November 16, 2005
Have you ever wondered who writes the questions for a television
quiz show, such as the smash hit, ABC’s “Who Wants to Be a
Millionaire?” Well, for close to five years, from 1999 to 2004,
Deirdre Cossman ’88MLS, armed with her master’s in Library Science
from St. John’s University, did just that. As part of a four-person
team of producers, she was nominated for an Emmy for the wildly
popular “Millionaire” two years in a row. Although the team
lost—one year to “The Price is Right” and another year to
“Jeopardy”—Cossman says her St. John’s library science training
prepared her well for a very exciting work experience.
“I’m the person who wrote the ‘stacks,’ the 15 questions each
contestant on the show would have to answer correctly to win a
million dollars,” she says. “I supervised a staff of researchers
and had to verify the accuracy of all research before composing the
questions. Accuracy was essential since a lot of money was at
stake! I checked with original sources, if necessary. It was an
ideal job for a librarian.”
Cossman has had a slew of fascinating jobs to her credit since
earning her library science degree. She has worked as a librarian
for Entertainment Weekly magazine, and for NBC. Recently,
she put her research skills to use as the author of a museum
guide,
Museums of New York City, by Westholme Publishing.
What is she doing now? She’s researching a new book in
between book signings.