Wednesday, November 19, 2008

A fly On The Most Amazing Wall





Last Thursday I attended an amazing seminar called NewTeeVee Live. The seminar was all about the fusion of T.V. and Internet, and was hosted by the popular blog NewTeeVee. I was able to volunteer so I didn't have to pay the $500.00 to get in. I had the coolest job in the whole joint. I was the gal who escorted all the speakers backstage.

This was the ultimate place to be a fly on the wall, and I took major advantage of listening in on some amazing conversations. I can't tell you how giddy I got when the CEO of Hulu started chatting with the writer and co-executive producer of Heroes. Wow. All I can say is wow. As it turns out, Jesse Alexander (the Heroes guy) was from my home town. He heard me talking about where I was from, and came up to me to start a conversation. I was in nerd heaven. I'm an aspiring writer so actually being able to talk to a writer in the business one on one was nothing short of amazing. He gave me some great tips for breaking into the business, and we shared some laughs about growing up in Santa Barbara. I couldn't have paid $500.00 for that experience.

One of my favorite people I met that day was Michael Buckley. He's a vlogger who has gained quite the following with his vlog called "What The Buck?" . He follows in the footsteps of Perez Hilton by vlogging about the entertainment industry, celebrities, and music. He talks really, really fast and has a very flamboyant personality. My old roommate introduced me to his vlog, and I was really excited to meet him. He did not let me down. Mr. Buckley is one of the most fun, energetic, and nicest people I have ever met. We chatted like we had know each other for years, and even danced a little on our way to the backstage area. Unfortunately I missed a lot of the talks because I was in the backstage area, but the personal time I got to spend with the speakers made up for it.

At the end of the day I had made some excellent contacts, and got to network with actual industry professionals. This was an experience of a lifetime that I will always remember. Oh, and the turkey sandwich they handed out at lunchtime wasn't so bad either. Maybe next year I will shell out the $500.00 to attend. You'll probably find me lurking around the speaker ready room with my camera in hand. I forgot to take my camera this time, but it was still worth the memories.

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