Going On Air With QVC
In addition to blogging and product photography, I go on air with QVC as the guest host for their private garden brand, Marigold.
Because Marigold is a garden brand, my airings run from December-ish through August-ish.
Under normal circumstances, all of the guest hosts head to the QVC studio in West Chester, PA and physically go on set with the regular program hosts to present their products.
What’s pretty cool is that I live about 20 minutes from West Chester, and it’s actually the town where I went to college! The commute is easy, and it’s so cool being in the building. You get to see all of the models walking around in their fabulous clothes and can spy famous QVC hosts every now and then. (They’re all super nice by the way.)
The other nice thing about being in the studio is that you can get your hair and makeup done by professionals who know what they’re doing. The services aren’t free (just touch ups are) but boy…if you’re not a makeup pro, it sure is helpful!
QVC During COVID Times
Since COVID hit, QVC has put strict safety protocols in place to keep everyone safe (and rightfully so). All guest hosts are now Skyping in from home. The only people who are allowed in the building are regular program hosts and essential employees. Most of the other employees are working from home, my husband included. He’s a business analyst. Being a former science teacher, we made quite the nerdy pair!
With the new restrictions in place, guest hosts are not allowed to come into the studio. We haven’t been given word if that will change, so for now, I need to recreate a garden set at home.
I’m not going to lie…the change has been challenging. QVC has an entire sound crew, professional mics, audio controls, a camera crew, incredible high-res cameras and boom units, professionally styled sets, makeup artists, clothing stylists and gorgeous studio lighting. Everything that was done for us has gone away, and guests are now responsible for just about everything.
Now there are some bigger brands, like Martha Stewart, that have their own crew and set to use. But for smaller brands like mine, we have to get creative!
The good news is that I already have a lot of experience with presenting, lighting and staging from selling painted furniture! It’s so neat to think that these skills were transferrable to this line of work!
It’s a very exciting gig, and I really do enjoy it. There’s a thrill that comes from knowing you’re on television live and in real time. It’s not pre-recorded and you have to be quick on your feet. The conversational nature of interacting with the program hosts is another joy. They’re all so nice and it really does feel like you’re shooting the breeze with your neighbor in the yard.
Plus, it’s QVC. They’re HUGE! Matter of fact, they are the 3rd largest online seller second only to Walmart and Amazon. So it’s kind of a big deal!
Garden Season 2022 Starts
Just this week, I received my first scheduled airing for the 2022 Marigold Season on December 6th. I’ll be in a show called “Gifts for the Gardener”. I was a little surprised because this is the earliest I’ve ever gone air. I thought I had another month to go, but I was happy to get the tap on the shoulder!
This week, I’ve been moving things around in my studio to go from photography and Milk Paint work to Marigold and QVC work. I just finished my set yesterday, and I’ve got a test schedule with QVC this afternoon to get the green light on my connection, sound, set and appearance.
To show you the process and all that goes into it, I created a little video. Come along for the ride as I get ready for the 2022 Marigold season!
