(August 8, 2022) I was so sad to hear today that the world has lost another icon of music and films, Olivia Newton-John.
I was thinking of some recent interviews that I had watched of her when I remembered….
I almost forgot that I interviewed her back in the late 90’s.
I was hired to produce behind-the-scenes (BTS) video (and an interview with Olivia) at a Hollywood studio where she was making a commercial for Panasonic Australia – oh, and a chimpanzee was involved.
The commercial was being directed by Herb Ritts, a brilliant and legendary photographer, who sadly passed away in 2002.
We had set the lights up for an interview in Olivia’s trailer/dressing room, but Herb nixed it and insisted we use the natural light outside, but…
The sun was bright and Olivia was squinting so…
I offered her my $5 sun glasses, but….
Herb didn’t like that idea/look and handed her a pair of Ray Bans (my sunglasses actually looked similar but without the fancy label.)
She’s featured in a few other short clips throughout the video and I found this shot of the interview (she’s actually talking to me and I’m off camera).
I’m so honored and grateful to have worked with her … for a day.
Olivia had a spectacular career and like most humans, a life with many ups and downs.
May she rest in peace after a long and courageous battle with cancer.
Marianne Schwab is the the creator of the ‘Seen On TV’ System and, as an Audience/Authority Accelerator, she is the go-to broadcast media expert to show you how to get booked on TV and ace your on-camera interview. Her producer credits include Live with Regis & Kathie Lee, Lifestyles of the Rich & Famous, Runaway with the Rich & Famous, E! Entertainment Television ON E! Specials, and many more. She has worked in broadcast for over 25 years and is currently the Executive Producer for CMP Media Cafe, a company specializing in broadcast public relations where she provides customized media coaching services for clients.
Searching for Santa at the Arctic Circle was a wonderful experience. So let’s climb into the wayback machine. When I was a Segment Producer for ABC-TV’s Home Show in the early nineties, I was given an assignment to produce a video shoot with Peter Greenberg in Finland for one of our holiday programs.
Marianne Schwab, Producer, gears up for ABC-TV “Search For Santa” Video Shoot with Peter Greenberg, Travel Editor, at Arctic Circle in Finland
The theme for the segment was a “Search for Santa” and Peter would take all sorts of transport to find him at the Arctic Circle starting with a snowmobile, hiring a dog sled (from “Honest Peski’s Used Dog Sleds”) and then, finally, a reindeer sleigh, naturally.
We made up some fun signs that we placed strategically throughout Peter Greenberg’s search for Santa in Finland. The “Honest Peski’s” sign is one of them but we had others that read, “Caution: Low Flying Reindeer” and “Santa went that-a-way.”
All of these photos were taken with my old 35mm Ricoh camera and I scanned them so have tried to correct as many photo flaws as possible.
We were also still using 3/4″ broadcast videotape “back then” — feels like the Stone Ages now with all the digital advancements so I hope you enjoy this short photo essay of one of the coldest video shoots of my career.
Beautiful dogs from the dog sled team pose for a photo.
Peter Greenberg on stand by for “action” with the dog sled team.
One of the awesome locations for our journey was Santa’s reindeer farm at the Arctic Circle. Shhhh. I can’t tell you exactly where it is because it’s sort of a “secret.” (BTW – The large white spots on the photo are actual snow flakes falling.)
Arriving at Santa’s Reindeer Farm at the Arctic Circle in Finland.
Santa greeting us at the secret location of his reindeer farm.
When we arrived, Santa was loading up a smaller sleigh for getting around “Santa Town” with a local Laplander to assist (I guess the elves were too busy making toys in the workshop.)
Producer Marianne Schwab meets Santa Claus at his reindeer farm at the Arctic Circle in Finland (aka The North Pole).
I do hope you’ve enjoyed this cold (and vintage) journey to Finland and the Arctic Circle. Now, Merry Christmas to all and to all a good night.
Now, I have a special invitation for you to join me and my community of positive minded people in my Facebook Group to Grow Your Business with Video. I can’t wait to connect with you there!
Oh em geeeee whiz! Do you know what I’m talking about? I’ve seen MAJOR Influencers share way more than anyone needs to know about their personal lives under the premise of being “authentic” or “vulnerable” (or even “transparent”) and do you know what happens? They destroy their credibility and reputation. Sometimes in one broad stroke or sometimes they erode it over time.
NO MORE T.M.I. There are certain things about you and your life that are best kept in your circle of trust and no one needs to know those deep dark secrets or nitty gritty details of every day life. No one needs to know these things. No one. Sharing these secrets or opinions don’t draw your audience near to you but actually repel them so fast that they don’t walk away, but they RUN away.
BE AUTHENTIC. So, first let me address the important bit. Yes! It is extremely important to be authentic and to be your true self in everything you do for your brand and your business. You want your fans, your tribe, and your clients to get to know you like you’re both sitting down for a cup of coffee or grabbing a snack from the catering truck.
But let’s take a page from the playbook of old school movie star publicity, shall we? Before social media, your access to most stars was very strictly controlled by their publicist or studio publicity machine and for a good reason.
Many movie stars are VERY good at acting, but actors can be quite boring in real life. Their brand as a star is a big part about the mystery. If you learn too much about them personally, you many not want to see their movies any more.
You see, actors are great when they have lines to recite or portray, but many are quite introverted when they have to talk about their lives or career. That’s why many still avoid interviews and those that don’t often get media coaching (like what I provide for clients) BEFORE they sit down to interviews so that they nail it with funny anecdotal stories or talk about their latest project in a very engaging way.
A good example of this is the late actor Christopher Reeve. He was a guest on a show I produced and he came on the program so he could promote a charity. He was a lovely man and, at the time, was a major A-lister, but he was also extremely uncomfortable and nervous during the interview. So much so, that he pulled the press release out of his pocket and started reading it on-air when he was asked about the event he was promoting.
This was a result of probably two issues. 1) He wasn’t prepared and hadn’t familiarized himself enough with the messaging so he just pulled it out and started reading it. 2) He was extremely shy. His P.R. Agency at the time was notorious for turning down interviews and keeping their talent out of the press and now you know why….some actors just aren’t “good at media interviews.”
BE VULNERABLE, BUT BE CAUTIOUS. No one wants to see you as perfect. Real people don’t relate to perfect people and that’s why it’s so important to be vulnerable but in the right way.
I’ve always loved the character of Indiana Jones and he’s a good example of an expert at what he did but was vulnerable. In fact, the actor who portrayed him, Harrison Ford, has been great at choosing roles with characters with this quality.
Being vulnerable makes people see that you’re a flawed human or even just like them, but…again, that doesn’t mean share the biggest and most embarrassing mistakes you’ve made that would undermine your credibility in your zone of genius or your brand. If it undermines your credibility then keep it locked in a vault. It won’t help you, it will hurt you.
BE TRANSPARENT – JUST NOT ABOUT EVERYTHING. Whaaaa? You know how you have windows in your home and sometimes you close the blinds? When the blinds are wide open then anyone walking by can see everything in the room, but there are times you need privacy and that’s why you have blinds.
Well, it’s the same thing with transparency. I love when people let you see behind-the-scenes in their business and compare figures from one year to the next. This is especially fantastic when the person doing that is someone who is in the business of helping others grow their brand and you can see how they did it. It wasn’t overnight, but their steady effort produced the result you see now. This is good transparency.
Now let’s talk about bad transparency. This walks hand-in-hand with bad authenticity and bad vulnerability. I’ve seen a couple of Influencers make this mistake. They become so comfortable with their true authentic self and being vulnerable that they lose good judgement on when to close the blinds. Yikes! It’s often like seeing them wee bit “naked” and it’s uncomfortable because it’s just too personal.
And here’s the thing…it’s not that you might lose respect for them as a human (because it’s not about being judgemental). You may still like them very much. However, your respect them for them as a business person or brand ambassador is eroded.
So, remember, your tribe loves you when you’re authentic, vulnerable, and transparent. It’s a big part of building your know, like, and trust factor. Just know when to close the blinds.
Now, are you ready to elevate your professional status from an expert to an authority with TV interviews? If you’re excited to tell your story or share your zone of genius with TV viewers and you’re ready to get the credibility of being a go-to expert media turns to, my ‘Seen on TV’ programs will give you the exact tools to get you there. Your journey to landing your first talk show interview starts with my free training on how to do just that.
Marianne Schwab is the the creator of the ‘Seen On TV’ System and, as an Audience/Authority Accelerator, she is the go-to broadcast media expert to show you how to get booked on TV and ace your on-camera interview. Her producer credits include Live with Regis & Kathie Lee, Lifestyles of the Rich & Famous, Runaway with the Rich & Famous, E! Entertainment Television ON E! Specials, and many more. She has worked in broadcast for over 25 years and is currently the Executive Producer for CMP Media Cafe, a company specializing in broadcast public relations where she provides customized media coaching services for clients.
Some press releases practically “write themselves,” but the blank white page can be intimidating to say the least. Here are 31 press release story angle ideas to promote your business and do you want to know the best place to start? You start with the word “why” as in WHY are you writing a press release?
There are many reasons for writing a press release so to make the brainstorming process easy, I’ve curated a brainstorming list of content ideas. Once your ideas start flowing, writing your press release becomes easy.
Topics and Story Angle Ideas for Press Releases:
Write a helpful blog post with free tips.
Release an eBook, report, case study, or white paper.
Use the ripped from a headlines trendy news story by offering related expert information.
Launch a free training or webinar.
Announce a local in-person event or workshop.
Share an exciting client or customer testimonial in the form of an inspiring news story.
Announce the publishing of a unique video demonstration of your product or how-to video on YouTube.
Warn against a negative trend you see in the your industry.
Celebrate a positive trend you see in your industry.
Announce appearances on TV, radio, podcast or speaking events (include the topic and some insider tips you’ll be sharing).
Offer a giveaway or event tied to an outrageous , trending news sotry.
Disproved a common myth related to your business with absolute authority.
Hold a contest.
Host a celebrity event, book signing, etc.
Book a speaking engagement.
Announce your podcast launch.
Announce your YouTube channel launch.
Create a scholarship for your online course.
Create an industry-wide award ceremony.
Take a stand on a newsworthy topic.
Publicly challenge someone to something.
Protest local anti-business legislation.
Provide free consultations
Attend a major conference or expo and report your view on an exciting presentation.
Announce the launch of your affiliate program.
Start a customer referral program.
Announce your availability for certain work, such as consulting or public speaking.
Launch a new website.
Rent a newsworthy billboard in a highly visible place.
Add a new bonus item that comes with your core product.
Apply anything in this list to the root problem your product solves instead of the product itself.
Now, if you want to put your press release distribution on steroids, I’d love for you to schedule a “Get On TV” Coaching Call with me! I have an “As Featured In” Guaranteed program where you can work with you directly to develop your unique media hook and story angle and then write your press release for you.
But here’s the best part, your press release content is now 100% guaranteed to be featured in 100+ plus major Online TV Network Affiliate news outlets in 45 days or less including ABC, NBC, FOX, & more for improved SEO, increases traffic to your website, and shows anyone searching for your name and brand that you are newsworthy and have important information to share.
So whether you decide to write the press release yourself or work with me directly, the list above should get your little grey cells working on amazing ideas to get your product, service, or business the attention of the media!
Marianne Schwab is the the creator of the ‘Seen On TV’ System and, as an Audience/Authority Accelerator, she is the go-to broadcast media expert to show you how to get booked on TV and ace your on-camera interview. Her producer credits include Live with Regis & Kathie Lee, Lifestyles of the Rich & Famous, Runaway with the Rich & Famous, E! Entertainment Television ON E! Specials, and many more. She has worked in broadcast for over 25 years and is currently the Executive Producer for CMP Media Cafe, a company specializing in broadcast public relations where she provides customized media coaching services for clients.
It’s a sad day at the Sony Pictures lot, the U.S.A., and around the world.
If you’re a fan of JEOPARDY, then today is the end of an era. Alex Trebek, diagnosed with Stage IV Pancreatic Cancer in March 2019, has lost his valiant battle.
My mom was a faithful fan of this show (as are/were my wonderful aunts).
I’ll never forget my mom’s last week on this side of Heaven.
There was a crowd of us in her room at the hospital and she asked what time it was. It was 7:30pm. She said, “It’s time for Jeopardy.”
So, we turned the TV on and all we all watched the show together and played along.
It was only a few days later that we had to say goodbye to my mom forever.
When I started planning what her memorial service would be, I came up with the idea to turn her life into a theme game of Jeopardy.
I came up with categories like:
Judy Schwab – The Early Years
An Enterprising Woman
Pastimes and Potpourri
One of the “Clues” under Pastimes and Potpouri was, “This television program ran in repeats on the Game Show network and in daily syndication. Never call Judy while this show is on the air.”
The Answer? “Jeopardy.” of course.
My brother, John, and niece, Lydia, were the “contestants” as we made our way through the Jeopardy styled board that shared my mom’s amazing life. (I played the role of Host – aka Alex T).
So Alex Trebek has been a part of my family for some time.
It’s sad that this is not just the end of an era, but the circle of life.
For everything, there is a season, and a time for every purpose under heaven. A time to be born. A time to die. A time to plant and a time to uproot. (Ecclesiastes 3:2).
This verse weighed on my heart during mom’s final days and it seems appropriate for today.
Alex’s final shows will run through December 25th.
Marianne Schwab is the the creator of the ‘Seen on TV’ System and, as Content Creation Strategist, she is the go-to broadcast media expert to show you how to get booked on TV and ace your on-camera interview. Her producer credits include Live with Regis & Kathie Lee, Lifestyles of the Rich & Famous, Runaway with the Rich & Famous, E! Entertainment Television ON E! Specials, and many more. She has worked in broadcast for over 25 years and is currently the Executive Producer for CMP Media Cafe, a company specializing in broadcast public relations where she provides customized media coaching services for clients.
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