Car People

Sometimes you just click.  Common interest. Similar goals. Love of subject.

This happened to me at the Chicago Auto Show once again this year.

Often when we attend events as journalists the event itself can pull us into a black hole of press conferences and promotions, lectures and luncheons.  The schedule is tight.

Usually every half-hour brings a new manufacturer highlight and then hoofing it quickly to the next booth.  Comfortable shoes might sound like a fashion faux pas, but necessary to make it through the day.  Concrete is lurking under every carpet.

However challenging, media days are like gold and the people you meet and re-connect with are each a gem added to the treasure box.  This year one of the gems I added was Cliff Leppke.

Cliff is an Engineer for WITI Fox6Now in Milwaukee.

Looking sharp in his suit and turtleneck, after all it is February in Chicago, he resonates professional. From his vast knowledge of everything autos to his stand-out red camera, Cliff is a man-in-the-know.

Most of Cliff’s work is done behind the scenes and formulated during long editing sessions into creative content fit for any news network. Attention to detail and creativity rule the day and products he produces are in demand.

For example, the cover photo is from a piece on the Audi S3 that Cliff wrote for the Wisconsin Gazette. Filled with facts and journalistic skill, his words flow and treat the reader to an enjoyable account of the features and driving impressions of the Audi sedan. Photography is a forte and it’s quality isn’t missed by this fellow journalist.

Click here to read Cliff’s review.

Click here to read Cliff’s Lexus LC500 review posted on CleanMPG.com

Working along side Cliff for a couple days at the Chicago Auto Show proves once again that “car people” are good and honest and true.

Sometimes that’s a little hard to find these days.

*Cliff Leppke is a broadcast engineer, automotive writer and American studies PhD candidate. He studies American postwar material culture. You’ve seen his byline in Milwaukee Magazine, European Car, VW trends, the Wisconsin Gazette and the VW Autoist. Check the Spring 2005 Journal for Commercial Archaeology for his seminal cultural studies piece “Vanishing Points: Phillips’ Postwar New Look Service Stations.