Two Tuesdays ago I was on the local new promoting MOPS and the Great Moms Walk. Nobody else from the steering team wanted to be on tv so I said I would do it. I was really excited about it. I thought it would a wonderful opportunity to get the word out there that MOPS existed in Abilene, and what the whole thing was about. So on Tuesday the 15th I went and got my hair done (I really stink in that department) fussed over my clothes and put my eyelashes on (and a ton of make up) and headed out the door.
When I arrived, they walked me back to the "news room" set and instructed me to sit and wait. It was about 5 minutes before the start of the show and the anchorman was sitting at his 'set' desk. I was expecting him to come over, introduce himself and tell me a little about what to expect. I had spoken with him the day before and all he said was that he look forward to talking with me, and that our bit would be 3-5 minutes interview style.
Before I knew it the show had started. Leah (who came for support) and I sat there on these tiny chairs pushed up against the wall about 4 feet from the weather guy's green screen set. We sat and waited. They ran the top stories, then the weather then a commercial break then some more news. I kept waiting for some sort of instruction of when my turn was going to be or what they wanted me to do.... nothing.
Finally the anchor guy calls out to me (during another break) that I was up in a few minutes and that we would be "over there" (he points to a small area of the set).
I sit and wait some more. another commercial break.
"Okay Julia, come over here. Put your mic on and sit down"
Put my mic on? I have never seen this kind of apparatus before, let alone know how to put it on. I manage... and then I sit down - noticing that I am REALLY (and uncomfortably so) close to the set wall, the camera and the anchor guy. I felt like a giant on this tiny set.
"Have you ever been in a tv station before?" he asks me "Yes" I answer "I even was on tv once before."
I am not nervous. The red light goes on and the anchor guy starts to introduce us. I am not nervous.
Then he turns towards me and says (while gesturing to the camera) "Tell everyone out there about MOPS." I turn to look at the camera, expecting to see a big lens or black square box but instead I see myself... larger than life in a close-up shot and I PANIC! every word, thought or idea that I had in my head immediately vanishes and I go mute. Totally MUTE!!!
After what seems like 5 hours I say something like "I'm sorry I totally forgot what I was going to say" and like a pro the anchor guy picks up where I left off talking about MOPS and all bullet points that I had sent him a week earlier.
Every so often he would look back to me and ask me a simple question which I would stumble through. I just kept thinking look at him or the wall.... NOT the camera. And before I knew it the whole thing was over and I felt like a doof.
Leah said that after the initial mix-up that I did fine...and watching the interview back on my DVR I could see that it wasn't as bad as I thought it was.... but DANG did I surprise myself.... I was so confident and relaxed and then BAMM.... the worst stage fright, mommy brain blank episode ever! LOL
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