January 2006
February 2006
March 2006
April 2006
May 2006
June 2006
July 2006
August 2006
September 2006
October 2006
November 2006
December 2006
January 2007
February 2006
March 2006
April 2006
May 2006
June 2006
July 2006
August 2006
September 2006
October 2006
November 2006
December 2006
January 2007
February 2006
February 1, 2006
Today I went downtown to meet with architect Heather Johnston. Once again, my unfamiliarity with Seattle got me in trouble, as I had difficulties finding her offices, and even more trouble swinging a parking spot. I had to call Derin on my cell so he could help me get to where I was going. I need to get one of those Treo things with GPS!
Heather was running late anyway, so it all worked out. When I first arrived at her offices at Place Architects, she was in the middle of a tough "conversation" with one of her employees, so I found a spot at a big wooden table in the main area and waited until she was able to join me. I felt bad about the timing of our meeting, because it seemed like Heather was having a bad day. But once we got into the interview, everything worked out. Heather is a very interesting person, and I was surprised to learn that she also was a serious athlete. In fact, at one point she took time from her job to be a professional mountain biker…she was pretty hardcore.
February 3, 2006
On a personal note, we interviewed a new potential nanny for Asher today, and I think we're probably going to offer her the job. I know that when Julie leaves I'm going to be in serious crunch mode, especially since it's right around the time I'm scheduled to go to LA and New York, and Derin's going to need all the help he can get. Let's hope this new nanny works out!
On book stuff, I'm still trying to get in touch with some of the "higher profile" women on my wish list for the book. I know deep in my heart that the right women will connect with the idea and end up in the book, so I'm trying to just follow my gut as I find women and be confident that the final product will reflect the kind of women who are passionate about not only their work, but about inspiring teen girls as well.
February 7, 2006
I interviewed the most interesting woman today. Her name is Severn Cullis-Suzuki, and she is a young environmentalist from Canada. Her dad is Dr. David Suzuki, a world-renowned scientist and environmentalist, and Severn herself has been in the public eye in environmental issues since she was twelve years old, when she spoke at the Earth Summit in Rio in front of thousands of people.
It took me a while to track Severn down, as she's now a grad student in Canada, but someone from her think tank, the Skyfish Project, put me in touch with her. Severn was initially reluctant to be a part of my book; not because she didn't feel a connection with the subject matter, but because she wasn't sure that what she was doing with her life really constituted a "career." What I actually love about including her is that Severn is figuring out her journey by following her passion, and I couldn't think of a better person to include in the book to show girls how to do this.
The interview went very well…Severn was extremely articulate, and it's clear that she knows her stuff and is gifted when it comes to communicating her cause and her passion. I found the whole interview very inspiring.
February 9, 2006
Busy day today. I started it running around Greenlake with my friend Marty, which was exactly what I needed to get me focused and motivated, as I had a ton of work to do.
After my run, I had a phone meeting with my close friend Renee, who is a spiritual life coach. I contacted Renee and told her I'd like to come up with a plan that will help keep me moving forward on the book and not let any of my creative insecurities crop up and throw me off track. Our session today was awesome, because we came up with a list of things for me to do in my life to help me stay centered, especially as things with work get busier. Running, listening to music like the RENT soundtrack, sleeping well, eating well and drinking enough water are the little things that actually have a big impact on my emotional and mental well-being. So we made a formal "plan" for making sure I take care of myself in those ways.
This afternoon was spent with Michelle Grandy, the midwife who delivered Asher when I gave birth in August 2004. At the time, I thought Michelle was absolutely amazing…calm and cool, knowledgeable and personable, motivating and inspiring. When I met with her in her office at the Clinic for the interview, it was the first time I'd seen her since Asher was born, and it was really nice to reconnect.
It was fascinating to get Michelle's perspective and hear what it's like to be in the delivery room when a baby is born, especially since I only experienced it from my point of view. We made a plan to try and get a photo of her at work for the book…if not catching a baby, then perhaps in her scrubs with a pregnant woman in the next few months.
February 13, 2006
I had two interviews for the book today. I'm continuing to improve upon my interview technique…knowing what questions to ask, and knowing how to make sure I get the kind of answers that will make for good reading.
I kicked off the morning by talking with Linda Chen, who is the tournament director for the new LPGA tournament, the Ginn Open. I know that millions of people form their impressions of tournament directing from what they see on the reality show The Apprentice. Every season the final task is usually some major event, and several times it has been coordinating a big golf tournament. These are always huge undertakings, and the pressure and stress involved in pulling off an event on this scale is intense. So it was interesting to talk with Linda and find out what the job was really like.
I knew I wanted to interview an ad exec from the moment I came up with this book idea. It seems to be one of those jobs that is so incredibly glamorized, and the advertising industry is often portrayed as sexy, fast-paced, cut-throat. I'd had my own experience in the industry as well. When I first graduated from Penn State, my very first job in New York City was working for the multinational ad agency Lintas, which has since merged with other agencies a kabillion times so I don't even know what it's called anymore. Anyway…I assisted the media executives who worked on two huge accounts—Diet Coke and Chevrolet. It was my first job, so to say I was "green" would be a huge understatement. I worked long hours and put my everything into every little task, all with the hopes of being bumped up from my $16,000 a year annual starting salary to $18,000 a year. Sigh. But I digress.
Since that was a long time ago, I didn't quite know where to find the perfect advertising executive to interview, so I decided to start with an ad campaign that I loved and see where it led. One of my favorite campaigns is Dove's Campaign for Real Beauty, and so after some research, I discovered Maureen Shirreff. Maureen is the creative director for the Dove brand at Ogilvy & Mather, and was a key creative force on the Real Beauty campaign. After some back and forth with her company, I finagled an interview with her, and we did it today. Maureen was a warm, genuine person, and she loves what she does. It's always inspiring when you can hear the joy come through in an interview.
I spent the rest of the day planning for my upcoming trips to LA and NY… I've got a ton of prep work to do for my interviews and meetings, not to mention continue on my quest to keep up with transcribing all of these interviews!
February 16, 2006
Two more interviews today. Bo Kim is a legal recruiter that I found by following a lead about the firm she works for. I didn't know much about this career, and it was actually very interesting to learn about what Bo does—I'm so happy that I found her. I have to say, the more I interview these women, most of whom I didn't know at all before this process, the more convinced I am that this book is drawing the right women to it. It's very cool to experience.
Later in the day I interviewed Missy Park, who founded the Title 9 Sports catalog that I've been getting for eons. I had read about Missy years ago, and knew that she basically started the company out of her garage and has grown it into this hugely successful, out-of-the-box brand. What I really like about Title 9 is not just the stylish workout gear they sell…it's the fact that since day one, they've been using real women as the models for their products as opposed to waif-like, non-athletic types that seem to be in the catalogs of just about every clothing line. It's so refreshing!
Anyway…if you can be a fan-geek of an entrepreneur, then that's me. Missy and I talked for a long time on the phone, and she was totally down-to-earth, very funny, smart, personable.
February 17, 2006
Two great things happened today. 1) I found an intern!!!! As Asher would say, Holy Guacamole! Her name is Anna and she's a former student of a friend of mine. She's in college, and works at a local bookstore in the children's department. She is going to be such a huge help, and it will be great to get her insight into the book as it develops—I'm so glad to have her on-board. 2) My mom arrived today! She's going to stay here for the next few weeks to help Derin take care of Asher while I'm traveling. It's great to see her, although I'm bummed that I'll be gone for most of her visit. The good news, Asher is walking on air to have his Grammy here…so cute!
February 21, 2006
It's so strange to be in LA again! It's been less than two years since I moved out of West Hollywood, but it feels somehow foreign to me. It also feels strange to be away from Asher…it's the first time I've left him for more than a few hours since he was born 18 months ago. I thought I'd be a wreck, but actually have gotten back into work mode no problem.
Today I had two great meetings. The first was with Alli Shearmur, a movie studio executive at Paramount Studios. I hadn't been on the Paramount lot before, so it was really cool to be there. The lot is filled with old Hollywood history… many famous movies have been shot there over the years. Alli was just lovely… so sweet and generous with her time. I know how busy she is, and she gave me a lot of time to make sure I got everything I needed. Even though I used to work in television, I couldn't help but be a little star struck by the whole Hollywood movie environment.
I had time between meetings, so I stopped by Tartine, a little café on Martel Avenue and Beverly Boulevard that I used to walk to when I lived in LA. I had my favorite sandwich and sat outside, soaking in the sun. After living in Seattle for nearly two years, I had forgotten how intense the sun in Southern California can be. It was a welcome presence today.
After lunch, I went to the offices of The Gotham Group for my interview with Ellen Goldsmith-Vein. Because Ellen is the top agent in the family entertainment business, she actually represented a number of animators that I worked with when I was a development executive at Cartoon Network (www.cartoonnetwork.com), although I had met her in person only a handful of times. Ellen had just gotten back from a business lunch when I arrived, so I hung out on the plush couch in her office while she caught up with her assistant, returned a phone call, had a conversation with a colleague down the hall, made notes on a stack of papers on her desk, pretty much all at the same time.
It was nice to have the chance to sit down and just talk about life, work, the business, kids and so forth. Ellen is hilarious too, and has a great energy…the interview couldn't have gone any better.
Alright…time to get back to transcribing interviews, prepare for tomorrow's meetings and then off to bed.
February 22, 2006
I'm at the airport waiting for my flight back home. It's been a short, but great, trip. I had time to stop by my friend Zahra's house this morning to catch up for a bit, which was great, and then headed over to Cartoon Network Studios to talk with animator Lauren Faust. I met Lauren when she was a writer and animator working on The Powerpuff Girls. I've always kind of viewed animators with a certain awe, because they have to be good at so many things…they've got to be great artists, have an incredible imagination, be smart, funny, creative, and have a unique sensibility. Lauren is all of the above. I wanted to check in with Lauren about the diary she's keeping for the book, as well as photograph her with my digital camera. It was nice to be back at the studio where I worked for more than three years…I ran into a few old friends and had time for some short visits.
Next I jumped on the freeway and headed down to the South Bay to meet with Olympic Volleyball player Holly McPeak in Redondo Beach. I was really looking forward to meeting Holly…I'd watched her play volleyball in three Olympics games, and she is truly a phenomenal athlete. We met at a Coffee Bean coffee shop and it was funny because I was expecting this really tall woman, but Holly's only a few inches taller than I am (I'm 5'4").
I've always been involved in sports, from my years as a young gymnast dreaming of being in the Olympics one day, to my obsession with the hurdles in high school. Even now I have an outlet for my competitive side in running 5Ks and 10Ks. But even though my chances of making the Olympics are over, I can still appreciate how amazing it must be to be a professional athlete…to be able to make a living competing in the sport that you love. Anyway…Holly was absolutely great… totally down to earth, totally dynamic, totally cool.
I didn't have a ton of time for my meeting with Holly, since I had to catch a flight, and you never know what traffic in LA will be like. I also had return my rental car—I had rented a little Prius because I wanted to check it out. It was impossible figuring out how to get into the rental place, and I ended up missing the entrance twice, so I had to run to make sure I got to the airport on time. But of course I did. And of course now here I am sitting and chilling out with time to spare. That's okay…it gives me a chance to jot down these notes, and try to absorb everything that happened over the past few days.
I'm excited to get home and see how my little boy fared while I was gone. More later.
February 23, 2006
Back home. Today was an excellent day of interviews. My first interview was with none other than Shonda Rhimes, the creator of Grey's Anatomy (http://abc.go.com/primetime/greysanatomy/index). Now, I must admit, I'm a serious fan of Grey's. When the show started started, I didn't know much about it, other than Patrick Dempsey was in it (and to be honest…that should have been enough motivation for me to tune in…when I was in high school, he starred in a movie called Can't Buy Me Love, and I had the hugest crush on him!). Anyway…I started watching it last fall and was instantly hooked. The writing, the characters, not to mention the fact that it takes place in my new hometown of Seattle…I love it all! So who better to talk with about creating a show than the woman behind it—Shonda Rhimes?
I can honestly say, this was the first interview I was actually nervous for. I have a personal rule that I have to tell people who I admire how I feel when I have the opportunity. Like, when I saw one of my favorite authors, Nick Hornby, at a book reading—I had to tell him that his writing moves me and that I appreciate what he does. So, I wanted to find a way to let Shonda how much I loved her show, but not come across like an obsessed fan at the same time. we had a great interview…she was very articulate, funny and interesting, and I kept my cool until the very end when I gushed a bit about how addicted I was. Shonda was very gracious about the whole thing J.
Later today, I got to meet another really interesting woman...Joanne Sgueglia. Joanne is a forensic scientist with the Massachusetts State Police Crime Lab, and she was in town for a national forensics convention. Interest in careers in forensic science, especially among women, has skyrocketed since shows like CSI have become popular. But I've read that a lot of students choose forensic science as a career because they believe that it's going to be like what they see on TV, and then when they get out into the real world, they're totally disillusioned. I wanted to get behind-the-scenes with a real woman doing the job, and searched high and low for the right person to profile. I definitely found her.
Joanne was fascinating…she's been in the industry for years, starting in the field when it was a relatively new career and technology was much more primitive than it is today. Joanne gave a great perspective on the career and the realities of the job.
Towards the end of the day, I spent some time getting organized for my trip to NYC next week. I'm still trying to find time on stylist June Ambrose's schedule for an interview, and there are a few other meetings I need to prepare for.
(By the way…Asher was very excited to see me when I got back from LA…he kind of spazzed out when he first saw me, like he didn't know what to do with all his emotions. It was really cute. It's going to be hard to leave him again on Sunday when I head off to New York.)
February 24, 2006
Two more interviews today. I met with a physical therapist named Kay Lakey. She gave me a great interview and once again, it was so fascinating to look at a career that I've only experienced from the outside…in this case, as a patient when I was working on hip pain that I developed from running.
In the early afternoon, my intern Anna stopped by and I brought her up to speed on In Their Shoes. She's also helping me wrap up loose ends with my last book in the Chicken Soup series, The Real Deal: Challenges. She's only been working with me for a few weeks, but already Anna has made a big contribution through her work and enthusiasm. I'm so glad to have found her.
Towards the end of the day, I went downtown to meet with Chiyo Ishikawa, the chief curator at the Seattle Art Museum. I find something so intriguing about museums. They're full of so much history, the artwork on display is often worth thousands or millions of dollars, the atmosphere itself somehow feels…I don't know…creative. Chiyo was great…I really enjoyed our conversation, and we also connected on a personal level as well. Once again, I just feel so lucky to have the chance to meet all of these amazing women… what a cool job I have!
February 26, 2006
I met with Ullika Pankratz today. She is a visual designer with IKEA, and she travels all over the world for months at a time for her work. I'd been trying to get on her calendar for a while, but her accessibility while abroad has been limited, so I wasn't sure it was going to happen. But we finally found time today, and it went really well!
I have to go to bed… I'm leaving for NYC very early the morning. More later.
February 28, 2006
It's so great to be back in the city!!! I love NYC. No matter where I live, New York will always feel like home to me. At least I get to go back from time to time and see my friends, visit the old ‘hood…it's always there for me.
Anyway… this morning I had breakfast with stylist June Ambrose at a bakery in midtown, and we had a great, long interview. June is a really impressive woman who created her job and her business from scratch at a time when nobody else was out there doing it. June told me her whole story and gave me an inside peek into her life.
After meeting with June, I headed across town to the offices of my publisher Simon & Schuster. I had lunch plans with my editor, Michelle, whom I had never met in person before. I was a little nervous about the whole thing, but we totally connected and had a great meeting and lunch. We have so many random things in common…from our high school celeb crushes and our favorite TV addictions to our mutual love of show tunes. We also talked a lot about the book and I was psyched that she and I were on the same page when it came to how we envisioned the final book, how to move forward, what the goals of the book were, and so on. I'm thrilled to be working with an editor who really "gets" what I'm trying to do! Oh yeah… during lunch, we talked about the deadline for the first draft of my manuscript, and while it used to be April 1, Michelle gave me an extra month! I'm beside myself with joy (and relief) at this news…
I'm totally wiped out right now, so have to get to bed. I forgot how much walking you do when you're in New York…I feel like I trekked all over the city. I'm staying with Alice, who is kind enough to let me crash on her couch. We've both been so busy lately that it's been nice to catch up in person instead of on the phone like we usually do. Anyway… big day tomorrow, so must sleep!
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© 2003-2007 Deborah Reber
