Almost Famous: I Auditioned For a New TV Show

I recapped my BlogHer experience yesterday right here, but one of the coolest (and truly most unexpected) moments there came when I tried out for a new TV show!

A little background: I have long had a major fascination with TV/movies/show business. For the first two decades of my life, I wanted to be an actress. Growing up, I went to theater camps, acted in the high school plays, and dreamed of becoming the next Julia Roberts. I even entered college as a theater major, but ended up switching to journalism after a year (still keeping theater as a glorified minor), once I realized that, though I loved performing, I wasn't sure that I loved it quite enough to spend years toiling as a waitress. 

But, deep down? I've never lost that bug.

It was awakened at BlogHer when my friend Michelle mentioned that she had heard ABC was there holding auditions for a new show. I freaked, quickly fired off an email and a photo to the casting directors, and crossed my fingers. I received a message back in minutes saying they would love for me to come in! (Okay, so turns out these were open auditions, which means basically anyone who wanted to could audition! But I had a good 30 glorious seconds when I thought I had essentially gotten a callback and the OMG-I'm-going-to-be-the-next-Kelly-Ripa visions starting dancing through my head.)

I met with one of the casting directors later that day and found out more about the show. It's a new daytime talk show from the same company that produces "The Chew," and they described it as "'The Chew' meets Pinterest." (#dying.) There will be five women--one of whom is TYRA BANKS!--discussing lifestyle topics like fashion, beauty, family, and more. (Um, HELLO?!? That is ME!! As you can imagine, at this point in the conversation, I have officially died Rachel-Zoe style at least ten times.) Apparently four of the women were already cast and they were searching for the final woman. They wanted a mom and they were looking for someone who was really into DIY, parenting issues, etc. And though it sounded like they already had some frontrunners for that fifth-and-final "mom" spot, they had come to BlogHer to meet with candidates and potentially discover an unknown gem lurking in the mommy blogosphere. 

The casting director was really sweet, and during our meeting, we chatted about my experience juggling my beauty editor-slash-mom life, my love of throwing kid's parties, my Pinterest obsession, and more. She took lots of notes, said they would check out my blog, and we left it at that. 

So, do I think I'm going to get a callback for that coveted seat next to Tyra? No, I honestly don't. They are probably meeting with hundreds of people for this one spot. And that's okay. It was a lovely meeting, I'm so glad I did it, and it was a lot of fun. But even more, the whole experience really lit a fire under me, and stirred that performing bug that has been lying dormant for so many years.

So, Kelly Ripa? Don't get too comfortable. ;)

What Really Happens at a Blog Conference: My BlogHer '14 Recap

At the closing-night party with my two new friends: Lindsay and Michelle. (They are launching this site...check it out!) 

From top left: Guy Kawasaki interviewing Arianna Huffington was a highlight. She's so awesome; the Kerry Washington interview was also great--and her braided updo was SO cute. (Kerry W photo by Liz Pyo); another highlight: my SMO session with Peg Fitzpatrick and Maribel Lara. Learned so much!; Khloe Kardashian made an appearance at the Hairfinity booth--and my buddy Jen Atkin was there doing her hair!

The theme of this BlogHer was "Selfiebration," and I clearly celebrated that sentiment. From top left: Me at the Yoplait yogurt booth after doing a blind test between Yoplait's Greek yogurt and Chobani. I chose Chobani! In front of all of the Yoplait marketing people! #yikes; one of many elevator selfies; at the Bona booth (a.k.a. probably the only time you'll see a pic of me cleaning); obligatory bathroom selfie

front and center in the SMO breakout session (photo courtesy of Peg Fitzpatrick)

The BlogHer closing party was so much fun! They had a McDonalds food truck serving Happy Meals, fries, and (haha) salads, which was kind of amazing. And Rev Run DJ'd! The music was SO good--he played literally every single fun party song that you love and can't help but sing out loud to. I seriously can't remember the last time I danced so much. Oh-and I tucked a cheeseburger in my purse before we left. I wish I could say that I didn't eat it alone in my hotel room when I got back there at 1am. But, well, I wouldn't want to lie to you. #nomnom

Me and my peeps!

I'm back from BlogHer '14 (my first blog conference!). And despite a few initial nerves, I had a great time! For those who don't know, BlogHer is a gigantic annual conference where bloggers (mostly female, often "mommy bloggers"--though not always) from across the country (or, really, around the world) convene to connect and learn. 

I attended this year in San Jose, CA, because I was curious, because I wanted to learn ways to improve and grow my blog, and I wanted to network with brands. I accomplished all of these goals, but I also accomplished one that I hadn't even set out to do: I made friends! Weirdly, it hadn't even occurred to me that I might meet cool people that I would end up hanging out with for more than a few minutes, but I totally did. During the first 30 seconds of the conference, when I walked into my first event, two girls came up and introduced themselves to me and we hit it off right away. Michelle, Lindsay, and I ended up spending almost the entire conference together. They're awesome and we're already talking about attending a conference together next year. (I also met a great girl who lives literally three blocks away from me. We're planning a playdate!)

So, besides the new friends, a few other highlights of the conference for me were...

The classes: This was the number one reason I attended BlogHer. I really want this space to be the best it can be, so I was excited to learn about new ways to expand it. And I LOVED the classes! I took one on adding video to your site, one on social media optimization, and one on blogging fundamentals (legal/tax stuff). The only problem? They were too short! I was scribbling like crazy the entire time because there was so much good info. I wish each session had been longer (maybe three hours?). There was amazing information, but the classes felt super rushed.

The speakers: There were lots of amazing people speaking--Kerry Washington, Arianna Huffington, Kara Swisher, plus top bloggers and executives in the digital field. The speeches ranged from inspiring to funny to moving, and I learned a ton. Arianna Huffington was particularly great. I'm going to do more on that talk in a separate post because there was so much good stuff in it.

The brands: This was fun. There was a big expo area filled with companies ranging from Angel Soft (yep, the toilet paper people) to Skype. You'd go around, meet them, chat about their news, and often sample some of their products. (Let's not discuss how many Sonic cherry slushies or Baskin Robbins mini ice cream cones I consumed, 'k?) A lot of the brands were geared towards industries I don't really cover here, but it was still interesting, and nice to make the connections. I did learn about some really cool new products, companies, services, and apps though, and I will definitely be sharing a few of them here. Stay tuned.  

There were so many other great moments--too many to include here. (I even got to try out for a new TV show! More on that tomorrow...) All in all, it was well worth it for me. I had a great time and learned a ton. What more can you ask for? I'm already dying to go to my next conference.

Have you ever been to BlogHer? Or to a different digital conference? Tell me all about it below, please! I need to plot my next adventure. :)

p.s.: And everyone loved these business cards!

Why I'm Nervous Right Now (a.k.a An Introvert Newbie Heads Off to BlogHer)

My new "mom-slash-beauty-editor" business cards

Eek! I leave tomorrow for my first-ever blog conference! Yep, I'm heading out west to San Jose, CA for BlogHer '14. I am so excited--I can't wait to learn and network and talk all things digital for a few days. 

But here's the truth: I'm also kind of nervous. I know exactly zero people attending! Well, unless you count Robin of The Balanced Life, who I "know" entirely through Instagram. (Hi Robin!) I'm what BlogHer-goers affectionately refer to as a "newbie."

And now here I am, heading off to a couple of days jam-packed full of parties and events and meetings, and I don't know a soul. Hence the nerves.

See, I like to fancy myself an extrovert, but more recently, I've realized that I really lean more towards being an introvert. (This awesome quiz on A Cup of Jo helped me to see that. If you haven't taken it yet, I highly recommend you do.) I mean, it's not like crowds or new people give me a panic attack or anything, but I'm not typically the type to start a conversation with a random person or go up to a group of strangers out of the blue and introduce myself. (And from everything I've heard so far, that's totally what BlogHer is all about!) It just does not come naturally to me. I love hanging with my peeps who I already know, what can I say?

So all you extroverts (or conference veterans) out there: Help me out! What's your best tip for meeting people if you're at an event or party where you don't know anyone? I'd love to hear your suggestions. (While we're at it: Is anyone out there attending BlogHer this week? If so, definitely let me know!)

And, to be honest, I already feel a little more comfortable, because I just Googled and found out that there is a DryBar in San Jose! So, if nothing else, my hair is feeling a sense of relief right now. What can I say? I love being with my peeps. 

p.s.- Check out the new business cards that I ordered for BlogHer, above. They are from TinyPrints, and if you're curious, they are this style. I am so, so happy with the way they turned out! I feel like they really capture the mom-slash-beauty-editor spirit of this site. Plus they're really pretty! What do you guys think?