So here’s the deal.
As a blogger, you receive a lot of email requests and pitches. So many that sometimes it’s hard to weed out the real from the spam. There is no way that I contact half of the people that contact me, and there have been many times when several important and highly sensitive emails failed to catch my attention. A few months ago, I was sitting at a red light and received an email from a producer of Anderson Cooper’s new syndicated talk show, Anderson. After pulling over and reading it in its entirety (as well as checking the authenticity of the email), I replied back.
Later that day, we touched based via phone.
I was asked about my blog post that I wrote back in 2010 about being addicted to beauty products. They were looking for someone for a upcoming show that was addicted to shopping and buying items as well as someone who was obsessed with their appearance. The more the producer talked, the more I began to realize that I wasn’t what they were looking for. While I do have a bevy of beauty items (and I can get carried away with my Sephora purchases), I am not obsessed with my appearance. I do leave the house without make-up and I don’t spend hours getting ready—with two kids and a hectic schedule, I have no time for that. I like to look nice, but it’s not an hour long process.
And while I do have ALOT of beauty products, I am a few stages short of addiction.
I was really looking forward to meeting the Silver Fox in person and going to New York City to be on the show, but I wasn’t going to sell my soul to do so. I have to be me, and no celebrity or paid trip was going to have me get extra—my readers would be able to see right through it.
I was told that they may contact me for other items or future subjects, but alas, no call, no email. Which is fine. I am still waiting on Oprah to call me as well!
What is the point of this blog post, you ask? Well–it’s this; I could’ve been on Anderson if I would’ve been a little more dramatic with my answers. But in the end, being yourself always trumps a few seconds of fame. I would have to live with myself as well as how I was portrayed on camera, and being something that I was not wouldn’t be right.
How these “reality” stars do “scripted” shows while displaying irrational behavior is beyond me. I will just stick with being plain old me.
BTW, the producer I spoke with was a former STLien and was as nice as could be. I am sure I bored him to death, but that’s okay. One day, I will be a perfect match. Without all of that EXTRA stuff.
I like this post. I’m glad you are sticking to being you and not choosing the 15 minutes of fame route. You’re my favorite Danielle (yeah, I spelled it my way) 😛
I love it, and I’m glad you’re sticking to being fabtastic YOU! #sistatribe
Such an awesome post! There’s nothing better than being true to your self. Congrats on “doing you!” 🙂
Good for you! A lot of people would have said yes, but what sort of satisfaction is there in faking it? Way to keep your integrity and be your authentic self.
KUDOS! A lot of people wouldn’t have been as honest as you.
When I was doing the MTV contest, a lot of other contestants were doing these crazy music videos and vlogging and stuff and I thought about doing it too (for about a minute and a half). Then I came to my senses and realized that was so NOT me. I had never done videos before…. why start now just to get people’s attention? I would be being fake. I wouldn’t be being myself.
So I opted not to. And didn’t get the job, obviously. But who cares. I’m more happy that I was MYSELF through the whole process.
-Danielle
This is so awesome of you. I always have a hard time “fake kicking it” as I call it and sometimes that means missed opportunities but… eh, I’m still me
Love it!!!
The only thing that TV seems to show and look for in a production is things of the super-extreme. The sad thing is that there are tons of folks who would take that opportunity and play it out to the max–all for the desire to be on television or a quick buck, even though they are nowhere near in reality what they are portraying on the show. Kudos to you for staying true to yourself and true to your brand–that’s very admirable and quite awesome!
This is so refreshing…you are totally right. Why sell your soul for a few seconds of fame? Who knows, that could have been a negative reflection, thus hindering the producers from Oprah from calling!
Thanks for sharing your experience. Love that you stayed true to yourself!
Congrats on being contacted – as blogger that means a lot! and an even greater congrats on staying true to yourself!
Fabulous post! It’s a feather in your cap that you were contacted. But the bigger news is that you chatted with the bigwigs AND maintained your credibility and integrity! It’s possible that somewhere down the pike, that producer will remember talking with you and will contact you about a topic that’s more fitting. I used to work in TV news, and I’ve seen it happen. 🙂
Thanks for keeping it real and staying true.
Some times you can see talk show guests and interviews that just aren’t genuine.
Don’t even get me started on the judge shows that my husband watches everyday!