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    And the Winner of SOS Island is…

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    GRAHAM HUGHES!!!

    Congratulations! Graham is already a seasoned survivalist, going down in the Guinness Book of World Records for being the first person to go to all the United Nations countries without flying.

    And now.. he is the winner of Samsung’s SOS Island: Survival of the Smartest and has $100,000 in the bank toward his very own private island!

    What was interesting about Graham’s win was that he was an excellent source of knowledge for contestants on the island, building fires without knives or flint, but had a difficult time translating those skills into challenge wins. He finished his time on the island with a modest two coconuts (wins), but then put his social media efforts into high drive. With a well received TED Talks speech and articles in the highly respected The Guardian, Graham was able to garner an incredible amount of votes, which made up 40% of the overall score, that ultimately made him the winner.

    I am so proud of all the contestants and crew on SOS Island. Everyone pushed their physical limits on what could be done on a deserted island, and the results were outstanding. I won’t be cheesy and say we all walked away winners, but we definitely all walked away with a once-in-a-lifetime experience we will never forget.

    Here’s a look back at my favorite episodes from SOS Island:


    “Down with the Ship” – This is my favorite challenge. It was the most fun to participate in- as well as the most fun to watch!

     


    “Food Forager” – Graham’s first, and very impressive, win on the island.

     


    “Survival of the Smartest” – This challenge caused many injuries, greatly effecting the rest of the time on the island.

     


    “Fish Food” – Graham’s second win. Do you sense a theme with the challenges he won?

     


    “SOS” – This was the most difficult challenge both physically and mentally. The ending was a surprise!

     


    “Gift From Above” – This was inspired by the Hunger Games: Catching Fire. As a huge fan of the book, it was fun to let my inner Katniss out for a day.

  • 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.

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    How Two Travelers on Vagabondish

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    This year I went for my passion: travel.

    I partnered up with seasoned travel expert Rachel Rudwall and re-branded my YouTube channel from my namesake to How Two Travelers (H2T). It’s been really fun working with a fellow female traveler who is as passionate as I am about seeing new places- and most importantly, making it fun for everyone!

     

    So here’s what you can expect to see on H2T:

    A Travel Tip is uploaded on the first Monday of the month.

    A Food and Drink is on the second Monday of the month.

    A Bucket List Adventure is shown on the third Monday of the month.

    And a Go or No Travel Review is uploaded on the fourth Monday of the month. It’s basically a movie review, but for travel destinations. I especially like these videos!

     

    We launched in October, and thankfully have had a great response. Fodor’s and the New York Observer are following us on twitter, and Vagabondish, one of the most popular travel websites, is now featuring our travel tip videos!

    Check out the featured tips below:

  • Andrea v Katniss — Hunger Games Challenge on SOS Island

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    This week is the Hunger Games inspired challenge on Samsung’s SOS Island: Survival of the Smartest.

    Which begs the question- who rocks the side braid better- Katniss or me?

     

    Check out this week’s challenge here:

  • 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

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