Veteran actor Kyle Lowder (Rex, Days of Our Lives) who of course is no stranger to being on camera, has a brand-new gig; still on camera, but now as a newscaster in the Reno area! Soap Opera Digest spoke to Lowder about his bold career change.
When parents get new jobs in a new city or make decisions to move to a new town for whatever reason, it is the children who move in “tow” with their parents. It is the children who go to a new school, make new friends, etc., because their parents decided to put down stakes in new ground. But in this case, it was Lowder’s daughter, Izzy, with ex-wife Arianne Zucker (Nicole, Days of Our Lives) that made the initial move.
Three years ago, Zucker and Shawn Christian (ex-Daniel, Days of Our Lives), Zucker’s fiancé bought a home in Lake Tahoe, California. Izzy fell in love with Lake Tahoe, and after much thought and consideration, she approached her parents about her living there full-time. After Lowder and Zucker gave their daughter their Blessing, it was Lowder who had a decision to make. He wanted to spend as much time as he could with Izzy, especially during the next five years before she graduated high school and started living her own life. Lowder shared that he didn’t want to spend that time, “driving up or flying in as much as I can and being a visitor in her life.” So, Lowder decided that he would relocate.
With limited entertainment opportunities in the area, Lowder started thinking about what he could do for work and thought, “Well, there’s a television industry in Reno; there’s the network affiliates, CBS, NBC, Fox and ABC, so let me just reach out and see. I had my resumé and I wrote a cover letter and I was very honest and transparent and very vulnerable, respectfully asking if they had any on-camera opportunities available. I finished the letter by saying that I recognized that I do not have any broadcast journalism or newscaster experience; however, I’ve spent the past 23 years of my career telling stories to an audience, whether scripted or improvised, and I’m very comfortable in front of the camera.”
Within a week Lowder had landed two meetings and camera tests. “I knew that if I could just get to a camera test, that I could show my comfort level, my abilities and the skill set that I have in front of the camera. I knew that I had confidence in the technical aspects of being an anchor. I knew that if they could just give me an opportunity that I’d be able to learn that.”
Lowder’s thought process was on point as he secured two subsequent job offers, one from a CBS affiliate and one from an ABC affiliate. He ultimately accepted the CBS offer as a morning news anchor. You can catch a live feed of Lowder at
The self-professed lifetime news lover is happy, settled and grateful for this new season of life. He has what he wants, he is in his daughter’s life on a daily basis and has a new career that he is committed to, enjoying and is passionate about. His co-workers have welcomed Lowder with open arms and have been helpful in teaching him “the tricks of the trade.”
What does this all mean for future work on Days of Our Lives or acting in general? “The soap opera genre is the first job I ever had. I love that industry. My gut answer is, if Days of Our Lives called, or any show for that matter, obviously, I’m on contract [multiyear deal with CBS] so I couldn’t sign another contract. But if I got a phone call to see if I could pop in for an episode or two, schedule permitting, I would love to do that.”
