I have found that I do not work nearly as well with coworkers as I do with friends. Which is why I have especially enjoyed--and will especially miss--Monday nights. PM Style is a great show, but it is a bear! The sheer volume of 3 hours of fashion is staggering. Each item comes out of QVC's Product Central in a number of sizes, each of those sizes comes in each of the colors, and each of those options comes in multiple samples. Crazy, right? The logistics of pulling all of these items, keeping them in order, pulling them out, steaming them, arranging them, not to mention getting them on models and getting a show done is unbelievable.
It is every Monday night, and it has grown to be an evening full of people I truly admire and love being with. There is no one on this crew who doesn't have the highest standards. It is a show full of perfectionists. :-) Being on my feet for three hours talking about fashion can be challenging. If it weren't for the crew and the models, I don't think I could do it. Our team is lead once again by Jen Volansky who I talked about last week. She does an amazing job. Sherry is our coordinating producer, she runs a tight ship. I adore her. She is tough and she is direct and she is very very good at what she does.
There are a lot of private jokes there after all these years! Erin, (who worked with me on social media for awhile), works alongside Sherry. She is "whip smart", has no idea how beautiful she is, and is a perfectionist.
Fran is part of that team as well. You will never meet a sweeter soul, and he has the most beautiful baby daughter you've ever seen. Jerome worked with us for a while and will always be part of the family. He's funny, a great dresser, and my "crazy" doesn't bother him. Bill Hambrook and I have worked together for I think all of my 20 years here. He knows how to read me by now. He is always there, always on his game, and always ready with a quick joke when, once again, I look like I'm a little stressed out.
We have an amazing group of people to coordinate all the product. Russelle, who was the first person to lead in this position, (thank you, Russelle!), Kristen who is the tiniest little thing and the most efficient person you've ever met.
Amy who is quiet and understated but gets everything done before you even know it. And Jamir, with his great T-shirts, always there to make it work with a great sense of style and a laugh.
Jason Smith is our Line Producer. He is a big guy with a heart of gold. I am so glad he took this job. Once again, it's a bear, but he shows up every week, he really cares, he doesn't "phone it in".
Brian has been our Director for many years, I would love to tell you some of the running jokes on him, but he would hunt me down. Eric has been directing now for a while and he is great. He and I have done a lot of the Vicenza remotes together. I think I still owe him a gelato! Jay and Skot coordinate cameras with the control room and what's happening on the set. Corey is in charge of lighting...it takes a village!
Courtney. What can I say about Courtney? She is a light in any room she is in. I look forward to seeing her every week, and she is like a sister to me. She just makes me belly laugh. :)
Two of the most important parts of this show are Angelo and the models.
They have truly become extended family for me. They laugh, joke, dance, bake, tease, work and hug their way through every week. So Angelo, Kate, Monica, Brenda, Suzanne, Kerri, Jacque, (and Andre, Ed, Toi, and Melissa who are always part of our little band) I love you guys. Thank you for everything.
I wish I had time to really let you meet everyone, but hopefully this gives you an idea of why I will miss them all.
I can't believe it is my last PM Style. Time flies.