kcbs 2

I was excited to get a call the other day asking if I would be willing to be interviewed on the local news (KCBS 2, channel 2 at 5 pm) this Friday night. The topic, I was told, would be real estate and I would be used as a resident expert to answer a variety of real estate related questions. I quickly agreed to being interviewed and am still excited to be on TV, but feeling a little bit nervous, as well.  I can talk about real estate until I’m blue in the face but when it comes to creating great sound bites that only a television producer could truly appreciate, I may be slightly out of practice.

It may come as a bit of a surprise, but this is not the first time I’ve ventured into the spotlight of show business.  My wife used to work in television entertainment journalism, specifically Hard Copy and Extra as well as a few shows in between.  I think the first (and last) time she let me come with her to a shoot was many years ago when we were dating. She had to cover a party at the Playboy Mansion so she said I could pretend to be one of the crew just so that I could have the experience of being at this most famous (and infamous!) residence. She handed me a boom mic and told me to hold it high and look natural.  Everywhere I turned there was another half naked model wandering around. It was impossible to look natural in the midst of all that unnatural scenery!  And I guess I didn’t do a very good job holding the microphone high enough, either. Apparently much of the footage was deemed unusable due to the fact that the boom mic I was holding kept dipping into the shot. Clearly, I was distracted by my surroundings- a rookie mistake.

Since then, I’ve been on television a few  times. I appeared on HGTV’s “Selling LA,” where I showed clients a property that they were interested in buying. I also was interviewed for a segment on CBS national news about the real estate bubble.   So, while I’m honored to be considered an expert in the field and feel special that I got asked to share my expertise with all those tuning in, I’m not even the only member of my family who’s due to appear on TV this week. My middle son Spencer and his choir (the West LA Children’s Choir, directed by my mother-in-law) will be on the Jimmy Kimmel Show on the 17th backing up the band Walk the Moon singing their new single.

But despite my wealth of television experience and various exposure to the field (pun intended, Playboy bunnies), this appearance on Friday will be the first time I’ve been in an actual studio, speaking extemporaneously in a 3-5 minute segment, interviewed by news anchors in the second largest market in America. I’m not sure how best to prepare or even what I’m going to wear. I just hope I know all the answers to the viewers’ questions and I sound like I know what I’m talking about.

I also hope that after all this build-up, I don’t end up on the cutting room floor but sometimes, as they say, that’s show biz.  And as long as I’m already hoping for stuff, I really hope that the person holding the boom mic on set knows more about getting good sound quality than I did!

So, please wish me GOOD luck this Friday the 13th and set your recorders for KCBS 2 (that’s channel 2 in Los Angeles) from 5-6pm. I hope I answer all your real estate questions well!