A TRUE STORY – MY STINT ON HGTV

A few days, I was talking to a business coach and the conversation went something like this:

She: “You were on HGTV??!!”

Me:  “Oh, that…yes, I was.”

She:  “How come you never talk about it? I mean, you were on HGTV!!!!!”

Me:  “It was such a long time ago.”

I have a tendency to play things down, I know.

But yes, I really was on HGTV – about eight years ago now, if memory serves me correctly.

I’d practically forgotten.

She was right, though.

And so, I thought I’d take some time today to share that experience with you.

The way this came about, HGTV was contacting local designers to see who might be interested in being featured on the show “Designer’s Challenge”.

They already had a local family lined up, who were eager to get some professional design advice for their somewhat traditional living room.

The premise of the show was that three different design teams would present a completed concept to the homeowners.

By concept, I’m referring to a fully fleshed out solution to their design challenge, complete with drawings, furniture and fabric recommendations, and any other finishes or materials required to complete the project.

So, I partnered with another designer, and together we took on this project.

There were set parameters to work with, just like in real life.

Things like the budget.

That meant, we needed to work our magic to get various suppliers and fabricators on board to help us stay within that budget.

(Translation:   we were asking for donations – either donated time, or services).

It was a win/win situation, since if ours turned out to be the winning project a lot of free advertising would likely ensue.

Well, long story short, we did not have a winning design in the end.

There was a minor glitch – or rather, miscommunication.

You see, when we first learned of this project, the homeowners had made it clear that the living room fireplace was a major source of frustration – and they wanted help with that first and foremost.

Yet, when we sat down with them for a brief interview – mostly to clarify some key points and learn a little bit about them – they brushed aside our questions about the fireplace.

“Oh, we’re not concerned about the fireplace,” they said.

OK, we thought.

We’d focus their limited budget somewhere else.

Seared in my memory is that moment, when – on live TV (after we’d presented our design) the wife innocently asked:

“What about the fireplace?”

Huh?

There I was with the cameras focused on me, and I was at a complete loss for words.

My first thought was “Could we just stop the cameras for a moment?”

No such luck.

The cameramen were delighted that a problem had suddenly surfaced with the design.

I guess it made for better entertainment.

In any case, I actually don’t remember how I got out of that fix.

However, I CAN say that it was a fabulous experience overall.

And if you happen to run across that video segment of me on HGTV – well, now you know the whole story.

How about you?

Do you have a most embarrassing moment?

Even if you don’t, I’d love to hear from you.

P.S. If anyone knows how to find that remote video clip, I could sure use your help!