Category: Andrea Gets Personal

Disney Is The Happiest (work)Place On Earth

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“Disneyland is the Happiest Place on Earth” – a genius tagline for an iconic company.

But is it really just a marketing slogan?

A few months ago, my family came to LA to visit Disneyland for the first time. Unfortunately, I wasn’t able to step through the gates, because I was emcee’ing an event for one of Disney’s other properties, the El Capitan Theater.

When we all got together for “family” dinner – 3,000 miles away from our actual home- we had the same story about our day: “Wow, the people are so happy and friendly. What are they on?”

Because, a family filled with MD’s must assume they are “on” something to be that happy.

My parents were impressed with the greeters, who were able to retain their same – HIGH – level of energy and friendliness throughout the day while everyone else in the family was utterly exhausted. I was blown away by my bosses who repeatedly thanked me and expressed their gratitude… for accepting a job!

As we compared stories, my mom said, “Well, I’ve heard about that Disney culture and I guess it’s really true,” referencing the book The Disney Way by Bill Capodagli.

While I encourage everyone to read it, here are some quotes that sum up this happy Disney Corporate Culture:

Building and reinforcing a strong, positive corporate culture is a keystone of Disney’s success in Cast engagement and Guest happiness.

The word “no” is discouraged as it shuts down hopes. Leaders must use positive language such as “yes if…” and “yes and…” if they want to foster a collaborative culture.

Employee satisfaction, not customer satisfaction, should be a leader’s priority. Employee satisfaction will trickle down to the customers.

Disney uses unique business language to set the right tone. Employees are “cast members”, jobs are “roles”, uniforms are “costumes”, and customers are “guests”.

Disney hires attitude over aptitude. “We can teach someone to drive a bus. We can’t teach them to smile and be happy.”

 

Happiness is the mindset the brain needs to be in order to function at its most optimal level. According to Shawn Achor of The Happiness Advantage, the brain at happiness versus negative or neutral is 31% more productive, people are 37% better at sales, and there is less turnover (aka costly turnover) when employees are in this mindset.

And therein lies the secret as to why Disney is the happiest – and one of the most successful places- on Earth.

And the best part is that you don’t need to work at Disney to start feeling the rewards of being happy, you can train your brain to work at its optimal level.

But hey, working at Disney doesn’t hurt either.

 

 

Dirty and Thirty

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Here is my first post for the fun, informative, and fabulous Dirty and Thirty blog:

MUST WATCH FOR EVERY AGE: WHY 30 IS NOT THE NEW 20

WARNING: This video will scare the crap out of you. If you have an ounce of stress about feeling behind on the arbitrary “life” timeline, then grab a cocktail- and a diaper- and watch.

I woke up on my 28th birthday feeling like how I’ve dreaded waking up on my 30th. Panicked. And, WTF?! These wrinkles came out of NOWHERE! I was breaking up with my boyfriend, my checks were not steady and not covering the bills, and consequently, I felt my career was nowhere near my potential.

Thank god I’m over 21 because the tequila shot I just drank was delicious.

So I decided to change my approach to life and play to my strengths. I’m an excellent student. In order to gain wisdom and find new answers, I dove into self-help/psychology, the major I always wanted to have, if it wasn’t so damn impractical. My broadcast journalism major hasn’t turned out to be so practical either, but, I digress.

Which brought me to TED Talks. Specifically, this one by psychologist Meg Jay titled “Why 30 is NOT the new 20″.

gulp.

diaper change.

Watch the video, but I will summarize the main points below.

WHY DECISIONS IN YOUR 20′S REALLY, REALLY MATTER

She opens this talk by diving into every insecurity a single, underemployed, approaching 30 year-old may have about life… AND tells you all your fears are true! Oh, and she has stats to prove it.

– 80% of life’s defining moments happen by age 35.
– 50% of Americans are living, dating, or married to their future life partner by age 30. (I thought it would be more, score one for Team Single)
– Your brain caps its 2nd and last growth spurt in your 20′s to re-wire for adulthood. If you want to change anything about yourself, now is the time to do it.
– 20′s development for adulthood is equivalent to the first five years for children; your mind and body make fundamental changes that have long lasting effects.
– Female fertility PEAKS at 28. (Translation: F*ck. Literally. Start doing it… now!)

Good news- I just lost my appetite by being scared to death. That dress is going to fit good tonight!

My freaked out reaction, I think, is all part of her grand plan to light a fire under your butt. Or, to put it more eloquently, this was a perfect segueway for a well-timed Leonardo Bernstein quote.

“To achieve great things, two things are needed: a plan and not quite enough time.”

Oh, don’t worry, I know there’s not enough time now, because that biological clock just started ticking louder than a Skrillex set. And the fact she just said this brilliant quote:

“The new midlife crisis isn’t buying a red sports car. It’s realizing you can’t have the career you always wanted, or the child you wanted to have, or give your child a sibling.”

Yeah. Let that sit. It’s heavy.

WHAT TO DO ABOUT IT

First, sip your cocktail and compose yourself. There’s light at the end of the tunnel, and it’s not a white light, more like a disco light.

1. Forget About an Identity Crisis- Get Some Identity Capital
Do something that adds value to who you are or is an investment in who you want to become. No more dead end jobs, no more overanalyzing, just do it. Identity Capital begets Identity Capital; this is a ball you want to start rolling.

2. Get New Friends
Not only does this expand your way of thinking, but also expands your options. Your acquaintances, or “weak ties” as Meg puts it, will get that ball rolling. Half of new jobs aren’t posted, and a great way to find them is by taking advantage of your weak ties. This is also called networking (I know, I hate that word, too).

3. Start Picking Your Family Now
The best time to start working on your marriage is before you have one, says Meg. Be as intentional about your love life as you are with your career. Don’t try to make it work with whoever is choosing you at the moment. Figure out what you like, don’t like, and what you inevitably want by trial and error of dating. NOW.

GOOD NEWS

You have control. Yay! I mean, you always have control, but now you can feel like really you do.
AND
You know those evil stats at the beginning? Those can work in your favor. Because your 20′s are such an important developmental stage, you are malleable and small changes in habits and thinking can have a huge (positive) impact on the rest of your life.

So, according to Meg, 30 is not the new 20, regardless of how the socially acceptable timeline of career, marriage and kids has stretched. Take control of your life. Don’t be defined by what you didn’t know or do, because whether you like it or not, you’re deciding what you do now.

I found a lot of truth and inspiration in this TED talk. We know not to procrastinate on work, why procrastinate on our development? Although, I would love to know her sources for some of the (scary) stats.

What do you think?

10 Things I Did This Year

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1. I Sold Beer… in Japan

I was in a Suntory beer commercial!! Yes, like THE Suntory, made famous from Bill Murray’s character in Lost in Translation. If that wasn’t cool enough, I starred alongside Ken Watanabe!!! (Inception, The Last Samurai) I played a reporter- shocking, I know- and made some funny faces. If you’ve seen any of my Key of Awesome stuff, you can probably guess where I got those from.

This was one of those moments where I thought, “I can’t wait to tell my grandkids about this”… which is also the first time I ever thought about having grand kids. Go figure.

2. Media Makeover

I upgraded with new headshots, website, demo reel, and boobs. I’m just kidding about the last part. These B’s are real.

3. And We’re LIVE

This was the year of performing on Live TV, which is basically an adrenaline rush equivalent to sky diving, but without all the potential bodily injury and stuff. I had major live projects for Ultra, SOS Island, and covering the Thor: The Dark World red carpet for Yahoo! and Marvel. It’s fun and I can’t wait to do more. img_3577 fotor

4. Call Me Feczko-pova

I learned how to play tennis! I went to Mexico, and after finding the perfect margarita, I decided to start taking tennis lessons! As one naturally does in such circumstances. Now this is a tequila decision I don’t regret, because now I play tennis a couple times a month with friends. Did you know LA has free tennis courts?! One more reason why I love LA… and the Nike Outlet store. I don’t know which came first: the desire to play tennis or the desire to have a place to wear a tennis skirt.

5. The Launch of How 2 Travelers

Since creating my YouTube channel in 2010, I had a vision for it to be an edgy, inspired, travel-based channel. This year, I finally made that vision into a reality by teaming up with travel expert Rachel Rudwall and re-branding as How 2 Travelers. H2T is a how to guide for everything travel: from tips, to adventures, to reviews of places you want to go. The response has thus far been amazing, with Vagabondish regularly featuring our videos.

6. We Broke Twitter… and some Records

We all knew Ultra Miami was going to be big for its 15th anniversary, but at UMF TV we didn’t realize just how much of an impact our livestream has on artists and the fans. Due to a 10 minute interview that was completely spontaneous thanks to technical difficulties (hey, it’s live TV!), we broke Goldfish Live’s website. Hardwell’s mainstage performance that aired on UMF TV was so insane that Twitter shut down his account, because, according to Robbert, his name was taking up 30% of the bandwidth! And, our finale, Swedish House Mafia’s last set as a group, brought in over 200,000 concurrent viewers, which is the most amount of viewers for a livestream of a North American music festival. I feel so blessed to be part of this awesome team. I must say, the Dutch do it better… with an American host. 😉

7. I’m Gold!

My frequent flyer status is officially 14K on both American and Delta airlines, which makes all the difference when it comes to flying: short lines for security AND customs, random upgrades, and your luggage is always the first to come down the carousel. Basically, I travel like a 45-year old male businessman. And if I must say so, I look good for a dude.

This is a huge thanks to Ultra, which has me traveling all over Asia, South America and Europe hosting the livestream of their music festivals. In 2014 we’ll be adding South Africa, Tokyo, and maybe other locations that haven’t been announced yet. Stay tuned…

8. Close Calls

2013 was the year of getting on the proverbial podium. I tested for a network game show for Freemantle (aka my dream job) and a Discovery travel series, made it to the top three for an NBC travel show, and was the runner-up in the nationwide search for FX’s DVD on TV replacement. In Hollywood, it’s usually considered a big accomplishment just to get a call back, but luckily for me, I was cast in other shows based on these auditions: SOS Island with Survivorman’s Les Stroud and FX’s Hershey’s Sweet Cinema.

9. I’m Home Alone

I put my big girl pants on this year and am now living in total freedom with my own place in the heart of Hollywood. You don’t want to know what goes down when a girl has a place to herself… or maybe you’re going to find out. My princess pad was decorated by Frugal but Fabulous‘ Georgie Smith. The Webisode on the Feczko photo(14)Residence Makeover will arrive early 2014.

10. I fell more in love with Ibiza

I mean look at it! I went there for the second year in a row, which means this could just be the start of a serious relationship. And seriously, why can’t Ibiza be man? Because then he’d be blue and perfect… and things just got weird.

 

 

Can’t wait for what’s ahead in 2014. Looking forward to seeing your sexy selves in the new year!

Paul Walker Dead at 40

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I’ve learned that people will forget what you said, people will forget what you did, but people will never forget how you made them feel. — Maya Angelou

 

I met Paul Walker how most people did: falling in love with those crystal clear blue eyes in the movie theater (Skulls, to be exact).

 

I met him for the first time in real life when I was a senior at NYU. I was interning in the Development Department at Fuse, when my boss told me that I was able to sit in on a pitch meeting… with Paul Walker! My all-time celebrity crush!

The meeting was an intimate affair: Paul and his business partner, my two bosses at Fuse, and myself. It was so intimate that I don’t believe I ever made direct eye contact with him. Yes, I really took advantage of that moment. I didn’t make a noise. I didn’t ask a question. I believe my voice cracked when I said my name. It was a highlight of my charismatic skills.

 

Two years later I sat down in the chair above for the Fast & Furious IV junket. Before the interview started, I told him that I had actually met him before (does being in the same room count as meeting?) at Fuse when I was an intern… “Yeah, and I was pitching the skateboarding show,” Paul said, finishing my sentence.

“You remembered me?” I asked. Shocked.

“Of course,” he replied, like it was no big thing, telling me details about that meeting and what I was doing that I didn’t even remember. He asked me how I was finding life after graduation. Him, the star, asking me, the newbie reporter, about my life. And he genuinely wanted to know.

 

I will never forget the feeling I had in that moment.

Flattery. Giddiness. And above all, that I was important.

 

I always imagined I would interview him at the next Fast & Furious junket and tell him how important that moment was to me… but time flies by… and so do those opportunities.

 

Paul paid attention to people, even the intern. Gawker called him a “Goddamn Saint”. I have to agree.

 

Rest in Peace Paul Walker. You were truly someone special.

E!’s Drama Queen- What Marki’s Really Like

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Meet Marki Costello. She is the granddaughter of legendary comedian Lou Costello and a serious business woman. Marki has created an incredible niche in Hollywood as a well respected hosting coach and manager, founding CMEG . But most importantly, she is a character! That’s why E! is giving her her own show called Drama Queen that is airing tonight, Sunday November 17th, at 11pm.

A lot of hosts ask me- “So, what is Marki really like?”

As a student for nearly three years and a client for one, I have a lot of experience with Marki. This is the advice I give them, and am now giving you!

 

1. She’s Intimidating

Marki was most definitely a New York taxi cab driver in a former life. She tells it like it is, she likes to use four-letter words, has excellent use of her diaphragm, and sometimes she, uh, over shares. I mean, look at the promo for the show. I’ve never heard a woman declare herself a bitch in such a bad ass, and dare I say, aspirational? manner.

 

2. Fail Fast, Succeed Sooner

If you’re going into her class wanting someone to tell you how great you are and you should “definitely be hosting your own network prime time TV show by now,” then think again.

Marki’s class is a way to fail fast in order to succeed sooner. I take class so that I make my mistakes in a safe environment, and when I’m on an audition, or more importantly on set, I “don’t f*** up.” Yes, I’ve literally gotten that direction on set before. It was said in jest, but only kind of.

Marki will find something wrong with your performance no matter what. You may not agree with her, or you may not agree how she goes about critiquing you, but that’s why you’re in class: to get better.

Hint: This class works especially well for ex-East Coasters.

 

3. She’s RightFotor1105151743

Just get over it. Don’t fight it. Don’t rebel against it. She is right. Maybe not 100% of the time for every situation, but there will definitely be a point in your career where that one critique that really got under your skin got you out of a jam on a job. She is the person networks go to when their talent is not performing well. If the networks want their talent trained by her- at $500 an hour!- then LISTEN when she critiques you in class. If you booked a job and didn’t do well, you’d have to listen to her anyway.

This brings me to my next point…

 

4. Go In With The Right Mindset

As a student for nearly 3 years, I see the people who resist the most are the people who go into class with the goal of being represented by her, not learning from her.

I was one of those people. And boy did I get served a big dose of humble pie. And I hate pie. I’m more of a cake person.

It’s a hosting class, not an audition.

The funny thing is the less time you spend trying to prove yourself and the more time you spend trying to better yourself will bring you closer to that end goal of being represented by Marki- if that’s your end goal. She respects hard work and consistency over talent. So many people pass through her door, but it’s the ones who stick around that get noticed.

That’s how I was asked to be represented by her. And yes, I’m still in class… now more than ever.

 

5. Results Don’t Lie

I moved to LA in March of 2011. I took the hosting boot camp 2 weeks after I arrived. I had no job lined up, except some savings and the goal that I would dedicate one year of my life to hosting. Meaning, instead of spending 40 hours a week working as a waitress, I would take those 40 hours and invest them in myself and my career.

Within six months I was shooting a pilot for MTV and by the year mark, I was a working host, which is a huge feat in Hollywood.

And this was before I was represented by her.

Now, this is obviously not only because of Marki’s class. I worked, and still work, my butt off. But I definitely saw an improvement in my performance and confidence. I perform best when I ‘m over prepared and it’s really hard to prepare for auditions, where every one is different. But taking class definitely helped in navigating the curve balls.

 

6. How She Represents You

People think that once you are represented by any agent or manager, it’s like a flip of a switch and automatically you’ll start booking.

Yeeeaaaah… that’s not how it works.

Marki is like any manager or agent, where they can get you through the door, but you have to keep that door open for yourself after you walk out. Translation: you have to earn the job.

With that said, Marki has gotten me into doors that I never thought possible. i.e. TESTING for a huge network show without an initial audition. For those new to the field, testing is the final round of auditions, usually in front of executives. I didn’t book the show, but I made a good impression, which is sometimes 95% of the battle.

She has also fought like hell for me on jobs where I was in the top 3. I’m talking hours and hours on the phone.

REMEMBER: Your manager or agent only make 10-20% of what you earn, so don’t expect them to do 80% of the work. Continue to take classes, build your social media empire, build any empire for that matter, self-submit, network, and perfect your craft.

Yes, that’s a Marki nugget of advice, one of many.

 

Everyone- enjoy the show Drama Queen. One thing I know for sure is that it will most definitely be a show!

And for the aspiring TV hosts out there, invest in yourself and you will succeed. Hollywood is a war of attrition. The longer you stay in it, the better your chances are of success.

 

xoxo, Andrea