Don’t blow bubbles. If you are gum chewer, please remove your gum prior to an interview. I had a colleague witness her client blow bubbles and smack her gum through the duration of her 5 minute television spot. Not only was the smacking very audible, the bubbles distracted all viewers from the actual content. I personally had one bubbling blowing debut and it was not on television. When I was 14, my dance instructor told me my feet were too flat for toe ballet right before I went on to perform at the San Francisco Opera House. My response? I popped a huge wad of gum in my mouth and blew bubbles through the entirety of the performance, much to the humiliation of my entire family. I then walked off stage with my class and quit. Anyway, I was a teenager, but at any age you need to lose the gum when a camera is on you.
Don’t throw things at the reporter. This is unfortunately a true story. I have done media relations for one of my clients for 5 years now. My client decided to put on a wellness retreat and wanted to have some of her speakers on her television spot. Since, I had met the speakers and had seen them in action, I was not concerned. This is what I learned 5 years ago: just because someone is talented in front of a roomful of people publicly speaking, it does not mean they are going to be as fabulous on television. I TiVo all of my clients television spots and only happened to watch the first half of this one. When I received a phone call from the producer asking if I watched the whole segment, I said I watched the first half and it was great. She responded with watch the second half and call me back. Well, one of the speakers was so nervous she ended up throwing her stress balls at the reporter while she was being interviewed. Luckily, the camera man was skilled and switched the camera focus from the interviewee to her product table. My point? Don’t throw things on television unless you are playing baseball.
