so I decided to pivot my storytelling to social media and create content that I enjoyed and found joy in so others could feel it. Pivoting my mindset was crucial. I already had the skills I just needed to believe I could create again the dream job I had created for myself before. I believe I’m doing that and couldn’t feel more fulfilled.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.vittoriawoodill.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/vittoria.woodill
• Facebook: https://facebook.com/vittoriawoodill
• Linkedin: https://linkedin.com/vittoriawoodill