Musings......

                                      

1.  Vacation:  Okay, this isn't a very practical vacation because this place is expensive, but I just wanted to share the amazing place I was fortunate to experience:  five days of heaven at the Montage in Laguna Beach.  It is one of the most perfect places on the West Coast and I want to thank my brother for working so hard all year at his job and taking me as his date to the award ceremony and trip.  Yes, I actually took a few days off and the company was extremely generous with their corporate gifts including a heavenly massage at the spa and my new Ray-Bans.  Thank you!

                                      

2.  Fashion Website:  For the fashionistas out there, I hope you bookmark this site, Cupcakes and Cashmere.  I don't know what I envy more: the photography, the fashions, or Emily's perfect wardrobe styling.  Either way, you might pick up a few fashion, decorating, or cooking tips.  I am adding Emily to my "People I Hope to Meet" list.

                              
3.  Famous Houses:  I have watched too many E! True Hollywood Stories episodes.  I was recently on a shoot and realized the house next door to the set was used to film Kendra Wilkinson's reality show.  This was only after I noticed the house I jog by with my puppy several times a week is the site of a pretty gruesome murder of an actor.  Yep, I recognized the house from E!  So, I guess I have an eye for celebrity real estate.....or I'm just watching too much E! (I'll also keep you guessing on the actor, I want to keep my jogging route private.)

4.  Jewelry:  Last weekend, I attended UniqueLA, an independent design and gift show, and I came across this cuff in my favorite color combination:  chocolate brown and gold.  The designer put it on my wrist and I said, "Sold!"  I love it and I have a feeling it will turn up in a few episodes of The Web Files since I have barely taken the cuff off.  Check out Henri Lou Jewelry for more information.

5.  Purse:  I wanted a huge slouchy bag to carry my notebook for The Web Files, my laptop, and all of the other junk I cart with me each day.  After looking around at bags that were more than my mortgage payment, I settled on a nice, affordable Steve Madden Manhattan Satchel.  Not only does it look cute, but it saved me a bundle.  It's up on Amazon for $98, but I found it at Off-Broadway Shoes in Hollywood for about $25 less. Score!

Remembering Bill Fahey

A screen shot of me and Bill Fahey on our last day co-hosting together. November 2004

In 2002, ShopNBC gave me my big break in hosting.  Oh boy, was it a tough transition.  I went from the endless summer in Los Angeles to the endless winter in Minnesota.  My new employer was tumultuous at best and "Minnesota Nice" was well, not so nice.  Yet each day as I got off shift at 6 AM, Bill Fahey was there to greet my morning with a smile.  His knowledge, warmth, and kindness kept me going even on days when I missed my West Coast home.  He worked out next to me on the treadmill at Flagship Athletic Club and told me to go that extra mile.  He sat with me at lunch and cheered me up when I was blue.  And he made my 3 hours go by so quickly when I filled in for his co-host during the Sunrise hours.  A friend here in Los Angeles saw my post on Facebook today about Bill and reminded me of the fun we all used to have....me as a host, she as a viewer.  Each morning at 5:45 AM, Bill would drop by the set and hide.  We would play, "Where in the World is Bill Fahey?".  I know this wasn't ShopNBC approved, but it made me laugh.  He would hide behind desks, cameras, the set, just to keep life interesting in the wee hours of the morning.  And when this LA gal heard the call to go home to the sunshine and the bright lights of Hollywood, he was the first one there to encourage me to go for my dreams and the last one standing with gifts, a cake, and a hug on my last day on the air at ShopNBC.
Bill was my co-host, my mentor, but most importantly, my friend:
R.I.P. 


Be sure to see some terrific tribute clips and memories of Bill Fahey over at Home Shopping Queen.


To see a fun clip of Bill and I hosting together, check out this clip at the 4:00 minute mark:

Publicity and Web Series

UPDATE: This is an old post and a lot of this info is out of date. Please use the contact page if you have any questions.
Thanks!

A few months back I did a post on the Dos and Don'ts on the Red Carpet and I think it is time to write a companion piece called Publicity and Web Series.  I am going to throw out a few guidelines that are specific to The Web Files, but I know there are new media journalists out there that are seeing some similar issues.  Liz Shannon Miller at NewTeeVee has posted some helpful guidelines for submitting your show to her for review, but what is pure comedy is the email she received this week.  It made me realize that it was time to write the post that has been formulating in my head for awhile.  


We all know that publicity is a key component to driving viewers to your show and keeping the buzz out there in the web series world.  I would imagine most of the Streamy-nominated shows have seen a nice lift in viewership over the last six weeks, you want to keep that momentum going.  How do you do it?  Here are some suggestions:


1. Festivals:  I have really started to pay attention to what is happening on the festival circuit from ITVFest to NY Television Festival to SXSW.   Take a look at the success stories from ITVFest 2009....Al Thompson with an Atom.com deal, MERRIme.com with distribution on The Frisky, Oz Girl's Streamy award (and more news to come), and Urban Wolf's distribution deal with Crackle.  It is thrilling to watch the success happen in less than a year's time.  The festival circuit is a great place to start to create some buzz, so head on over and submit your series.


**Update:  This category continues to grow and I want to make sure to get some of those higher profile festivals out there for you to check out:  iTVFest, NYTV Festival, AFI DigiFest, Comic Con, and Sundance's New Media Lab.  Good luck! **


2.  Networking Events:  There seems to be a new media event, launch party, red carpet, screening, or meet-up each week.  While we see a lot of the same faces over and over, it isn't a bad thing to stop in and hand out a business card or two if you are ready to launch your show.  In fact, we nabbed our first two interviews for The Web Files at Geek Out 2009 by meeting Tay Zonday of Chocolate Rain fame and Brett Register of The Crew.  Without them, we wouldn't have had such a successful start to The Web Files. 


3.  Reviews and Interviews:  Now some of you are lucky enough to have new media publicists who take care of all of your publicity needs.  There are some fantastic representatives out there who are working  hard to promote the heck out of your show.  I can name seven publicists off of the top of my head that we have worked with on a consistent basis.  If you can afford a publicist, go for it.  It is tremendously helpful and it takes a lot of the burden off of your plate. 
    However, I know the reality of budgets in the web space and you are probably doing the publicity at the same time you are producing, writing, and starring in your show.  So, how do you give your series that extra push?  I have already given you Liz Shannon Miller's tips for "How to Pitch Me Your Web Series".  Everyone needs to remember this word, "pitch".  You should pitch your show in an email the same exact way you would pitch your show in a meeting with distribution executives.  In fact, this should be excellent practice for all of the meetings you will be taking after your web series is a huge hit, an award winner, and it opens doors on even bigger platforms.  That is exactly how the pitch should be handled.
    So, while I DO want links to your reviews from Tubefilter and NewTeeVee, here's what I don't particularly enjoy:  
          -"Check out my link.  You should interview me."  
          -"Why haven't you interviewed me yet?" or "When is it my turn?"
          -"The Streamys are over, so let's sit down so you can cover my show."
          -"Come interview us. We have an event tomorrow."
Yes, these are all direct quotes.  So, you can see I am getting some unprofessional emails and it is a little surprising.  I certainly can't email the studio publicists and say, "It's time for The Web Files to interview your talent.  We will be there tomorrow."  I have to pitch my show and let them know why it would be beneficial for their shows to be interviewed by us.  I submit a formal email with links, a press release and talent bios.  I want them to see The Web Files as a professional media outlet, not some hack entertainment web series.  Please treat your show with the same respect whether you are dealing with a small show like ours or a huge network like E!  You spent so much time and effort on the creative side of the business, remember that once it is completed and you are dealing with publicity, monetization, or distribution, it is all business. 
     The other issue is contacting us a day before your event.  If pre-production took a month for you, it will be the same for us.  We have a crew to organize, a show to plan, and we have to make sure I am in town. (Easier said than done during my travel season.)  I love covering events, but some notice is appreciated and it is necessary for us to produce a quality show for you.  I want to make sure I have done my research on the talent and we want to have our core crew on hand. Trust me, they are GOOD, so a little calendar courtesy goes a long way in our world.  


4.  Press Releases:   A simple and free way to get the word about your show out there on the net.  PRLog just requires a short registration and it is a fantastic way to get the word out about your news of season premieres, finales, distribution, and events.  We have utilized this service quite a bit and we always see a lift off of the press release.


5.  Timing:  Yes, timing is important in terms of publicity.  Take it from the master, Felicia Day.  When she is writing The Guild, she puts herself in a media blackout creating more of a demand for her when she returns.  I am sure she wants to avoid the distraction, but it is a brilliant idea.  When your show is launching, ending, there is distribution news, casting news, or a red carpet event, that is when you want to hit the PR wire.  That is exactly when we want to interview you too. We want launch our episode with you because it is a win-win in terms of buzz and viewership.  In fact, the next six interviews we are shooting involve: a Streamy winner, a launch, distribution news, casting news, DVD release, and a new media event.  As they say, timing is everything.


6.  Patience:  I think Liz said it best, "Please be patient with me. I eventually watch everything I’m sent, but I only write one review a day and you web series creators have been freakin’ BUSY."  I know at The Web Files, we are doing our best to keep up with your emails.  We do have an official list and we banter back and forth as to why we should do a particular series now or later.  It is an ongoing discussion and it changes each month.  The best example of that is our interview with the series, Chick.  It had been on our list for a long time, but the timing felt right in early 2010.  I even wrote about the timing in my Behind the Scenes post for Chick.  The show did extremely well for us in terms of views and we received more emails about this show than any other episode so far in 2010.  Chick has a lot of heart and I think that resonated with many viewers, so I was thrilled we gave a smaller show a boost and we felt like we did it at the right time.  


Where can you hone your PR skills? Well, I know there are several new media workshops going on in the month of May with NewMedialocity and WebTV Workshop, or you can go back to the basics with UCLA's Extension program and sign up for PR 101. I am hoping the Web TV seminars address the publicity issue in depth because it will be beneficial to many content creators.


I hope this was helpful to you from a media perspective.  I would love to hear your comments on this topic because I know many of you will have even better suggestions from a creator's point of view.  So, let's get some dialogue started! 


To submit to The Web Files:  TalkToTheWebFiles at Gmail dot com
We look forward to learning more about your web series!


**Update** I received an email from a content creator accusing me of being part of the LA web series "bubble" and some unknown clique out here.  I have to take issue with this.  We do not have a travel budget for The Web Files right now.  If you know of someone that would like to sponsor us, we would gladly take you up on that offer and cover web series all over the country. 
   Please do not accuse me of not supporting web series.  I have worked hard along with everyone else at The Web Files for FREE since May of 2009. We want to tell your stories and we are doing the best we can on our limited resources.  We are happy to cover any web series that is visiting LA and we try to take advantage of that situation whenever we can make that interview happen.  So, please keep me in the loop of your travels, especially if you are coming in for Digital Hollywood or itvfest.  Off my soapbox.  :) kb

PS.  I must be doing something right if I got my first piece of hate mail.  Yay!

My Week Off!

Man, I am tired.  Today was my first true day off and I was still at a meeting about my next show with Dance Channel TV.  Here's a wrap-up of everything that happened Post-Streamys:

Wednesday:
Ghostfacers premiere at La Vida, Hollywood.  Ghostfacers is a new web series that is currently on CWTV as a spin-off to their broadcast show, Supernatural.  I actually had the chance to attend as a guest versus covering the event.  That was a nice break for me and I ran into fellow Streamy nominee, David Nett and his lovely wife, Shannon, from the series, Gold.

Me and my pal, Maria, just moments before the start of Ghostfacers.  Photo Courtesy of Fitz Carlile.

Thursday:
Celebrate the Web.  A fantastic night honoring the winners at the 2nd Annual Streamy Awards.
Sandeep Parikh kicked off the night with a great speech about net neutrality and the night kept going with a hilarious video by Jeremy Redleaf of Odd Jobs.  Thanks to Jenni Powell and Kim Evey for arranging such a special evening.

Me (wearing too much bronzer!) and Streamy winner, Bernie Su, at Celebrate the Web.  Photo courtesy of Bernie Su.

Friday-Sunday:
Off to the races....literally!  I was emceeing over at the Toyota Grand Prix of Long Beach.  Brian Austin Green won the Pro/Celebrity Race, I hung out with the coveted PHV Prius, and I ran into this guy...Arrrrr.....:

Me hosting (without my signature red dress!) for the Toyota Grand Prix of Long Beach and a very tall pirate.  Photo courtesy of Matthew Troyer.

Monday:
I woke up to a fun surprise from Michelle Denise Norton of Blink Kitty Love.  She animated me into her latest episode and I have to say, it really does look like me. Can you spot my cameo?  It involves some of my favorites:  cheeseburgers and french fries.



Bonnie Gillespie of The Actors Voice wrote a few nice things about my work on the red carpet. (Thank you, Bon!) Be sure to check out her weekly column. As a casting director, she has some of the best advice in town.

Finally, if you are in LA and know of some good dance events in Hollywood that need coverage, hit me up in the comments section below.  I am working on a new project with Dance Channel TV and we want to hit the hottest sets, red carpet premieres, and shows in LA.  I would appreciate any leads with publicists or dance agents because we are ready to bring the best in dance to you!

The Dress Details

I have received a lot of emails regarding the dress, so here are all of the details you have been asking about:

Dress:  Laundry by Shelli Segal
Shoes:  Nine West
Jewelry:  Earrings and Ring on left hand:  ABS by Allen Schwartz
               Bracelet and Ring on right hand:  Aldo Accessories

Hair and Makeup:  Melissa Anchondo
Stylist:  Katelin Flanegin
Airbrush Tan:  Beach Bum Tanning

The REAL winner of the 2nd Annual Streamy Awards?  BCBG/Max Azria.  He was the most popular designer on the red carpet that night when I asked the infamous question, "Who are you wearing?" In fact, Cathy Baron's dress from BCBG is in fashion face-off versus Alexandra Daddario on Just Jared Jr.'s site, so go vote for her fabulous red carpet fashion.

**UPDATE**  Thanks to Jeremy Redleaf of the Streamy-winning Odd Jobs, I found out that our fashion face-off is a Web Celeb face-off.  Cathy Baron of A Good Knight's Quest versus Alexandra Daddario of Odd Jobs.  Now, it's an even tougher fight.  It's a good thing our web series stars have impeccable taste.

Photo courtesy of The Bui Brothers.

Live from the Streamys Red Carpet!

      On the red carpet.  Photo courtesy of The Bui Brothers.

Have you heard any news on the Streamy Awards lately?  I am going to leave the comments, thoughts, and apologies to others. Instead, I am going to give you all of the action from the red carpet on the night of the Streamys where I had three jobs all in a span of two and a half hours.  It was fun, chaotic, and exactly where I wanted to be that night--in the middle of all of the action!

                         

So, I had been really busy working in NYC all week, so I missed the parties of Web TV Week.  I took the last flight out of JFK to LA and landed at midnight.  I managed to grab some sleep around 2 AM only to wake up at 8 AM to start the usual red carpet beauty regime:  mani/pedi, hair, and makeup.  It takes a village to assemble my wardrobe and all of the accessories.  By the time I arrived for my official red carpet rehearsal, I was running solely on adrenaline.  Here's a rundown of how the pre-show happened:

1:30PM Arrive for rehearsal with the hosts of the live Ustream feed.  Mark Malkoff, Cyndee San Luis, and I had an opening skit to go over before the first arrivals at 2:30 PM.  We practiced our lines in the IKEA bed, which the warmest place to be.  I realized I was severely underdressed for the 58-degree weather that day.  All I could think about was my stylist, Katelin Flanegin, telling me to have the tailor shorten my dress by an inch and a quarter because she wanted to see more leg.  Ha!  Now, I wanted that fabric back to stay warm!

 The ladies in the IKEA bed after rehearsal.  Photo courtesy of The Bui Brothers.

2:15 PM iJustine joins the group to rehearse the rest of the live feed open with us.  Okay, who thinks she looks a bit like Kristin Chenoweth? (Or Sophie Tilson?  Or mememolly?)  Call me crazy, but there is definitely a resemblance in person.  Regardless, she looked gorgeous in her coral pink dress and she was game for anything.  That's my kind of gal!  Sketch rehearsed and we were ready for the red carpet to open.

 And the tables are turned.  I am not used to being on this side of the mic.  Photo courtesy of Jeff Rago.

2:30PM Remember I said I had three jobs that night?  Well, it was a race down the red carpet for me as a nominee.  One of the publicists from Rogers and Cowan escorted me to the photographers' area.  If you have never heard what it is like to be directed from every angle, check this short clip out: "Kristyn, to the right.  Don't look at them, look at me, left. Show us the front of your dress.  Over here.  No, over here."  Good luck figuring it all out because I was moving in every direction.  Then it was down the interview line....LA Weekly, Actor's Reporter, Mingle Media TV, and Slebisodes.  I tried to follow my own rules while being interviewed:  Keep it short, keep it funny, and give a good sound bite. Did I succeed?  

2:45PM I was pulled off of the red carpet as a nominee by The Web Files PA/Renaissance woman, Jennifer Bobiwash, to head back to my position on the red carpet as the host of The Web Files.  We grabbed some early interviews with the cast of Safety Geeks: SVI, Brett Register and his adorable girlfriend, Jamie Blair, and Cathy Baron.  I had a really genuine moment with Craig Frank off-camera that really captured his feelings as a nominee.  He has had a very big year and it all culminated to this moment on the red carpet.  It truly was great to see so many people we have interviewed on The Web Files be a part of the celebration.  It is also always fun to work a red carpet as a fan.  I think I scared Robin Thorsen of The Guild by grabbing her and whispering that she was my favorite on the series.  She whispered back, "You're my favorite too.".  That made laugh since I know she has no idea who I am, but she sure is quick with the quips.

 Definitely my most awkward and hysterical picture of the night. Yep, the dress was short and the descent off of the bed was challenging.  Photo courtesy of Jim Alden.

4:00PM The live stream begins!  I hop in the IKEA bed with Mark and Cyndee as we open the show with our skit with iJustine.  It all goes off without a hitch even though I had a little trouble getting off of the bed gracefully.  I run to my Web Files position, which is now my Ustream position, and I am ready for Job #3!  At this point the red carpet is a bit more crowded (It truly was my Twitter page coming to life on that red carpet!) and I sometimes jostle for my position so people will get out of our shot.  Aggressive, perhaps, but I am girl who wants a clear shot for the show and everyone being interviewed.  I open by interviewing the cast of Oz Girl and the hour flies by.  I have to pass many people over because Mark in the IKEA VIP area has already interviewed them, so I received a few quizzical looks as to why I was skipping some of the nominees. I don’t think they realized I was live streaming with my Web Files microphone flag.  Three days later, I am trying to remember all of the people I interviewed from Jeffrey Hayzlett of Kodak to Bernie Su to Elisa Donovan to the cast of Gold and Elevator to Taryn Southern and Dennis Haskins.  It was a blur. Every time I finished with one, I had to prep for another.  No time to even refresh the lip gloss or grab a sip of water.

Interviewing Taryn Southern.  Photo Courtesy of Jeff Rago.

                  

5:00PM I got the word that we were officially done and we finished right on time.  The red carpet was a complete adrenaline rush, but incredibly fun.  The best compliment I received that night came from Michael Tapp, who said, “- You looked like you were hosting your own party on the red carpet.”  That is exactly what I wanted to hear, so thank you!  Finally, I ran around looking for my date who was stuck outside the red carpet line without a ticket or a place to go.   With my date in hand, I headed into the theatre as a nominee. 

Congratulations to all of the winners of the 2nd Annual Streamy Awards.  The Web Files saluted the winners of the Craft Awards in last week’s episode.  Be sure to check out all of the red carpet action at the Orpheum Theatre later this week in our next episode.  


P.S.  Like all good red carpet reporters, I went to In-N-Out after the show and ate a delicious cheeseburger:  

Many thanks to Mathieas McNaughton for giving me the opportunity to write this article for Web Series Today where it was originally posted.  Be sure to visit his site for the latest in web series news. (and tell him KB sent you!)

The Streamys: I Lost, But I Won

After a long, hectic month, it's all over.  Back to back to back jobs on the East Coast and The Streamy Awards blurred by.  I tried to take it all in, but I think I was running solely on adrenaline.  How did I do?  Well, I lost in my category for Best Web Series Host, but I was thrilled at who did win, Zadi Diaz.  My admiration of her work has been spouted a few times by me (Behind the scenes of Epic Fu) and I told her again on the red carpet last night.  I think it is important for women to support each other in their field and Zadi is out there and creating solid content for the web. So, when her name was called, I was happy.

So, yes, I lost, but I won in so many other ways:

1.  I was so thrilled to be co-hosting the live feed of the red carpet for Ustream with Mark Malkoff and Cyndee San Luis. It was an honor to be asked and I felt totally in my element last night. I could not have survived without the amazing talents of Jenn Bobiwash who kept it all together for me (including manning my iPhone texts so my boyfriend could find me.) and Ken Burden who made sure every shot was perfect for the show.  I had fun interviewing everyone and I hope you had fun watching the feed.

2.  I loved what I was wearing and how my hair and makeup looked, so I felt like "me" all night.  I wasn't fussing over my dress or tugging at my hair.  That is all due to the amazing contributions of my stylist, Katelin Flanegin, and my makeup artist, Melissa Anchondo. They understand my personality and they know what makes me feel good.  I appreciate their talents and contributions to make me look WAY better than I look in real life.

3.  I have been away from home for a long time:  130 days, 14 cities, and a challenging year for the company I represent .  My boyfriend took care of the renovations of the condo, the animals, and the day-to-day chores at home.  Last night was the first night I got a chance to spend time with him, get all dressed up, eat In-N-Out burgers, and hang out on the couch with our little family when it was all over. It was a GREAT night.

4.  One of the most exciting moments of the night?  Watching Rachael Hip-Flores of Anyone But Me win for Best Female Actor in a Drama Web Series.  She was sitting behind me, so I saw the emotion and excitement on her face up close.  It was worth the price of admission.  A few "Oh my God, seriously, and reallys?" were heard from Rachael as the writers from the series, Susan Miller and Tina Cesa Ward, raced down the aisle with congratulatory hugs. It was so genuine and thrilling to watch because I don't think she expected to win at all.  That's what the Streamys should be about.

4.  The support from family, old friends, co-workers, new friends, Twitter friends, etc, was tremendous.  I appreciate you and all of the messages, it helped get me through the long month on the road.

5.  Finally, to Sandra and Perry Payne who helped produce the red carpet last night. Without them, there is no Web Files and there certainly is no nomination for Best Web Series Host.  I cannot thank them enough.

So, while I may not have walked out The Orpheum Theatre a winner on paper, I was a winner in so many other ways last night.


Photo courtesy of The Bui Brothers.