Visiting The Nate Berkus Show

 

I went into this day without much expectation, and ended it with a smile. Nate Berkus couldn't have been nicer, and I had a good time doing something different. PS- loved my gift from Send the Trend.

Last Tuesday, I was in the audience full of design writers and bloggers, from all over the world (yes!), for the taping of The Nate Berkus Show.  I was excited to go, because over the years, I’ve appreciated his interior design work, especially as seen on Oprah.  I also met new people (like Anishka Clarke of Ishka Designs and Susan Schneider of Shandell's), and saw some familiar faces as well, including Brooklyn-based designer Karen Young of Hammocks and High Tea, and many others who I follow on Twitter, so that was wonderful!

When Nate came out to greet the audience, I didn’t feel particularly star struck, because he had such a genuine niceness, and everydayness that I felt like I already knew him!  He was a true professional, and a very gracious host.

Karen Young of the phenominal Hammocks and High Tea asked Nate a question.

The show had seven segments, which whirled by rather quickly. I was less focused on the actual content, and more caught up in the cheerleading…without the pompoms of course.  Dena Blizzard, a comic known as “One Funny Mother” kept the audience revved up as she gave us pointers on how to provide the background soundtrack.  There were also candy and t-shirt giveaways, and even a hokey dance to Neil Diamond’s “Sweet Caroline.”  No, I didn’t know the words, but it was comical!

The cheerleading for Nate didn’t just start on that day though.  Many bloggers in the audience had written passionate posts about him, which where posted on their websites, and announced via Twitter on #NateDay, which was launched by Julieanne Covino (Create Girl).  The idea for an audience filed with bloggers came from Joy and Janet, also known as the Moggit Girls who managed to bring the collective energy together to capture the attention of Nate Berkus, and his producers to make the day happen.  What these women did was nothing short of powerful, and quite wonderful.

During the taping breaks, Nate acknowledged, and thanked all of us for attending the show, and noted the efforts of Moggit Girls and Create Girl.  Nate spoke to us after the show with a Q & A that lasted for about 15 minutes. For the record, the highly-SCRIPTED, TV talk show host Nate Berkus was not as interesting as the extemporaneous Nate Berkus who shined like a total rock star. After the show in his chat with the audience, he totally came alive as he spoke enthusiastically about interior design, and how he only featured products on his show of things that reflected what he loved.



I really wished that the cameras had filmed the post-show conversation, because Nate discussed how he admired the blogging community, and how the show had utilized social media since his show’s inception.  He was so genuine, real, and appreciative of our participation.

I never knew what to expect, but to be surrounded by so many positive people, there was good energy, and it was a lot of fun. Many thanks to all who made the day a reality!