Young House Love

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Live From Richmond, It’s…

…the third week of December! Okay, maybe that’s not as catchy as the opening to SNL, but for all y’all (yup, I said it) who follow our Instagram pictures (and who have requested the videos to match the wacky photos that we posted below) here ya go. Yes, we never thought we’d actually type a sentence like this, but we’ve had a busy week in the live television department. See, it sounds crazy. Also, about that pic on the right… we didn’t try to match the set. That just happened. And it was hilarious.

Live TV Instagrams

By coincidence, two local Richmond stations actually invited us to appear on their programs – ahem – their LIVE programs, this week. That means things from our mouths would go straight to people’s television sets with barely any delay. Yikes. Wait, let me rephrase that. YIKES.

NBC Satellites

The first was on Tuesday with NBC’s “First at 4” newscast. We were invited by local newsman slash social media enthusiast (slash fellow parent to a Clara, slash friend) Ryan Nobles, who interviewed us about a year and half ago in our house about radon (see the end of this post for the clip which involves proof that Sherry’s crazy). So it was fun to be invited to his place this time around.

NBC Studio

Check out the weatherman (Ros Runner) giving his forecast on the green screen in the back.

And here’s our short little interview with Ryan. It was relatively tame on the embarrassment scale, minus when Sherry proclaimed that chalkboard paint is great because “you can tell people what to do.” Twice. She says she couldn’t stop repeating it. (You can also watch it here).

Wanna know a funny secret? As soon as Sherry and I both stepped into place for our interview, the producer paused and said “yeah, I’m gonna get her a box.” Yes, my short wife had to secretly stand on a box behind the news desk the whole time. Ain’t she cute on her little booster step? And hey, if you ever wondered if newscasters wore pants behind their desks…

NBC Sherry On Box

So thanks again to Ryan and the folks at NBC12 for having us last Tuesday. And thanks also to whatever live TV god prevented us from cursing / fainting / saying the word “fart” instead of art on camera.

NBC Us With Ryan

With that boost of on-camera confidence, we arrived Thursday morning at CBS6 for our second gig with very few butterflies. OK that’s a lie, we were just slightly less nauseous and Sherry vowed not to work “tell people what to do” into the discussion this time. She also decided to tuck away her security blanket (The Black Blazer) and broke out a jazzy orange number instead. She just told me it’s coral, but I’m a guy so I’m gonna stick with orange.

CBS Teleprompter1

It also helped that this was a rodeo we’d been to before, way way back in 2009. It’s a local morning program called Virginia This Morning and we’ve been friendly with them since that interview long ago. In fact, they were the ones that Sherry begged to bring The Nate Berkus Show to Richmond (it wasn’t on at all in our market). It didn’t work, by the way (apparently they need more than one crazy fanatic calling to make things like that happen).

CBS Studio

We found out when we got there that we’d actually have not one, but two five minute segments. Gulp. But the hosts were so warm and welcoming that it felt pretty simple. Here’s the first clip where we talk about everything from buying ugly things in thrift stores to Clara’s favorite tool. Oh, and Jessica also give us a hybrid celebrity name in the introduction. (You can also watch the clip here).

While we were waiting to come on again we also got to watch this local tween jazz band play Jingle Bell Rock. Spot any future Biebers in there?

CBS Boys Playing

Then we closed out the show with this second segment, which was about some fast and easy projects from the book that could act as last minute stocking stuffers or hostess gifts. And Sherry raised her fist in the air for Jersey. Really, that happened. But we happily avoided any wardrobe malfunctions or other FCC-fine-worthy moments. Huzzah! (You can also watch it here).

We’re very grateful to be able to go into the holiday week knowing that we didn’t bring shame to our families or do anything that would ban us from Richmond television for life. But we really have the folks at each station to thank. Seriously, it was great to see Ryan Nobles again – and Jessica Noll was so easy to talk to that we could’ve gone on for hours. But I don’t think they’re looking to add “The Petersiks Blab On And On” to their station line-up anytime soon. #obligatoryweirdfacephoto

CBS Set Funny Picture1

Anyone else have any TV experiences that have gone well? Or not so well? Did you cash in on your 15 minutes of fame or get recognized from your moment on air? Did you wear dangly earrings to the first one only to be told not to do that for the second one (ok, Sherry did that and then got all flustered so she grabbed the coral orange blazer for the second show in a moment of panic). Nope, still can’t call it coral.

Comments

  1. Kim says

    I would have truly died! I was interviewed about cloth diapers once and hardly made it through my sentence! You guys are rocking this! It is so inspiring!

    Reply

    • YoungHouseLove says

      Aw thanks Kim! The most helpful tip I have heard for TV is “it’s just a conversation – just look at the person and talk” (we used to try to memorize talking points, which was a nightmare, but just explaining things to someone as if I’m a person talking to a person – which is what’s really going on – helps a lot!).

      xo
      s

  3. Rebekah says

    I haven’t had any experiences with fame, but my FIL had to testify alot during the GSA spending scandal and got invited onto John Stewart because of misquoting 50cent lyrics (he politely declined, but was mocked anyway). He got recognized in the airport a while back. Basically, the only people who would recognize him are those who watch CSPAN all the time.
    Great job on the air!

    Reply

  7. Rachel says

    Haha I think that’s awesome you guys! I totally would have said something extremeley embarrassing… probably would have said “fart” instead of “art.” Or I would have just started laughing in very awkward places. And I like those earrings! And the coral/orange jacket :)

    Reply

  8. Jess @ Little House. Big Heart. says

    Ah! You had to be so nervous! You looked great though. :)

    I’ve only been on the news once, when the hubs proposed to me on the 50 yard line of the Indianapolis Colt’s stadium. It was the middle of my senior winter finals week though, so I was sleep deprived and hopped up on way too much coffee. The video makes me laugh every time!

    In fact, here’s the highly embarassing link… http://www.wthitv.com/dpp/sports/colts_and_nfl/marriage-proposal-on-colts-field

    Reply

  9. Caitlin @ Desert Domicile says

    Congrats you guys! It looks like you had so much fun! I’ve never been on TV before but I’ve spoken on the radio (called into a morning show before, nothing crazy) and I got a little flustered then. Can’t imagine what would happen if people could see me!

    Reply

  10. Amber V. says

    Loving the coral blazer! I was excited to watch the Virginia This Morning video (since it’s a sparsely attended day at the office today and I can get away with such shenanigans) but when I clicked on the link, there is no video on the page. Maybe it’s my browser?

    Reply

  11. Tracie@MiddleClassMod says

    When I was 12 or so I took golf lessons and somehow ended up interviewed on 11Alive (holla!) about the “new trend of children playing golf.” I kept repeating the phrase “I love golf because isn’t tennis” while clutching onto a Sophia Petrillo like white wicker purse. I don’t even know.

    Y’all, btw, are naturals and I have no idea why you don’t want a tv show. You’d rock it.

    Reply

  12. Shellie L says

    You guys were awesome! Is it weird that I clapped my hands at the end and felt so proud? Okay, don’t answer that! But seriously, you guys are so talented and have such a cool gift to share :)

    Reply

  13. sara says

    Is it just me, or is John’s chair in that last picture bigger than the others? Another live tv trick, or just my eyes playing tricks on me??

    Reply

  14. Meredith says

    My dad and sister were on a news segment at Thanksgiving because she gave him a kidney earlier this year and then they participated in a 5K race together (just a “feel good” piece). They were black Friday shopping the next day and the person assisting them at Best Buy recognized them. Clearly, one person recognizing you=fame.

    Reply

  15. tracy says

    I can totally relate to the box! I am quite petite (5’1″) and have always been at least a head and half shorter than my classmates in school. In fifth grade, I sang a duet with another girl and had to stand on a milk crate decorated with red and green construction paper for the performance. Then in junior high wood shop, I wasn’t tall enough to reach any of the tools at the workstations, so my shop teacher made me a wooden box to drag around to each table. Except…he made the box too heavy for my scrawny 13 year old self to lift. So I had to have a classmate or the teacher move it for me every time I had to switch tools. True(and humiliating)story.

    Reply

  20. karen says

    woohoo..shout out to Toronto!

    “Jerry”…hahahaha..okay..it’s settled…that is your name.

    and tinsel garland…i haven’t seen that in yeeeeears!!

    Reply

  22. Inês says

    That’s funny, the blazer looks a lovely bright red in the video. At least it looked to me. And I love the earings too. Just got an email from Amazon, your book is on the way!!!! Yayyyyyyyyy.

    Reply

  24. Lauren says

    Yay!! You guys are great. So in that shot of the news prompter, it looks like you can watch yourselves in the monitor during the segment…is that right? That’s really intimidating!

    I always hoped the news anchors were just wearing jeans or something behind their desks. I’m a little sad to know the truth now.

    Reply

    • YoungHouseLove says

      Yes, it’s so scary because you get distracted and start thinking things like “what’s that giant blob of bright coral, oh it’s me!” – I literally scared myself in the monitor at one point, but it was thankfully before we were on. Ha!

      xo
      s

  25. Rachel says

    My dad has always been in some sort of advertising/marketing. When I was about 2 1/2, I was in some sort of promotional video he produced for a large, local company. My claim to fame lasted about 15 seconds, and I pulled a piece of wonder bread out of the bag and ate it. I don’t even know if it was ever aired on TV, but my mom STILL talks about how cute it was to EV-ERY-ONE. The VHS has even been pulled out a few times for mini viewing parties.

    Reply

  27. Lilli says

    You guys did such a great job, looking like total pros! I was interviewed for a show once and they asked me to sing. I was too nervous for anything and just said no. Oops I guess that could of been my big break, haha. I blame my 9 year old self for not being a current pop star.

    Congrats on all your success. You guys are amazing and I talk about you all the time. I swear my boyfriend must think we are bffs. Yesterday, I told him how I wanted to try and make it to one of your tour dates in Jan and he looked at me like “who’s John and Sherry?” lol. Anyways I’ve been a fan for a very long time and will continue to do so as long as you guys are blogging. Thanks for all the inspiration!!!

    Reply

  28. Jessica A. says

    Oh man, this is such a great post. I always crack up when y’all say what awkward things to watch for in the videos. I would never think they are awkward just watching them on my own, but somehow the little heads up amps up the funny factor. I am seriously hoping my sweet husband has picked up on ALL the hints for a YHL book for Christmas because I can’t hold out much longer ;) You guys are great and deserve all the success in the world!

    Reply

  29. Kristy says

    Since I won’t be in front of a computer again until next week, thank you so much for your wonderful blog. I am going to be upset if Santa doesn’t put your book under the tree for me. I wish the Petersik 4 a very Merry Christmas and look forward to more fun in 2013!

    Reply

  30. Starr @ The Kiefer Cottage says

    I think you did great!

    I’ve been interviewed for television numerous times (in many different capacities–not sure how it ends up being me). Once I was at the station to talk about water safety classes offered by the Red Cross. The anchor made jokes about fondling me (?!) right before we went on the air and decided to completely bypass what we had prepped for and talked about all these horrific drownings that had happened recently. Perhaps I offended the dude in another life, but I managed not to stumble. Oh, and I was wearing blue in front of a blue background, so I looked like a pasty talking head floating in space. Not my best look.

    Reply

    • YoungHouseLove says

      Oh man! My worst wardrobe malfunction was a really flowy shirt on Nate Berkus (only a few months after having Clara). Let’s just say that I look pregnant…

      xo
      s

  31. Jen G. says

    I was on Jeopardy last year. I didn’t get too nervous during the trivia part, but totally froze up during the “tell us about yourself” section after the first commercial break. When I watched the episode, I had this look of complete panic and completely stumbled over my words.

    Reply

  32. Georgie says

    I live in Arizona and when I was in New York for a conference I went to a taping of The Colbert Report. Turns out it was one of the RARE episodes where they show the audience, and I was on TV! I taught at a university and a bunch of my students sent me emails, “were you on Comedy Central?”

    Reply

    • YoungHouseLove says

      Ahh no way! That’s hilarious! In college my friends and I went to a taping of Ricki Lake and later we all got recognized by random people on the streets of NY (weren’t you sitting in the first row at Ricki Lake?). So funny that people pay attention to the audience!

      xo
      s

  34. Brenda says

    Can’t wait to watch these clips later! I haven’t been on TV, but a friend of mine produced a film short for her film class. I got to be an extra, and they showcased them in an old movie theatre. Seeing myself on the big screen was surreal, but super amazing.

    Reply

  36. becky says

    we just made the local news over the thanksgiving break…it was a piece on green building which included our architects house, as well as our own (our remodel has two shipping containers cantilevered on it). having a masters in film – it was a bit cheesy and poorly edited (i am far more picky than the average viewer) but mostly it fulfilled our requirements – my kids made it on tv and i didn’t look like a complete freak. and bonus – when it aired there was lots of excited jumping up and down from the kids as they saw themselves…which distracted everyone from realizing that i chose to wear some weird shawl/poncho thing.

    i’m glad we didn’t go into the station. i’m much more comfortable on my own home turf. so congrats on your bravery and all your successes. now i have to go wrap up your book for my baby sis/crafty newlywed’s christmas gift. :)

    Reply

    • YoungHouseLove says

      Clara just acted like it was normal. We DVRed it to watch it at home and she was like “oh it’s mommy and daddy” and watched for a second and then got up and went off to play with something else. Haha.

      xo
      s

  38. Miriam says

    I got interviewed on German national TV once– it was while I was an exchange student there, and the U.S. President came on a state visit. As part of their coverage of the President’s visit, ZDF (a German public TV station, kind of like a cross between PBS and a major network) wanted to do a feature on German-American friendship. So they interviewed me, along with a German student who’d just come back from the U.S. Did I mention that the interview was in GERMAN? And that I’d only studied the language for 8 months?

    They sent me a DVD of the interview, but eight years later I still haven’t watched it… all I remember was being so nervous I felt like I was going to vomit.

    Reply

  39. Liz says

    I was interviewed by the local news when I was in sixth grade about my brother being in Desert Storm. I was all stoic and morbid of course. But I imagine people were more mesmerized by my big dangly globe earrings I got from Claire’s. I purposely chose them. I think I was trying to make some sort of statement about world peace or something.
    By the way, my brother is fine and well. He’s a happily married nurse for the VA and has twins. :)

    Reply

  40. Danielle says

    So awesome! No tv experiences to share – I’m just so happy for you guys to be getting all this great exposure! Go Young House Love! :)

    Reply

  41. Megan @ Rappsody in Rooms says

    So fun! You guys did a great job. Because of my job I get interviewed by the media semi-frequently, but never live! That would probably make me tongue twisted…or just talk a lot. I won tickets on the radio recently and I like to think that they liked talking with me because of cutting me off they let our conversation run almost 2 minutes!

    Reply

  42. Christina P (NS) says

    I went on a local morning show when I was younger as a ‘model’ – I was so excited and told all my friends. Little did I know that my wardrobe would be a huge, hideous tulip coverd dress….
    Thank goodness that this was 1. during school hours so very few of my friends saw and 2. during a pre-social media & dvr era!

    You guys did great!

    Reply

  43. Emma (Broke Ass Home) says

    That is so exciting! Congratulations you guys- you’re officially “a big deal” You can even introduce yourselves now as, “Hi, I’m John…I’m a NYT Best Seller…I guess you could say I’m kind of a big deal…”

    Too bad you guys are married- that’s a great pick up line! ;)

    Reply

  44. jane davila says

    I’ve done a couple of television segments – one with a live studio audience (and the host couldn’t pronounce my last name so they kept having to re-shoot the intro over and over, lol. The others were for a PBS how-to show called Quilting Arts TV. They told me ahead of time that they hate to do re-takes and no matter what happens to keep going. Of course the first thing I had to do was open a tube of paint and squirt it into a tray. As I opened it the tube “burped” and a huge blob of purple paint gushed all over my hands. I wiped it off with a paper towel and never stopped talking but did the rest of the segment with bright purple fingers. The next segment involved a sewing machine and I sewed one whole side of a zipper in only to realize at the end that the thread had broken waaayyyy back at the beginning of the seam. We had to re-shoot that one – no way to fake it! haha! The best advice I got about shooting tv is that when you’re not talking you should be smiling. Feels weird, but looks good from the audience.

    You guys did great! Loved the coral jacket.

    Reply

  48. Lynn @ Our Useful Hands says

    Congrats on your news coverage guys. You did so well. I’ve never been on the news but I’ve been in the paper a few times (3rd Grade writing contest on my favorite teacher; and a snapshot of the whole family at a school reading function that ended up on the Community Billboard outside of the bathrooms at Target?) But when I was dating Michael years ago we went to see The Shins perform on Carson Daly and to this day I can’t seem to track down the footage to see if we made any camera time. BTW, Carson seems monstrously tall. Everything else about that night was a blur – I was in love…sigh.

    My best, Lynn

    Reply

  49. Amelia says

    You guys were fantastic! So calm and cool and collected (and both of you also looked polished too – Sherry, did you just give John a haircut?!). And that story about Clara cracked me up.

    I’ve never made it on T.V. but a friend of mine was on Who Wants to be a Millionaire and I completely.freaked.out. I was like a little kid while I was watching it (I just kept pointing at the T.V. and excitedly saying “I KNOW him!! Seriously, I KNOW him!”. (Maybe this is why it’s a good thing that I’ve never been on T.V….? ;)

    Reply

  50. Luanne says

    1) Loved that you used y’all.
    2) I work for a radio station – and we also have a TV station in the Raleigh/Durham market – and it’s still pretty impressive what you learn behind the scenes.

    What a great job you did! :)

    Reply

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