Early on in the single digits I took my tiny cassette recorder and used it to record tapes of my shih tzu, Puffin, eating Tostitos. He had both a hankering for corn chips, as well as an underbite, the pairing of which made for dynamic auditory entertainment. At about the same time, Sue, the mother of my best friend, Mandy, got a new home video recorder, the huge one you’d have to rest on your shoulder for stability. Mandy and I would spend hours re-enacting then-popular sitcoms, Hunter and Perfect Strangers, while Sue tirelessly followed us diligently capturing each second of our scenes. When I wasn’t making videos, I was on stage performing with my dance company, and later competing as a black belt in Karate competitions.
When I got to college, I was pulled into a local TV studio by my new friends, and the moment I stepped foot on the sound stage, I knew I was home. The next day I was out on the street interviewing complete strangers and fell hard for the magic of guerrilla-style production. Soon I was offered the role of co-host, and went on to earn my BFA in film and television from NYU Tisch School of the Arts. After working for then-powerhouse independent movie studio, Miramax, and producing for Radical Media, I felt a pull to start a family, move back home, and capture smalltown life on the Jersey Shore through the lens of a NYC trained filmmaker. With a webcam and a story I started my show, Real Jersey Shore. The show launched with me recounting a parking lot fight I’d witnessed in a nearby Target, and evolved to man-on-the-street story sharing. It quickly grew, though I couldn’t ignore a gnawing urge to experience bigger productions. I landed a tv and print modeling agent, and appeared in commercials, tv and film productions. Then one cold January day, racing between a dance class and an important call, I pulled over to the nearest open spot in the parking lot of the church where I received my childhood confirmation, and got focused for a professional coaching session with my mentor. I shared that I’d beat out thousands of applicants to land my current tv hosting role only to feel dread. What happened next, changed my trajectory:
“If you could do anything, what would it be?” my mentor asked.
“Have my own local show,” I surprised myself by answering without thought.
In the most non-judgmental, allowing, anything-is-possible energy, he answered “Why can’t you?”
And then I heard the words, I again didn’t plan, conceive or filter, “The only thing stopping me is me.“
And there it was, my soul, my coach, and the Catholic church reminding me of what’s true for me. (Perfectly illuminated by my high school yearbook quote from Erica Jong, “And the thing is, if you risk nothing, you risk everything.”
I set out to relaunch Real Jersey Shore as a more energetic, grittier, street interview format inviting subjects and audiences alike to take a risk with me and my mic on camera. That Was Fun was born. Stay tuned as I take the next risk sitting down to longer form interviews via zoom, thereby creating my own virtual studio. And if you see us out on the street shooting, feel free to join the others in shouting “THAT WAS FUN!“, collectively making the world a smaller place.
