Pete Siegal

Bitter Jester Music Festival Judge

Born and raised in Highland Park, IL, Pete Siegal is a graduate of Highland Park High School. Go Giants! It was there, under the guidance of fellow BJMF Judge Glenn Williams (also the mentor of BJMF founder Nicolas DeGrazia!), that Pete expanded his love and passion for music.

“I really enjoyed my first opportunity to be a guest judge for this amazing event. It was such a pleasure to hear so many incredibly talented musicians with such bright futures and I’m thrilled to be back again this summer!”

-Pete Siegal

He joined the HPHS Jazz Ensemble, Wind Ensemble, and Marching Band during his tenure. Pete then took that love of music with him to Northern Illinois University in DeKalb, where he was a Jazz Piano Major and played in jazz bands, concert bands, and the Huskie Marching Band.

Now a TV News Producer by trade, Pete is a certified lifelong music lover who still enjoys performing (mostly at home for his wife and kids).

After graduating with a degree in Communications, Pete found work in both radio and TV, eventually moving into full-time news writing and producing with stops in Rockford, South Bend, and Providence, before coming back home to the Chicago market. He has worked in Chicago for the past two decades with former jobs including eight years as a Content News Producer for NBC News and various Writer/Producer roles at Merlin Media FM News 101.1, LIN Television’s WPRI/WNAC, and twelve years writing/producing at at WFLD-TV.

He is an expert in the creation and delivery of impactful media content with decades of experience leading large and successful news teams where he coordinated and executed numerous productions of all shapes and sizes.

Pete is currently a writer for News Nation on WGN America.