True Blue: A Pilot Debut

This print hanging in my kitchen describes to a tee what I'm doing at the moment! Enjoying a lazy Saturday morning (what are those?!) drinking coffee, and reading blogs.

The Best.

As I mentioned the other day, the past few weeks have been SO busy- thanks in part to a number of things I committed to back in August when January seemed far, far away.

(Mom, thanks for that gene!)

One of the biggest things? The premiere of a 30 minute TV show pilot I've been working on the past year called "True Blue."

True Blue is a tile & stone company in Tulsa that does beautiful work nationwide. A year ago, I was approached by the owner, David Ashmore, to make a dream of his come true: create a TV show about his job, his life.

So we shot footage for a year. We interviewed top designers in the industry, True Blue clients. We braved snow and tornadoes to get the content we needed.

And three weeks ago, we sent out invitations to our closest friends, family & colleagues. And really, everyone.

Last Thursday night, we watched nearly 200 people flood through the doors of Baker Street Pub & Grill, grab a plate of food and a drink, and sit down to watch the premiere of our show.

It was SO thrilling, so satisfying, and so very nerve-wracking.

I emceed the evening, which included making announcements pre-show, introducing the show, and finally- introducing my client, David Ashmore.

Tip? Always emcee with a mic in one hand and a glass of wine in the other.

But despite the anxiety of emceeing the evening, greeting guests, making sure everyone had food and drink, there was one thing that gave me jolts in the middle of the night for weeks leading up to the premiere.

 The moment when the lights went down and the show got underway.

Would they stay engaged? Would they laugh at the right parts? Would they find it interesting?

So from a dark corner of the room, I watched.

I had seen the pilot dozens of times- I knew it was good. But this time, I watched faces, reactions.

They stayed engaged. They laughed. They found it interesting.

A year of work complete, a pilot- the first of a series of shows- in the can, as they say.

But now the hard work begins!

We have big dreams. As in, HGTV dreams.

So we will start the long journey to pitching a show to a network or two, see who bites.

This has been one of the most rewarding experiences in my career certainly, but in my personal life as well.

I got to debut a TV show I wrote, I produced. What an amazing thing.

But I also got to spend an evening with everyone I love. Family, friends, co-workers. From different worlds, but all together.

Such an evening of celebration- one I'll never forget.

As for the pilot, you'll see it soon- and I'll shout from the rooftops when it finds a TV home!

But for now- Tulsans, watch for our commercials on KJRH Channel 2.

Dreaming big includes a lot of risks- and the occasional midnight jolt. But no matter where this project takes us, where it ends up- I already feel like this is one of my biggest personal victories yet. I give all the glory where it's due- and I thank all of you for your love & support!

"God has not given me a spirit of fear, but of power, love, and sound mind."  2 Timothy 1:7