April 25, 2024 • 23 mins
🎙️ Welcome to On Cam Ready with Jamie Maglietta! 🎥 Join Jamie, a seasoned TV news veteran, as she brings you valuable insights and tips on being camera-ready in every aspect of your professional life. In her bi-weekly podcast, Jamie dives deep into media training, offering practical advice for meetings, appearances, and even podcasting. In this BONUS episode, Jamie talks with photographer, influencer, and entrepreneur, Christy Hunter. She owns Photowalk Nashville and is a leader in experience travel. After photographing Jamie for her website, oncamready.com, the two remained in touch and enjoy collaborating on projects together. In this conversation clip Christy and Jamie discuss lighting, poses, and how to become on-camera ready for a red carpet event or photoshoot. THE FULL CONVERSATION: @Spotify or your podcast platform of choice Photowalk: https://photowalkyourtravel.com/about Christy Hunter's @gotonashville: https://www.instagram.com/gotonashvil... Enjoying the content? Click SUBSCRIBE to become a part of our community and fuel Jamie's motivation to keep creating valuable content for you. 🙏 Thank You A heartfelt thanks for supporting On Cam Ready! Your engagement makes a difference. Let's grow together! 📱 Connect with Jamie: LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/jamie-maglietta Instagram: www.instagram.com/jamie_theproducer 📧 Contact: For inquiries and collaborations, reach out to Jamie at jamie@oncamready.com. #OnCamReady #MediaTraining #PodcastingTips #ContentCreation
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Episode Transcript
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(00:08):
Hey guys, this is a bonus episode.
I got the chance to speak with photographer Christie Hunter.
She's owner of Photo Wok Nashville.
She's also owner of Go to Nashville, The Instagram handle. 00:00:23,840 This petite influencer has so
much to offer you if you are looking for ways to pose on the
(00:28):
red carpet for head shots or photos for your own social media
accounts. We get to all the tips in this
episode, so be sure to wait tillthe end.
Of course, that's when we reallydig deep and give you all you
need to look your best. Here's our conversation.
(00:51):
So Christy, I'm really glad you could join us from Nashville.
Why don't you tell us a little bit about you and the photo
walk? Me, Jamie.
So I own a company called Photo Walk Nashville and we are a
photo shoot tour experience where we take you around to the
hot spots in Nashville in the Gulch and 12 S 2 neighborhoods
(01:14):
that have a lot of murals. And you know the problem of
always going on vacation. And you want pictures.
You want great pics of you and your partner or your family or
your friend group, but who's going to take them for you?
So we solve that problem for you.
We take your pictures and give you posing, ideas, direction,
but we also give you an insider look at Nashville.
Where to eat, where to shop, allthat good stuff.
(01:35):
And as I mentioned in the intro,you know, I took my photos from
my website right now, which is currently up.
And then I'm updating it go by going to the photo walk.
And I saw more than just a experience tour, You know, I saw
an opportunity, right? Because you're in the city, and
for someone like myself, having more colorful photos and city
(01:57):
images was appealing. So do you?
I mean, you also work with branding photo shoots too,
correct? Absolutely.
For content creators, for bloggers, models, entrepreneurs,
people in business or even just if you need a new LinkedIn
profile picture while you're in Nashville, right.
It is such a colorful, vibrant city.
(02:17):
And so if you're traveling from out of the out of outside of the
city, it's a great way to to getcontent and you know, work with
a photographer like myself or someone on my team that can give
you those high quality photos for a really reasonable price as
well. And we're easy to book.
You can go online and just look at our different offerings.
We have one for creators as well.
(02:38):
And so even if you need product shots, we can do that too.
If it's something you can bring along with you, we can work with
you on that and really get. We've had folks like you.
Thank you, Jamie, so much for coming and doing the photo walk
experience because I had such a great time with you.
And also it's a great way to make connections with with other
people. And you know, that's the one way
that I've made a lot of relationships with content
(03:02):
creators from outside of Nashville is because they've
come, you know, found me online and worked with me and we had a
great time together and stayed connected.
And you know, I just have to mention the online portion
because, you know, Christy isn'tjust a photographer who has her
own business. She's also an influencer, A
petite influencer in style, fashion, everything Nashville.
(03:24):
So because this podcast and my my YouTube channel really tries
to focus on helping people become on camera, ready for
media opportunities but also social media, I thought it would
be great to talk with Christy. Not just about, you know, how to
help you prepare for your next photo shoot, but to also tap
into her influencer role here onInstagram.
(03:48):
So when it comes to building a brand on Instagram, what are
some things that you've learned along the way that might be
useful to listeners that are trying to build and grow an
account? Everyone always says offer value
and have consistency. What do you say?
Well, I feel like I've dabbled in the influencer space for a
(04:08):
long time now and never really declared myself one until I
acquired this page called Go to Nashville.
And so on a personal level, I just really started showing the
things that I loved, whether it was a place that I visited or an
outfit that I was wearing. And I just started tagging the
brands and that led to, you know, some relationships.
(04:30):
So really on a lower level scaleis where I started by just, you
know, the simplicity of just promoting what you love and
sharing it from a very authenticplace.
And then you know started reaching out to some brands or
they they would reach out to me.But with go to Nashville it it
became a broader platform where Nashville is the star and I'm
(04:53):
able to work with restaurants, hotels, you know experiences
different places, bars and you know it for myself, but then
show it to the rest of the world.
And that page is a very large local following.
A lot of Nashvillians follow it and but you know a lot, a lot of
times tourists want to go where the locals go.
(05:14):
And so I really try to come at it from this is a place where
myself as a Nashville native andlocal, this is where I want to
go on, on a weekend or on a girls night or date night,
something like that. So really wanting to just show
those spots and coming at it from from a genuine, authentic
place. This is the experience that I
(05:35):
had. I want to share it with you.
Mm hmm. And it's, you know what I'm
hearing you, you speak, I'm thinking of, you know, a lot of
what we're taught in marketing where it's you want to gain know
like and trust, right. You want people to know you
like, you trust you. And essentially with Instagram
brands have that opportunity really to build the know like
and trust. And you're doing that, you know,
(05:56):
with the with both of your accounts and just with you being
authentic, as authentic as you can, right, as a business owner
online. And I guess it's just it's
challenging though for many brands to show up.
So what is it that really helps drive you to be on camera ready
for your social media following?Well, I think just Nashville is
(06:18):
so ever changing and growing andso there's always something new
coming at me or I'm seeing it out there.
And so I I think it's honestly it's FOMO for me.
I just have a a fear of missing out.
I like to go do the things. If I see something's happening,
I want to try it for myself. So that's a lot of the
motivation, is that I really like to go try these things.
(06:41):
I like to go have great times with my friends and see what's
happening. You know, as somebody who grew
up on the outskirts of Nashvilleand seeing it grow and change
and also having, you know deeperconnections and roots to it.
You know, like like TPAC are Performing Arts Center.
I have memories. I have really special memories
of going there as a kid. So when they're doing a new
(07:04):
show, when I get the chance to partner with somebody like TPAC,
I'm, I'm jumping on it because it's special to me.
Like it has has meaning. I didn't just move here, you
know, three years ago from outside and and building these
new ones. Nothing wrong with that, but
it's it just goes to a deeper level for me of a real love and
also a want like like a desire to share with folks the deep
(07:27):
history and richness of this city and you know share some of
the things that that I don't want forgotten.
Like Opryland USA was our theme park, You know, that's no longer
here. Now there's a mall there.
So I love sharing that nostalgia.
And you know, the artists. It's not just even the artists,
it's the music industry behind it, the people that make up the
(07:49):
city that you might not know about, but just just give us a
little light, a little, you know, behind the curtain.
Look at what makes the city thrive.
It's like Christy, the Connectoris connecting everyone in the
city and outside the city to Nashville and I think that it's
a really great brand and I I just, I think it's inspirational
(08:12):
to a lot of small business owners the way you're
approaching it. It's also, you know, a great
opportunity for you because I'veseen you've also done local
television there. You know, now you're able to
bring what you're learning aboutthe city to the local viewers
on, you know, TV. And traditional media is still a
very important element to anyone's media shares.
(08:36):
Like if you are a brand, you want to be on local TV or you
want to be on national so that you can tell everybody, like,
hey, did you see me on Fox 5 or did you, did you catch me on
ABC? Because it kind of legitimizes
you and whatever you're talking about further.
So what do you do to try and prepare for some of the segments
that you've had on local news? I know you did one.
(08:57):
It was like about all the different vendors and what
they're offering outfit wise is like how do you collaborate and
connect everyone together for those segments?
Well, I try to look ahead at what's coming up.
And so like for instance, tomorrow I'll be on local on two
Nashville about Mother's Day. So Mother's Day is coming up and
I want to share about things that you can do with your mother
(09:20):
in Nashville like experiences todo instead of just a gift.
These are memories you can make together.
And so I try and really think about from a personal
perspective like what would I want out of this, what would I
want to hear someone sharing about.
And then also I want to focus and highlight local businesses
too. So thinking about things that I
may know about because I am connected into the tourism space
(09:43):
and the hotel space knowing whatyou know what hotels are
featuring and new kind of cool up and coming things that they
have going because I am connected in the CVC and our
tourism Bureau and organization.So I'm able to hear and kind of
be on the forefront of that. So I want to share those things
but also trying to to think of some fun ways to present that
(10:05):
information to like for the Taylor Swift Eras tour we showed
different outfits. So I'm kind of tying in my love
of fashion and and experiences together and so I had models
come in and you know from local boutiques and we showed
different eras looks. So I love being able to do that
kind of thing and and bringing in tying it all together and
(10:25):
showing people ways to have a great time in Nashville that
might be outside the box. It's beyond the tourist stuff.
It's beyond Broadway. It's how to have great memories,
great make, make memories with people that you love in in such
a vibrant and beautiful city. Christy, when other small
businesses approach you and they're asking for advice on how
to move in a similar direction online or, you know, into
(10:49):
television space, what do you tell them?
Like what tips do you have? Well, I think when you pitch to
someone having a really clear idea and being open for that
idea to to be tweaked, but present them with something.
Don't just come on and say hey, I want to be on your show but
have a very clear idea. And say I'd love to present
(11:11):
about XYZ and that I I've had really, really good results with
that of of already having a clear idea that I'm presenting.
Maybe it gets tweaked a little bit down the road, but you know,
just making it easy for for people in the media to to share
with them. Here's all the information, yes,
(11:32):
but it's not just a BLOB of information, it's an idea.
It's something that's a hook that you think you would like to
watch yourself. But then also is is something
that is interesting and fun and maybe bringing in a visual
elements as well, not just talking on camera about
something, but here's how I can show you.
And then also being ready to provide the assets for them, you
(11:55):
know ahead of time to go ahead and show them some pictures,
some video reference some of your Instagram and say this is
what I'm talking about. So you know a a good pitch deck,
it doesn't even have to be a full deck.
I mean that's what I've seen. It's just a really good e-mail,
a clear e-mail with your strategy in mind and your your
(12:15):
plan that that has some fun and creative elements in it as well. 00:12:22,560 Whenever I'm telling people
about you know, how to attract TV, for example, it's never, you
know, droning on about who you are and what you do.
It's all about how you can help them and how you would make
(12:37):
their program really tremendous,you know, on a Saturday or you
know, a Monday morning. And in order to do that, it is
about providing value. And with everyone on social
media these days, those that areshowing up really are getting a
leg up when it comes to figuringout how to hone in on what a
(12:57):
pitch really needs to be. Because you're nailing it in the
sense of you want to be able to fill a hole, a hole on that TV
show that's going to be filled with value.
And ATV producer wants it to be easy for them, like they want
you to come in. Yeah, it's great if you have a
good story, but if you have visuals, you have something to
(13:20):
show, you have something to share and you have something
that the audience can kind of take away from the segment with. 00:13:28,240 That's important.
So I think it's, it sounds like you have a lot going on that's
that's in a positive direction and you're offering some great
tips. Before we go, I really just want
to focus on photography and how to help people show up whenever
(13:42):
they are taking photos. So I find it's interesting that
some people really don't know how to pose.
They don't know how to smile. They don't know where to put
their hands. So what are some of your tips
that you give people on how theycan become on Cam?
Ready for their next photo shootor red carpet?
The biggest thing to me is how in their head people get.
(14:04):
So it's changing the the language that you say
immediately, whether it it goes pretty deep.
You know, maybe at some point inyour life you were told you
don't take good pictures, or maybe you've just told yourself
that. But I hear it all the time,
Jamie. Right away, when people get in
front of my camera, they say thewords I'm not photogenic, I'm
awkward, I'm and it's a negativeI'm.
(14:27):
And so I just want to encourage people to flip that narrative in
your head to say I am camera ready, no matter because what is
camera ready? Who, who sets the bar of that?
Who gets to make that call? So whether you're in jeans and
AT shirt, whether you're in a sequin dress, who cares if
you're going to have a picture taken?
(14:47):
Also, I think our culture and our society has just such a
twisted version of what is supposed to be on Instagram and
what, like isn't. Aren't the whole point of photos
to take a moment in time of the memory of who you're with and
what you're doing? And that way you can look back
at it and go, Oh yeah, that was fun.
(15:09):
Oh yeah. And that that day this happened. 00:15:13,800 So when you when you think about
it like that, it takes the pressure away from, Oh my gosh,
what's my hair doing? My oh, I didn't get, I'm just
not feeling myself today. And it's OK to not feel
yourself, but if you're doing a photo shoot or you're suddenly
in front of a camera, change thethe narrative in your head and
instead of saying I'm awkward, say to yourself, I'm fabulous.
(15:32):
You know, I think women, especially we just men are able
to just go, OK, I look great. Yeah.
So as women, if we can just flipthat and go, you know what?
I am beautiful. I'm not awkward, I'm fabulous.
I'm comfortable. I'm comfortable in my own skin
and in my own body. And when you say that and when
you believe it, you become it. So I I like to try to not even
(15:55):
allow that language when I've got folks in front of the camera
and I I say, what if we change that?
What if you start saying say after me, I'm fabulous, I'm
gorgeous, I'm looking hot in this pink shirt today.
And when when I get them to flipthat I can see their countenance
change, I can see their confidence level go up and then
we get great pictures so we can get into all day long about, you
(16:17):
know, put your hand here. I don't know what to do with my
hands, but when you are feeling yourself and when you're
enjoying the moment, when you are having fun, you don't really
need direction because you're just doing the things.
You're just, you know, you get ideas.
What if I do this or I point to this mirror like this and then
myself as a photographer, I'm just kind of like adding on.
(16:38):
So yeah, you could do that. Or what if you turn this way and
I'm I'm helping you with those angles, but it's about having
fun and enjoying the moment and loving yourself ultimately,
Jamie. Mm hmm.
Yeah, it's true. It's all about believing, right? 00:16:53,960 But at the same time, there's
also some, like tangible, like actionable tips that we can give
(16:58):
some people. So I'm just gonna go through a
few things, you know, coming up in DCI, know you're not in DC,
but the White House Correspondents Dinner's coming
up. There are a ton of events where
red carpets will be there. People will be taking photos
throughout the events and everyone you know sometimes
feels a little awkward. They're like, Oh my gosh, I
don't want to be on camera. What do I wear?
(17:19):
How do I stand? How do I walk?
And yeah, it is on your mind. And so you do have to just go
into these events or walk these red carpets with confidence,
right. But there there are some tips,
as I said, that you can take away from this conversation.
For example, I turned off this light and I kept this light on.
(17:39):
If you are in a situation where you feel there isn't light on
your face and you see that there's light in the other
direction, you should be turningyour face toward the light so
that when you are getting your photos taken, you're seeing
something you're there's it's like a bit more flattering.
You know you're getting some of the light on your face, right?
(18:02):
Like you can do that. So when you're talking to
people, let's just talk lightingin general, and they're outside
and they're having their photos taken, do you give them any
advice as to how to tilt their heads or look toward the light
or or give you that little sunshine glisten in their eyes?
Like how do you, how do you tellthem?
Absolutely. You always want to find shade if
(18:23):
you can. You know, direct sunlight is
just gonna cast a lot of shadowsin the wrong places or blow blow
you out like it's too much light.
So yes, I always try to find shade if you can.
If you're near a tree, like findthe spot under the tree.
That's not going to cast a shadow, but it's just going to
block the sun enough to give youthat soft light.
(18:44):
We love good soft light. So and then yeah, finding first
of all finding your angle the best way, that's your face
usually the way your hair parts,you can kind of guide down from
there and then turn that way. And if your hair parts in the
middle, you can still kind of find your your, your best side,
the side that your face, usuallyyou have one eye that's a little
more open than the other and oneside of your face is a little
(19:07):
more lifted so that that side isusually what you want to play to
and then it just follows down with your body as well.
And good posture is really the best thing.
I mean, bringing your shoulders up and elongating your neck.
You know, people tell me a lot, like, can you hide my double
chin? And a lot of times it's just
because you're kind of leaning back instead of forward.
(19:28):
And so just thinking forward, even with your eyes lifted, like
bringing up the light bulbs, turning those light bulbs on in
your eyes, and then with the rest of your body.
And then I always like to tell people to give your hands a job,
give them something to do. And that job can be holding a
purse or touching your hair or touching your pocket, but you
(19:49):
don't have to feel like your hands are just like limp fish
kind of hanging around, right? You can give them something to
do or hold on to something, touch a tree, you know, touch a
walls and give them something todo.
But also keeping them away from your body and not closed in will
add like length. And also, if you're trying to
slim, giving that space in between your arm and your body
(20:11):
really helps. And you know, if you are walking
a red carpet or you find yourself, you know, in a in the
shadows of the night, you know, just just making sure that
you've practiced some of your poses.
Like she's saying, knowing what your best angles are and
practicing how to walk. You know, if you're wearing
heels that you haven't worn in the for the forever or you've
(20:32):
never worn, you know, give them a walk around the house.
Give them a quick spin before you walk that red carpet.
Especially if you have a long gown, you need to practice.
You don't want to be tripping, and you also wanna know how to
turn in that outfit so that you look as slender or, you know, as
flattering as possible. If you have a side that you
(20:52):
prefer or you don't wanna look too static, you wanna make sure
that you've had some practice moving.
I always tell people you know, how would you dance, How would
you move if you were, you know, floating around a room.
Try to think about that and makeyour body just as relaxed as
possible. And I always say, you know, it's
it's always great to try and turn your body more towards the
(21:17):
camera than actually standing straight facing the camera.
I mean, what do you say about, like, turning your and pivoting
your body toward the camera away?
Yeah, angles. And especially from your core.
Like when you when you turn yourbody at an angle away from
something and then from your shoulders and your core you
rotate, then you create a nice line toward down the center
(21:40):
instead of just front facing whole body.
It makes you just kind of squareout a little bit.
But if you want to create more curves and lines, then we go
like 90° and then from shouldersrotate here and then if you have
a split in the leg, you can always, you know, kind of pop
that leg out from here. So you're creating a nice like
line. You want lines going different
(22:03):
ways because that creates more interest.
Just like from a subconscious level, when you see a photo and
there's interest in it, rather than just forward, it's just it
just adds, like your eye is drawn to it.
So and also yeah. You know what we're saying,
guys? You know those photos?
Like, if someone's just staring straight into the camera, it's
not as attractive as if they're giving you a little tilt, maybe
(22:26):
showing having one shoulder up higher than the other.
Just try to play with it in the mirror before you hit those red
carpets and have a great time too.
Yeah, and if you have a the backof the your outfit you really
want seen, then make sure you turn and give a little look
behind, you know, from the shoulder.
That's a great pose as well. So don't don't forget the back.
(22:47):
The back is important. Too.
So true. So true.
Well, I'm really glad we could hop on Riverside for this
conversation guys. I'll put some links to all she
has going on in the description.I'll also have a link down there
to Riverside if you are looking to start podcasting or just
recording content online. Riverside's a great platform.
(23:10):
I use it for a lot of things. I now even try to use it instead
of zoom when I'm doing conversations because sometimes
when we're talking, we just feellike recording.
So Riverside is a great platform.
So check that out. I'll have a link down below as
well as my discount code and I'll see you guys online.
Thanks again, Christy. Thank you, Jamie.
It was great talking to you. Good to talk to you, too.
All right, let me stop that.
Hey guys, this is a bonus episode.
I got the chance to speak with photographer Christie Hunter.
She's owner of Photo Wok Nashville.
She's also owner of Go to Nashville, The Instagram handle. 00:00:23,840 This petite influencer has so
much to offer you if you are looking for ways to pose on the
(00:28):
red carpet for head shots or photos for your own social media
accounts. We get to all the tips in this
episode, so be sure to wait tillthe end.
Of course, that's when we reallydig deep and give you all you
need to look your best. Here's our conversation.
(00:51):
So Christy, I'm really glad you could join us from Nashville.
Why don't you tell us a little bit about you and the photo
walk? Me, Jamie.
So I own a company called Photo Walk Nashville and we are a
photo shoot tour experience where we take you around to the
hot spots in Nashville in the Gulch and 12 S 2 neighborhoods
(01:14):
that have a lot of murals. And you know the problem of
always going on vacation. And you want pictures.
You want great pics of you and your partner or your family or
your friend group, but who's going to take them for you?
So we solve that problem for you.
We take your pictures and give you posing, ideas, direction,
but we also give you an insider look at Nashville.
Where to eat, where to shop, allthat good stuff.
(01:35):
And as I mentioned in the intro,you know, I took my photos from
my website right now, which is currently up.
And then I'm updating it go by going to the photo walk.
And I saw more than just a experience tour, You know, I saw
an opportunity, right? Because you're in the city, and
for someone like myself, having more colorful photos and city
(01:57):
images was appealing. So do you?
I mean, you also work with branding photo shoots too,
correct? Absolutely.
For content creators, for bloggers, models, entrepreneurs,
people in business or even just if you need a new LinkedIn
profile picture while you're in Nashville, right.
It is such a colorful, vibrant city.
(02:17):
And so if you're traveling from out of the out of outside of the
city, it's a great way to to getcontent and you know, work with
a photographer like myself or someone on my team that can give
you those high quality photos for a really reasonable price as
well. And we're easy to book.
You can go online and just look at our different offerings.
We have one for creators as well.
(02:38):
And so even if you need product shots, we can do that too.
If it's something you can bring along with you, we can work with
you on that and really get. We've had folks like you.
Thank you, Jamie, so much for coming and doing the photo walk
experience because I had such a great time with you.
And also it's a great way to make connections with with other
people. And you know, that's the one way
that I've made a lot of relationships with content
(03:02):
creators from outside of Nashville is because they've
come, you know, found me online and worked with me and we had a
great time together and stayed connected.
And you know, I just have to mention the online portion
because, you know, Christy isn'tjust a photographer who has her
own business. She's also an influencer, A
petite influencer in style, fashion, everything Nashville.
(03:24):
So because this podcast and my my YouTube channel really tries
to focus on helping people become on camera, ready for
media opportunities but also social media, I thought it would
be great to talk with Christy. Not just about, you know, how to
help you prepare for your next photo shoot, but to also tap
into her influencer role here onInstagram.
(03:48):
So when it comes to building a brand on Instagram, what are
some things that you've learned along the way that might be
useful to listeners that are trying to build and grow an
account? Everyone always says offer value
and have consistency. What do you say?
Well, I feel like I've dabbled in the influencer space for a
(04:08):
long time now and never really declared myself one until I
acquired this page called Go to Nashville.
And so on a personal level, I just really started showing the
things that I loved, whether it was a place that I visited or an
outfit that I was wearing. And I just started tagging the
brands and that led to, you know, some relationships.
(04:30):
So really on a lower level scaleis where I started by just, you
know, the simplicity of just promoting what you love and
sharing it from a very authenticplace.
And then you know started reaching out to some brands or
they they would reach out to me.But with go to Nashville it it
became a broader platform where Nashville is the star and I'm
(04:53):
able to work with restaurants, hotels, you know experiences
different places, bars and you know it for myself, but then
show it to the rest of the world.
And that page is a very large local following.
A lot of Nashvillians follow it and but you know a lot, a lot of
times tourists want to go where the locals go.
(05:14):
And so I really try to come at it from this is a place where
myself as a Nashville native andlocal, this is where I want to
go on, on a weekend or on a girls night or date night,
something like that. So really wanting to just show
those spots and coming at it from from a genuine, authentic
place. This is the experience that I
(05:35):
had. I want to share it with you.
Mm hmm. And it's, you know what I'm
hearing you, you speak, I'm thinking of, you know, a lot of
what we're taught in marketing where it's you want to gain know
like and trust, right. You want people to know you
like, you trust you. And essentially with Instagram
brands have that opportunity really to build the know like
and trust. And you're doing that, you know,
(05:56):
with the with both of your accounts and just with you being
authentic, as authentic as you can, right, as a business owner
online. And I guess it's just it's
challenging though for many brands to show up.
So what is it that really helps drive you to be on camera ready
for your social media following?Well, I think just Nashville is
(06:18):
so ever changing and growing andso there's always something new
coming at me or I'm seeing it out there.
And so I I think it's honestly it's FOMO for me.
I just have a a fear of missing out.
I like to go do the things. If I see something's happening,
I want to try it for myself. So that's a lot of the
motivation, is that I really like to go try these things.
(06:41):
I like to go have great times with my friends and see what's
happening. You know, as somebody who grew
up on the outskirts of Nashvilleand seeing it grow and change
and also having, you know deeperconnections and roots to it.
You know, like like TPAC are Performing Arts Center.
I have memories. I have really special memories
of going there as a kid. So when they're doing a new
(07:04):
show, when I get the chance to partner with somebody like TPAC,
I'm, I'm jumping on it because it's special to me.
Like it has has meaning. I didn't just move here, you
know, three years ago from outside and and building these
new ones. Nothing wrong with that, but
it's it just goes to a deeper level for me of a real love and
also a want like like a desire to share with folks the deep
(07:27):
history and richness of this city and you know share some of
the things that that I don't want forgotten.
Like Opryland USA was our theme park, You know, that's no longer
here. Now there's a mall there.
So I love sharing that nostalgia.
And you know, the artists. It's not just even the artists,
it's the music industry behind it, the people that make up the
(07:49):
city that you might not know about, but just just give us a
little light, a little, you know, behind the curtain.
Look at what makes the city thrive.
It's like Christy, the Connectoris connecting everyone in the
city and outside the city to Nashville and I think that it's
a really great brand and I I just, I think it's inspirational
(08:12):
to a lot of small business owners the way you're
approaching it. It's also, you know, a great
opportunity for you because I'veseen you've also done local
television there. You know, now you're able to
bring what you're learning aboutthe city to the local viewers
on, you know, TV. And traditional media is still a
very important element to anyone's media shares.
(08:36):
Like if you are a brand, you want to be on local TV or you
want to be on national so that you can tell everybody, like,
hey, did you see me on Fox 5 or did you, did you catch me on
ABC? Because it kind of legitimizes
you and whatever you're talking about further.
So what do you do to try and prepare for some of the segments
that you've had on local news? I know you did one.
(08:57):
It was like about all the different vendors and what
they're offering outfit wise is like how do you collaborate and
connect everyone together for those segments?
Well, I try to look ahead at what's coming up.
And so like for instance, tomorrow I'll be on local on two
Nashville about Mother's Day. So Mother's Day is coming up and
I want to share about things that you can do with your mother
(09:20):
in Nashville like experiences todo instead of just a gift.
These are memories you can make together.
And so I try and really think about from a personal
perspective like what would I want out of this, what would I
want to hear someone sharing about.
And then also I want to focus and highlight local businesses
too. So thinking about things that I
may know about because I am connected into the tourism space
(09:43):
and the hotel space knowing whatyou know what hotels are
featuring and new kind of cool up and coming things that they
have going because I am connected in the CVC and our
tourism Bureau and organization.So I'm able to hear and kind of
be on the forefront of that. So I want to share those things
but also trying to to think of some fun ways to present that
(10:05):
information to like for the Taylor Swift Eras tour we showed
different outfits. So I'm kind of tying in my love
of fashion and and experiences together and so I had models
come in and you know from local boutiques and we showed
different eras looks. So I love being able to do that
kind of thing and and bringing in tying it all together and
(10:25):
showing people ways to have a great time in Nashville that
might be outside the box. It's beyond the tourist stuff.
It's beyond Broadway. It's how to have great memories,
great make, make memories with people that you love in in such
a vibrant and beautiful city. Christy, when other small
businesses approach you and they're asking for advice on how
to move in a similar direction online or, you know, into
(10:49):
television space, what do you tell them?
Like what tips do you have? Well, I think when you pitch to
someone having a really clear idea and being open for that
idea to to be tweaked, but present them with something.
Don't just come on and say hey, I want to be on your show but
have a very clear idea. And say I'd love to present
(11:11):
about XYZ and that I I've had really, really good results with
that of of already having a clear idea that I'm presenting.
Maybe it gets tweaked a little bit down the road, but you know,
just making it easy for for people in the media to to share
with them. Here's all the information, yes,
(11:32):
but it's not just a BLOB of information, it's an idea.
It's something that's a hook that you think you would like to
watch yourself. But then also is is something
that is interesting and fun and maybe bringing in a visual
elements as well, not just talking on camera about
something, but here's how I can show you.
And then also being ready to provide the assets for them, you
(11:55):
know ahead of time to go ahead and show them some pictures,
some video reference some of your Instagram and say this is
what I'm talking about. So you know a a good pitch deck,
it doesn't even have to be a full deck.
I mean that's what I've seen. It's just a really good e-mail,
a clear e-mail with your strategy in mind and your your
(12:15):
plan that that has some fun and creative elements in it as well. 00:12:22,560 Whenever I'm telling people
about you know, how to attract TV, for example, it's never, you
know, droning on about who you are and what you do.
It's all about how you can help them and how you would make
(12:37):
their program really tremendous,you know, on a Saturday or you
know, a Monday morning. And in order to do that, it is
about providing value. And with everyone on social
media these days, those that areshowing up really are getting a
leg up when it comes to figuringout how to hone in on what a
(12:57):
pitch really needs to be. Because you're nailing it in the
sense of you want to be able to fill a hole, a hole on that TV
show that's going to be filled with value.
And ATV producer wants it to be easy for them, like they want
you to come in. Yeah, it's great if you have a
good story, but if you have visuals, you have something to
(13:20):
show, you have something to share and you have something
that the audience can kind of take away from the segment with. 00:13:28,240 That's important.
So I think it's, it sounds like you have a lot going on that's
that's in a positive direction and you're offering some great
tips. Before we go, I really just want
to focus on photography and how to help people show up whenever
(13:42):
they are taking photos. So I find it's interesting that
some people really don't know how to pose.
They don't know how to smile. They don't know where to put
their hands. So what are some of your tips
that you give people on how theycan become on Cam?
Ready for their next photo shootor red carpet?
The biggest thing to me is how in their head people get.
(14:04):
So it's changing the the language that you say
immediately, whether it it goes pretty deep.
You know, maybe at some point inyour life you were told you
don't take good pictures, or maybe you've just told yourself
that. But I hear it all the time,
Jamie. Right away, when people get in
front of my camera, they say thewords I'm not photogenic, I'm
awkward, I'm and it's a negativeI'm.
(14:27):
And so I just want to encourage people to flip that narrative in
your head to say I am camera ready, no matter because what is
camera ready? Who, who sets the bar of that?
Who gets to make that call? So whether you're in jeans and
AT shirt, whether you're in a sequin dress, who cares if
you're going to have a picture taken?
(14:47):
Also, I think our culture and our society has just such a
twisted version of what is supposed to be on Instagram and
what, like isn't. Aren't the whole point of photos
to take a moment in time of the memory of who you're with and
what you're doing? And that way you can look back
at it and go, Oh yeah, that was fun.
(15:09):
Oh yeah. And that that day this happened. 00:15:13,800 So when you when you think about
it like that, it takes the pressure away from, Oh my gosh,
what's my hair doing? My oh, I didn't get, I'm just
not feeling myself today. And it's OK to not feel
yourself, but if you're doing a photo shoot or you're suddenly
in front of a camera, change thethe narrative in your head and
instead of saying I'm awkward, say to yourself, I'm fabulous.
(15:32):
You know, I think women, especially we just men are able
to just go, OK, I look great. Yeah.
So as women, if we can just flipthat and go, you know what?
I am beautiful. I'm not awkward, I'm fabulous.
I'm comfortable. I'm comfortable in my own skin
and in my own body. And when you say that and when
you believe it, you become it. So I I like to try to not even
(15:55):
allow that language when I've got folks in front of the camera
and I I say, what if we change that?
What if you start saying say after me, I'm fabulous, I'm
gorgeous, I'm looking hot in this pink shirt today.
And when when I get them to flipthat I can see their countenance
change, I can see their confidence level go up and then
we get great pictures so we can get into all day long about, you
(16:17):
know, put your hand here. I don't know what to do with my
hands, but when you are feeling yourself and when you're
enjoying the moment, when you are having fun, you don't really
need direction because you're just doing the things.
You're just, you know, you get ideas.
What if I do this or I point to this mirror like this and then
myself as a photographer, I'm just kind of like adding on.
(16:38):
So yeah, you could do that. Or what if you turn this way and
I'm I'm helping you with those angles, but it's about having
fun and enjoying the moment and loving yourself ultimately,
Jamie. Mm hmm.
Yeah, it's true. It's all about believing, right? 00:16:53,960 But at the same time, there's
also some, like tangible, like actionable tips that we can give
(16:58):
some people. So I'm just gonna go through a
few things, you know, coming up in DCI, know you're not in DC,
but the White House Correspondents Dinner's coming
up. There are a ton of events where
red carpets will be there. People will be taking photos
throughout the events and everyone you know sometimes
feels a little awkward. They're like, Oh my gosh, I
don't want to be on camera. What do I wear?
(17:19):
How do I stand? How do I walk?
And yeah, it is on your mind. And so you do have to just go
into these events or walk these red carpets with confidence,
right. But there there are some tips,
as I said, that you can take away from this conversation.
For example, I turned off this light and I kept this light on.
(17:39):
If you are in a situation where you feel there isn't light on
your face and you see that there's light in the other
direction, you should be turningyour face toward the light so
that when you are getting your photos taken, you're seeing
something you're there's it's like a bit more flattering.
You know you're getting some of the light on your face, right?
(18:02):
Like you can do that. So when you're talking to
people, let's just talk lightingin general, and they're outside
and they're having their photos taken, do you give them any
advice as to how to tilt their heads or look toward the light
or or give you that little sunshine glisten in their eyes?
Like how do you, how do you tellthem?
Absolutely. You always want to find shade if
(18:23):
you can. You know, direct sunlight is
just gonna cast a lot of shadowsin the wrong places or blow blow
you out like it's too much light.
So yes, I always try to find shade if you can.
If you're near a tree, like findthe spot under the tree.
That's not going to cast a shadow, but it's just going to
block the sun enough to give youthat soft light.
(18:44):
We love good soft light. So and then yeah, finding first
of all finding your angle the best way, that's your face
usually the way your hair parts,you can kind of guide down from
there and then turn that way. And if your hair parts in the
middle, you can still kind of find your your, your best side,
the side that your face, usuallyyou have one eye that's a little
more open than the other and oneside of your face is a little
(19:07):
more lifted so that that side isusually what you want to play to
and then it just follows down with your body as well.
And good posture is really the best thing.
I mean, bringing your shoulders up and elongating your neck.
You know, people tell me a lot, like, can you hide my double
chin? And a lot of times it's just
because you're kind of leaning back instead of forward.
(19:28):
And so just thinking forward, even with your eyes lifted, like
bringing up the light bulbs, turning those light bulbs on in
your eyes, and then with the rest of your body.
And then I always like to tell people to give your hands a job,
give them something to do. And that job can be holding a
purse or touching your hair or touching your pocket, but you
(19:49):
don't have to feel like your hands are just like limp fish
kind of hanging around, right? You can give them something to
do or hold on to something, touch a tree, you know, touch a
walls and give them something todo.
But also keeping them away from your body and not closed in will
add like length. And also, if you're trying to
slim, giving that space in between your arm and your body
(20:11):
really helps. And you know, if you are walking
a red carpet or you find yourself, you know, in a in the
shadows of the night, you know, just just making sure that
you've practiced some of your poses.
Like she's saying, knowing what your best angles are and
practicing how to walk. You know, if you're wearing
heels that you haven't worn in the for the forever or you've
(20:32):
never worn, you know, give them a walk around the house.
Give them a quick spin before you walk that red carpet.
Especially if you have a long gown, you need to practice.
You don't want to be tripping, and you also wanna know how to
turn in that outfit so that you look as slender or, you know, as
flattering as possible. If you have a side that you
(20:52):
prefer or you don't wanna look too static, you wanna make sure
that you've had some practice moving.
I always tell people you know, how would you dance, How would
you move if you were, you know, floating around a room.
Try to think about that and makeyour body just as relaxed as
possible. And I always say, you know, it's
it's always great to try and turn your body more towards the
(21:17):
camera than actually standing straight facing the camera.
I mean, what do you say about, like, turning your and pivoting
your body toward the camera away?
Yeah, angles. And especially from your core.
Like when you when you turn yourbody at an angle away from
something and then from your shoulders and your core you
rotate, then you create a nice line toward down the center
(21:40):
instead of just front facing whole body.
It makes you just kind of squareout a little bit.
But if you want to create more curves and lines, then we go
like 90° and then from shouldersrotate here and then if you have
a split in the leg, you can always, you know, kind of pop
that leg out from here. So you're creating a nice like
line. You want lines going different
(22:03):
ways because that creates more interest.
Just like from a subconscious level, when you see a photo and
there's interest in it, rather than just forward, it's just it
just adds, like your eye is drawn to it.
So and also yeah. You know what we're saying,
guys? You know those photos?
Like, if someone's just staring straight into the camera, it's
not as attractive as if they're giving you a little tilt, maybe
(22:26):
showing having one shoulder up higher than the other.
Just try to play with it in the mirror before you hit those red
carpets and have a great time too.
Yeah, and if you have a the backof the your outfit you really
want seen, then make sure you turn and give a little look
behind, you know, from the shoulder.
That's a great pose as well. So don't don't forget the back.
(22:47):
The back is important. Too.
So true. So true.
Well, I'm really glad we could hop on Riverside for this
conversation guys. I'll put some links to all she
has going on in the description.I'll also have a link down there
to Riverside if you are looking to start podcasting or just
recording content online. Riverside's a great platform.
(23:10):
I use it for a lot of things. I now even try to use it instead
of zoom when I'm doing conversations because sometimes
when we're talking, we just feellike recording.
So Riverside is a great platform.
So check that out. I'll have a link down below as
well as my discount code and I'll see you guys online.
Thanks again, Christy. Thank you, Jamie.
It was great talking to you. Good to talk to you, too.
All right, let me stop that.
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