FASHION WEEK 2008

So the big buzz this week amongst female New Yorker's has been about FASHION WEEK! I did find the time to make it to Cynthia Rowley's spring 2009 (or as she likes to call it the #1 collection) runway in an art gallery in the middle of Chelsea.

Check out the package I shot and edited! It includes interviews with Julia Stiles, Bobbi Brown and the designer herself... Cynthia Rowley! Enjoy!

New York to Chicago and back!

Job fairs, Multimedia Journalism, Blogging, Video editing, Audio Slideshows, Adobe Flash, etc. etc.

My head is buzzing with all of the topics, workshops, panels and people I've encountered on my trip to Chicago, from the UNITY convention last week. For those of you who may not already know about it, it's a huge assembly of journalists mainly of minority (Hispanic, African-American, Asian and Native American) descent, who spend a week taking classes and networking with other people who are already in the business or who are aspiring to be. From television anchors to college interns the McCormick Place Convention Center was lively with all of the energy and contagious ambition my fellow journalists had.

Along with meeting incredibly smart, ambitious and successful people I got to take some great classes and listen to the advice from some amazing panelists like Soledad O'Brien (CNN.)

However, in between classes I did get a chance to sneak into the job fair and after I got over the overwhelming lines that snaked around the halls and booths of each attendee I did manage to speak to some of the most experienced people in the business and get incredible feedback on my resume. Which is why this little video is for you! Thank you for taking the time to interview and meet with me this past week!

Hollywood Ambition!

Vince Vaughn, George Clooney, Ben Affleck, Charlize Theron... and the list goes on and on AND it hasn't even been a year since I started working with the "Reel Talk" family!

Starting as the new production assistant, and now web producer for the show, has had some incredible perks, such as meeting the celebrities I just mentioned. But, what's even more exciting than having the chance to meet and speak with these A-listers, is getting the chance to see the incredible smarts and ambition these individuals possess. A characteristic tabloids almost always tend to "over-look." Sure, the big houses, the money, the fame and the parties, not to mention the attractive dating scene that surrounds Hollywood is always going to be an eye-catcher, but after being behind the scenes and speaking with these individuals one on one... I've learned that there really is so much more than what meets the eye. If only tabloids could focus on the way these people made it to fame and write articles about the way these celebrities work and do everything to teach themselves about every aspect in an industry that they love. For example, we had David Schwimmer on not too long ago and after spending a decade as an actor on a sitcom, he's now teaching himself and enjoying the craft of directing a film. Or, what about Charlize Theron, who is not only a gorgeous, Oscar winning actress, but also a marvelous movie producer.

I have been working on this show now for almost three months and I am in awe, not with the glamour these stars posess but with the intelligence, ambition and confidence they have. It gives me inspiration to go for what I want to do and maybe if tabloids focused more on what made these people "movie stars" more people would become inspired also. Don't you think? Thanks to meeting people with such a "high" status has made me a believer that no dream is too far as long as you have the drive and ambition to just GO FOR IT!

Nothing Comes for Free

Picture of me with the NBC camera crew & NY1 covering a story at Mount Sinai Hospital.

"Wait one moment and the doctor will be right with you" the secretary told me after I signed in at my doctors office. Great! I thought, I had a 7pm appointment with my doctor, but after recieving a phone call earlier that day asking me to try and make it in before then, I rushed home after work, got my car keys and took off to Queens, where my doctors office is.

6:05pm, not bad... I made it to my doctor 55 minutes before schedule. Great... there's nothing I hate more than doctor visits. One my biggest phobia probably even before death is NEEDLES! I can't look at em I can't stand em! So I was hoping to get this over with as early and as painlessly as possible, so I could continue with my night...

6:30
...waiting...

6:45
...waiting...and thinking... Why the hell did they ask me to come early?

6:55
"Jessica Bianculli, Jessica!" yelled one of the nurses...

I shot up out of my seat, only to try and get over the pins and needles I was feeling in my ass, after sitting in one spot for so long, and walked over to the entrance into the doctors office.

7pm
(Inside the doctors office alone)
...waiting...

7:10
Doctor arrives!

7:15
I'm handing over my money to pay for my visit and leave.

So... lets get this straight, I rushed over to see my doctor for a regular check up ahead of schedule all because whoever called my was hoping for an early night and to get the appointments in all at once. So, I spent a total of 50 minutes sitting on my ass and a total of only 5 minutes with my doctor so that I could put money into his pocket in the end, for a total of 5 minutes.

Hmm... this got me thinking... I work part time at a restaurant and what if I were to start doing the same thing to my customers? I will call up all of the reservations and ask them to try and make it to their dinner "appointment" as early as possible, preferably between 5 and 6 pm. After all, I would like to get out of work, if not on time, as early as possible, please. And I will make you wait around... because of course I will be busy attending to other customers, because they all came in at the same time you did, and when I do come around and find the time to serve you, I will expect you to pay the restaurant and me for our services.

Its funny, being in the restaurant/service industry you are expected to be attentive, pleasant and fast. Not because you necesarily "WANT" to or "URGE" to give that kind of service to every customer, but because you know there is a monetary bonus to doing so!

When you're in the service industry, especially in New York you quickly come to learn that most people are very impatient and that waiting around or slow service is definately going to affect how much of a tip that person will leave you So, maybe I should start doing the same with my doctors. 'Listen Doc, just give me the raw charge of my check up (please don't include your paycheck in that cut yet) And I will decide if I want to leave you 20 or maybe 25 percent, depending on how pleasant you are, or maybe I will only leave you 15 percent... maybe less. How does that sound? Nothing comes for free I guess, including good service wherever you go.

Whaddya' think?

My Lovely Morning Horror Ride!

What the hell is going on with the L train in Williamsburg Brooklyn?!

Being one of the few people left who was actually BORN and RAISED in Williamsburg.. I do not fall into the category as just another hipster living in Brooklyn ready to claim the borough as my "home sweet home" because, Williamsburg, is actually a big piece of my personality and more than just a home to me.

Since I have been living here for 22 years now, I have seen a LOT of new changes in the neighborhood. Especially, in just the past couple of years. Some good, some bad, but the biggest change is my morning commute to Manhattan. Normally, a ride to downtown Manhattan takes me ehh.... about 20 minutes... to midtown manhattan? about 35 minutes. Sounds great, right?! Well not lately!

Every morning, when I have to catch the L train to get to my job at 30 Rockefeller plaza I am joined by a crowded platform of aggravated commuters. It's such a great way to start my morning :-\

My normal 35 minute commute to get from Williamsburg Brooklyn to 50th street Rockfeller Plaza has just jumped from the usual 35 minutes to AN HOUR AND A HALF.

Wake up at 6:30? CHECK! Be on the platform by 7:30 CHECK! Finally get into a train that has enough room (just the size of a Manhattan kitchen cabinet)for me to squeeze my 5'3 body into...at 8AM CHECK! Since when does it take half-an-hour just to wait for a train in New York?! So, I decided to do some research... New York Magazine has covered a few stories on the L train and the crowded commute is nothing new to them, and according to The New York Times, ridership has increased drastically because of a sudden BOOM in population. According to the paper, population has increased by 20 percent since 2000, which doubles this this city's average.

Well, isn't that nice to have an explanation. But now, what the hell is going to be done about it?! Today, the city is deciding what they are going to do about traffic, and if this new toll fare takes place, Bloomberg has promised to transfer this new source of revenue into the MTA pool, thinking it will be conducive to commuters. If this takes effect, do you really think it will make an impact?

Call me unfriendly but honestly I'm tired of becoming 'extremely close' with fellow neighbors at 7:30 in the morning. I don't necessarily need to know you already had your daily coffee by smelling it on your breath... maybe some other time though, Thanks!

Different Costume, Different Setting, Same Plotline...

So for those of you who already know me, know that I'm all about keeping active and I like to keep active EVERY SINGLE DAY, if I can. Whether I'm in the city running errands or running from one work place to another or galavanting around with my family, boyfriend or friends I never like to allow a dull moment to creep in! It might be an Obsessive Compulsive Disorder, considering I don't even like sleep, eventhough it's kind of necessary. But whatever it is, I like my little OCD trait and it has helped me to learn and experiment with new activities to keep me occupied.

Lately, the new activity I've found to keep me busy and help me find even more energy is... KICKBOXING! I got my uniform, my boxing gloves, hand wraps and I even got an extra stripe added to my white belt last week. It's an exciting class and I've been taking it for about 3 weeks now, but on Saturday I decided it was time to try and take on a 2 hour session instead of the usual one hour. I had a great time and a great workout, and I also got to do a little thinking...

I arrived to my "Tiger Schulman's" school around 10 am on Saturday. I walked through the gigantic glass doors with the heavy wooden frames swiped my card at the entry as usual, ran downstairs, changed into my uniform, got my gloves and locked my locker. I ran upstairs quickly to realize the class had already started warming up, but this class was nothing like the basic core I was used to taking the previous 3 weeks... for starters there were a lot more people, and I was one of the few white belts in there. After I threw myself into the warm up as discreetly as possible, and watched our trainer show us our first round of combinations, I was partnered with a blue belt (Oh boy...) and gave it my absolute best...I have to say I did pretty damn good considering I was lower in rank! The class was harder but not overwhelmingly difficult and inbetween rounds I started observing other students in the class and I found it funny... because these people reminded me of being in high school again! I know... weird right? I know you're thinking how can this OCD weirdo compare kickboxing and sitting in a highschool classroom to be the same? Well, JUST OBSERVE THE PEOPLE AROUND YOU! Most people don't ever grow up and when they do, they don't really change that much.

"Different set of characters, different scenery and different costumes but the plot stays the same." This used to be a popular quote an excellent history teacher of mine (may he rest in peace) used to repeat to his class of sophmore highschool students at Saint Vincent Ferrer High. Not really caring or understanding what kind of message this teacher was trying to elicit, his group of students just stared over his head at the clock counting the minutes down until our next free hour, as he day after day repeated this quote to us.

It's funny how it has been almost 7 years since I've heard this saying and yesterday was when I found myself repeating it! Everyone has on a Karate uniform, the characters are all different in age and background, yet you still manage to find the same genre's of personalities. You have the over-achiever, the flirtatious one, the tom boy, the ego-maniac and the damsel in distress who all create the same scenarios for themselves. In my class of kickboxing I've encountered all of the same personalities I've already met in my highschool classes. So, I guess my history teacher did have a valid point... in every story the plot is always the same, even though the characters, costumes and scenery is different.

BROWN UNIFORMS? Maybe a fashion NO NO, but it's time for appreciation YES YES.

Have you bought something off of the Internet recently? Or ordered a gift for somebody through a catalog? How about Ebay? Have you been sitting at the computer clicking away and bidding on one of your favorite items? I know I love the ability to enter a website, find what I’m looking for and with just a few clicks…the item I needed (but didn’t have to time to go to the store and purchase myself) is at my doorstep in just a few days.

Just like magic!

I’m still waiting for the day when just a couple of clicks will clean my home, get my clothing ironed, and dinner cooked and on the table… you may laugh, but why would that be an impossibility? Imagine, just a click and your home is all tidied up, just like in a Mary Poppins movie…

However, I don’t think that will ever happen, at least not anytime soon. Because, we all know that inanimate objects need a middleman to move an item from one place to the other. So when your perfect package arrives promptly at your doorstep you can thank the men and women in those brown uniforms, the UPS. The UPS gives thousands of people each day the ability to connect to their friends, family and co-workers on a more personal level rather than just depending on chitchat in cyberspace.

When you’re in class or at work or home during those cold, slushy and snowy days… take a look outside your window. And I’m sure you will see the local UPS outside in that messy weather, lifting and lugging packages that they will never open. These men and women in brown wake up at the first sign of day to get to work and research who is getting what, and where their route should take them.

They know when your neighbor is getting a package from his parents in Oregon, or when the woman across the street needs them to pick up a package for her daughter in Florida. They get up early so they can schedule their day around ways to help you. Then they pack and load their trucks in a systematically sensitive way, to make sure they deliver and pick up your belongings efficiently and only ask for a signature in return.

Because of the UPS internet addicted shoppers can trust their personal shopping will be done, their loved ones will receive that perfect gift you found for them or that client will receive that proposal you have been working day and night on, with out any tribulation, all because the men and women of the UPS were there for you.
All of their hard work, long days and early hours, is brought together to make sure you get your belongings precisely and promptly when you need them.

Voltaire once said “Appreciation is a wonderful thing: It makes what is excellent in others belong to us as well.” So now I’d like to ask you… What else can brown do for you?

Warning: Current Events Loses its Lackluster!

First it was Untraceable that got me thinking... now George Romero's Diary of the Dead is trying to portray a similar underlying message, in his film about zombies, which is released this Valentine's Day weekend.

The message is that our modern day society seems to be dangerously trading human compassion and a desire for knowledge in exchange for non-stop entertainment.

Let me give you an example of what I mean. I've recently gone to see the film "Untraceable" starring Diane Lane. If you haven't seen it I suggest you prepare yourself for some cringing torture scenes. However, underneath the gory and nerve-wrecking segments of the film, I believe it also serves to reveal an underlying message as to what kind of society we have become... a group of unsatiated entertainment feigns.

The basis of what "Untraceable" is about is the search for the untraceable creator of a website called Killwithme.com. As the story unfolds the creator of this website captures and murders people on this site live stream, the more viewers he attracts the quicker the victim dies. As the media starts to get a hold of this case, more people start to visit the site, even though they are made aware of the consequences the victim will face if they increase the popularity of this website.

On the right hand side of the website, its creator puts a chat room where the visitors on the site talk about the victim on camera as if it were a gory cartoon and anticipate his/her unfortunate ending. One visitor even says they would like a copy of one of the live stream videos. Here is the trailer, so you get a better understanding of what I am trying to use as a reference.



Of course this movie is fiction...but if it weren't? This is definitely something I could see happening in real-life. Couldn't you? And I know it may seem ironic that a form of entertainment (film) is eliciting a message that is in some ways against its own purpose...to entertain, but whatever happened to being compassionate? I think this may be a message that more and more filmmakers are trying to breakthrough. How many of us remember the phrase "putting yourself in the other person's shoes?" So then, why is it becoming such an addiction to get the "latest Britney update" or watch over and over again drunken videos of people like David Hasselhoff? Since when did a desire for knowledge, current events and human compassion become such unappealing characteristics? I guess film is trying to use their way of "entertaining" to bring us out of the dark about ourselves. What do you think?

My Interview with Ben Affleck

The National Board of Review held their annual award ceremony on Tuesday night and with the loss of the red carpet Golden Globes, all of Hollywood's top A-listers were anxious to make an appearance in New York City's very own Cipriani's. So, as a new NBC/Reel Talk employee I decided to give my reporting skills a test drive. Here is a clip from one of my interviews that night with the handsome Dare Devil star.

My interview with "Juno" Star Ellen Page

Ellen Page talked to me about what it feels like to have all of this recognition at a young age for her performance as a pregnant teenager in Juno.