Busy Busy Busy

Wow.
What a season.
For those that don't know, our company produces commercials and sells airtime on about 60 cable networks for several cable systems across the southeast. We are the largest third-party cable insertion biz in the states, although we are either a dying breed or a model for our parent company, Raycom Media.
I serve as Creative Services Manager, which allows me the choice of scheduling production for our producer staff, or I can choose projects for myself that interest me. For those, I'll conceive and write the spot, pitch it to sales or the business owner or marketing rep, light and shoot it, edit and then send the spot to above mentioned 60 networks for air. Not a bad gig, if you like this sort of thing.
A lttle under a year ago we began producing a local question and answer show called "On the Street" where we roll all over town and ask pertinent local questions of people on the street (think Jay Leno's Jaywalking).
Our initial goal was to produce a show featuring the very people who watch our networks and then air this on our local channel. Our local channel had been in the doldrums the past few years and needed a content shakeup to attract newer and more eyes to the channel. It was my position that featuring locals, who would tell their friends to watch for them on our channel, would create a buzz prompting more to tune in, prompting more conversation, which created more buzz, and so on. We are getting more, much more than we bargained for.
Enter Giovanna.
It was my task (and a pleasant one at that), to audition and chose our on-air talent. With all the corporate cutbacks, my headhunter advertising budget was almost nil so I turned to the best resource for hiring I could find for the money: Craigslist. What an Alice's Restaurant of sites! I placed an ad under "Talent Gigs" for a local show host and laid down the criteria. It was to be a show with an uncertain future and low pay with some exposure (we currently have over 180,000 subscribers).
The first email I received was from a chick with a funny and unusual email address - grandpas cough syrup. Her reply was charming and funny and I was immediately struck by her sense of humor. I emailed back and setup an audition. Giovanna arrived at the station promptly at 10am on a Wednesday. We exchanged pleasantries and, after giving her the nickel tour of the station, we sat down for a chat. She had this look about her that said 'fun, unpredictable and camera-ready". We talked about goals, personal and business, favorite pastimes and our mutual backgrounds (she grew up in the upstate too). We decided to interview a few more possibilities, but I knew that she was the one as soon as she said hello. She's gorgeous, has a playful and mischievous side and charms most everyone she comes in contact with.
The first couple of shows were a learning experience for her as she grappled with the concept of shooting out of order, multiple retakes, getting direction from Andy and I, and not having to stay hard on the script. In light of this, she was the queen of adlibs and had us rolling with her humorous asides. She was indeed the one.
And in this moment, at this place in time, we have just taped our eleventh On the Street. And we had the great fortune of planning this taping around a festival. Not just a festival...but a beer festival. Alas, not just a beer festival but a WORLD BEER FESTIVAL. As ole Barney Fife woulda said - "this is big! This is BIG big!!"
And indeed it was.
I contacted the sponsor, All About Beer magazine, for permission to tape at the event. We received a prompt and excited reply from Julie Johnson, our contact with the magazine. After getting permission from the sponsor, we were put in touch with event co-ordinator Ola N. and it was 'game on'.
Up next-THE BEER FESTIVAL (big-really big!)