After interning for WPLG-Ch. 10 in the Miami/Fort Lauderdale area reporting breaking news, Evan Golden decided to put his focus on stories that would soothe stress and have a more positive portrayal of South Florida.
“One was a dog bite,” he said of the constant barrage of traumatic stories. “One was a robbery, a trial, one was a murder, and I was there thinking Florida has so many grand openings of good things. After leaving, I wanted to cover the great things and have the opportunity to shed some light on what we have to offer.”
While a student at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Golden co-hosted the school’s news program and he found a passion for entertainment reporting, broadcasting and journalism. He spent hours with the school’s WMSD TV club, editing tapes, planning pre-production and being the on-air talent.
“I was born and raised in Florida,” he said. “I took that passion I had from an early age, and while in college at UCF in Orlando, I interned at Ch. 10 news. But Florida is the best place to live, work, play, and I wanted to get back to feel-good stories and I came upon my entertainment career in a moment of serendipity.”
While accompanying his sister to an MTV audition, producers and casting directors spoke with Golden. Their conversation led to them booking Golden on some MTV shows such as 12 episodes of “Carmen Electra’s Hypermix” and “The Mandy Moore Show.”
For over 20 years, the 41-year-old Coral Springs resident has done commercials, short films, hosting and made appearances on television shows and reality television.
Sometimes the entertainment business can have talent feeling frustrated with all of the rejection that comes along with deciding to pursue an acting career.
“I’ve bombed so many auditions probably more than anyone in the history of South Florida,” Golden said. “I’ve heard the word ‘no’ more than anyone in the entertainment industry.”
But he kept getting back up and dusting himself off.
“You have to knock on doors for opportunity,” he said. “When I knock, I knock harder than the competition. With the right connections, good energy and being professional, I made opportunities.”
He has appeared as an actor in national television advertisements for Ovaltine, Walt Disney Wilderness Lodge, Bowman’s Online Sports, E! and the Travel Channel. While filming in California and two weeks in New York, the then 23-year-old became most recognized for his lead role in the reality show “Ivana Young Man” hosted by Ivana Trump in which he was in the final two. He hosted entertainment TV show “Orlando Live” and was a reporter for the Miami area.
“Growing up, my parents would always help people,” Golden said. “It’s really important to me to let people know about these good, helpful causes and better our South Florida communities. So, I wanted to get back to that angle and root.”
Working as a host and reporter for “Eye on South Florida,” Golden provides a platform to showcase good and helpful causes. He has covered various charity events and galas, along with film festivals, fashion shows, positive stories of interest and grand openings.
As reporter and co-producer, the show allows him to continue to do what he loves: sharing positive happenings to educate viewers about how they can get involved and give back.
“I love South Florida too much to only cover the negative,” Golden said. “One thing I do every day is give out golden sunglasses to people who do good deeds like holding a door open for a stranger; even if I see someone looking upset, I give them a pair. I do that to spread goodness and kindness, and maybe it’ll start a ripple effect. If I do something good, they’ll do good, and I want to spread that golden energy and kindness to people and at events.”
One organization he promotes is the American Cancer Society, which helps people take steps to reduce their risk of breast cancer or find it early when it’s easier to treat. They provide free information and services, fund groundbreaking breast cancer research and they’re working to ensure access to mammograms for women who need them.
“It can be more than writing a check,” Golden said. “Sharing their mission, an event on social media, volunteering, and I continue to do that.”
For the fifth time, Golden recently was emcee for the 11th annual Community Care Plan Non-Profit Awards, honoring Broward County’s nonprofit organizations and leaders for their dedication to the community.
“Getting thank-you letters from nonprofits saying they have never gotten so many social media likes or we never had so many people wanting to volunteer because you shared and hosted our event is amazing,” he said.
At Boca Raton’s Fashion Funds the Cure, Golden was the master of ceremonies and the funds were dedicated to pediatric cancer research.
“Charities writing letters or emails saying we had people write us how we can volunteer, or they raised this much money allows us to see the effect it has,” he said. “I try to inspire people to get involved, even if it’s just sharing an event or the cause.”
He was honored at Men with Caring Hearts in 2019 by the Florence Fuller Child Development Center in Boca Raton.
Real Men Wear Pink allows communities to nominate male leaders to spearhead fundraising efforts for the American Cancer Society’s breast cancer initiatives.
For Real Men Wear Pink, Golden wore pink shirts, ties, glasses and blazers for the entire month of October. That was important to him because his aunt and sister’s mother-in-law had breast cancer.
Golden plans to continue to report positive stories to be a role model and spread awareness to shine a light on community happenings.
“We’ve been through a lot as a community, country and world,” he said. “I know most people are watching the Academy Awards and the Grammys, but let’s honor the people who are making a difference in our community who are touching hearts, saving lives and making a positive change in our community. Let’s not only focus on the bad. Let’s bring back the positivity and community together through great causes.”
Visit evangolden.com.
