Life Unexpected star Kristoffer Polaha returns to E! Online to blog about being a leading man for the CW! He's joining us today, and every week during the season, to share exclusive behind-the-scenes insight about creating a critically acclaimed television show.
This week, Polaha shares an inside look at the PR, marketing and advertising pros who support a supercreative project like LUX. And then he takes us on a fanciful trip to the moon, doing his part to promote LUX to the key "imaginary astronaut" demographic.
Take it away, Kris!
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Hello, people of the blogosphere and fans of Life Unexpected, Kristoffer Polaha here to drop a little inside knowledge on you. But before I get into the nitty-gritty, behind-the-scenes details, I'd like to ask E! to forgive me in advance for taking a moment to talk about the business of making a television show.
A hit show takes Hollywood magic indeed, but it also takes a lot of math and science, plus the study of polls and trends to make and sell a TV show. There's market research; how to sell what to whom in the way of advertisements; discerning ratings, which is a poll run by Nielsen that tracks who is watching what, breaking down the viewing public at large into smaller demographics based on regions and socio-economic factors; the study of demographics; how to track Q ratings; and on and on.
All of these projects are part of a very measured science directed at bringing a story to people like you and selling a product for the people who pay for the story to be made and broadcast. One incredible tool to accomplish bringing a product to the public is to put a face on TV shows, movies, and the actors in them by using good PR.
I'd like to spend a few moments talking about PR. That's insider speak for public relations, and it's the PR department that gets the word out about a show or an individual.
For example, I have two publicists named Leslie and Caryn, who work in New York City. They pitch me as an actor to different magazines and talk shows, and they are helping to shape my public image. In addition, our show has two publicists, Melissa and Lauren, who oversee that the show gets promoted and they seek publicity for the show.
Publicity, that's the key word defined by Webster as "notice or attention given to someone or something by the media : the case attracted wide publicity in the press.— public exposure; notoriety : the only passage that has been found worthy of nationwide publicity. — the giving out of information about a product, person, or company for advertising or promotional purposes : head of publicity and marketing |[as adj. ] publicity photographs. — material or information used for such a purpose : we distributed publicity from a stall in the marketplace."
Now, there is no business like show business and there is no publicity like word of mouth. What is word of mouth, you may ask? Well, word of mouth is gold to Hollywood bigwigs, and it equates to box office bonanzas and hit TV shows.
For example, we have a TV show that gets respectable numbers for the CW (numbers=ratings=eyeballs watching the show). They are happy with our numbers, but I and the rest of the cast are so proud of this little show that we feel even more people should watch it. And you don't know me, so please know that this is coming from an extremely humble place, but of all the shows we could be working on, Life Unexpected is funny and heartbreaking and joyful and it makes you laugh then it turns around and punches you right in the heart.
I can assume if you're taking the time to read this "blog" (I never thought I'd use that word) then you already like the show, and if that assumption is correct then I can go on to say that you make up our audience.
If I'm right so far then what I am about to drop on you will blow your mind. I'm proposing a sort of art house/collective/public-artwork-type project in which you, the fans of the show, spread the word about the show.
For example, you're in a conversation at school and someone asks "Hey you, what's your favorite show on TV?" Well, you say "Oh man, I'm watching this show right now called Life Unexpected, and it's...blah, blah, blah," and you fill in the appropriate glowing adjectives.
You can tweet while you watch, turn to Facebook and give us some love, but talking about the show is like handing us a golden nugget. There have been many shows that started with a slow burn—like Seinfeld—but the truth remains, the more fervent our fans are, the more passionate our network will be about us.
So, in honor of public works of art, in honor of a collective, in honor of being arthousey, and in the honor of science, please tell one person this week about Life Unexpected.
Strike up a conversation with that hot guy from English 101 and tell him he reminds you of Baze. He'll ask, "Who the heck is Baze?" At which point you can launch in to a full-tilt PR session about your favorite show. Brag about its great story lines, go on and on about the actors—especially the guy who plays Baze with the funny last name you can't pronounce; more on the name in a later blog (there's that word again)—in short, sell it.
To start us off on this campaign, I've gotten Leslie, my super publicist all the way from New York City, to set me up an interview with a real, live astronaut who has been living on the International Space Station, because I figured, why not, let's go galactic with this thing!
So, please enjoy the following interview with Captain Jimmy Miller of the U.S. Air Force, Space Man.
Kristoffer Polaha: Hello Capt. Miller, thanks for taking my call, this interview will be posted down here on earth on the E! website.
Jimmy Miller: That sounds great and you're welcome, it's my pleasure.
KP: So, how is it up there in space?
JM: Dark. And cold. [Laughs.]
KP: [Laughs.] That's awesome, it must be really something to be living in outer space.
JM: Yes it is. It's a real honor to be serving my country in this way, in the name of science and for our future generations.
KP: What is your job up there?
JM: Well, basically I'm a glorified mechanic. If something goes wrong with the hardware of the space station like the solar arrays or the Canadarm2, if we take on a hit from orbital… [He goes on here for a while, I'm gonna skip ahead to the good stuff for you.]
KP: Oh wow, sounds interesting, but let me ask you a question, do you get to watch any TV while you're up in space?
JM: [Laughs.] No. We don't get any reception up here. They could stream us a few shows over the transcom system, but mostly we read for entertainment up here, there is a movie data base and some shows are programmed into it, but we have little down time.
KP: Is a show called Life Unexpected programmed in to it?
JM: Excuse me?
KP: Life Unexpected. Is Life Unexpected programmed into it?
JM: Oh I don't think so, I've never heard of it.
KP: Would you mind checking for me?
JM: I beg your pardon?
KP: I mean if it's no trouble, would you mind checking the database for Life Unexpected?
JM: Well, I guess I could call over (after a little fussing he gets on the interstellar spacecom intercom and finds out that they do not have Life Unexpected in their system. Not unexpected.)
KP: Well that's OK. Have you ever seen it?
JM: I'm sorry, no, I haven't heard of it or seen it. But I have seen our planet set behind the moon and peered into the darkest reaches of space while floating 460 miles above earth.
KP: Superimpressive, but back to Life Unexpected. So, you didn't see it when it debuted Jan. 18, 2010 on the CW?
JM: No, no I didn't.
KP: And you didn't see it last week when the season two premiere aired Monday at nine, right after One Tree Hill?
JM: No.
KP: Man, why not?
JM: Well for one, I'm in outer space! We don't get TV up here, and I've been a little busy.
KP: In the name of science and service of future generations. I get it. Well let me tell you a little bit about the show...
JM: I'm sorry, I've been real patient with you, but if you're not gonna ask me any more questions related to my job then I think it best we end this interview.
KP: Oh, do you? Maybe I'm not done, did you ever think of that, Rocket Man? It's about a girl who was given up for adoption and she finds her biological parents 16 years later...
JM: All right, I've had enough, I'm hanging up my space phone now.
KP: It's been compared to Gilmore Girls and Juno....
JM: Bye.
KP: It was the critics' choice for break out midseason show—[the line goes dead, but alas, the operator from NASA, who connected us, is still on the line.]
Sandy: I've seen the show.
KP: You have? Who's this?
S: My name is Sandy. I work in the NASA telecom comcenter spacecom intel department,
and I love your show. It's really heartwarming.
KP: Wow, thank you.
S: Yeah, I knew who you were when you called. Those astronauts, they're not really into cool stuff, you know? Sorry about that.
KP: No, my goodness, I'm embarrassed I pushed so hard. I'm trying to encourage people to tell one friend about our show, as a sort of public art project, and I thought it'd be fun to talk to a space man, but I think I missed the mark with that one.
S: No, not at all, I heard the interview, it was really good. I'm just so sorry he hasn't seen the show. It's just he's been in space for a year. So he's missed a lot of stuff, you know?
KP: Yeah, I do know.
S: Well, I'll tell you what, I'll join the public art project and I'll tell one friend to watch next week. Heck, I'll tell two!
KP: Oh wow Sally that's really great, thank you so much.
S: It's Sandy.
KP: Sandy, right, and I just wish I told Captain Miller to watch the show when he gets back to Earth, I hope he doesn't hate it now.
S: No, no, astronauts aren't like that. He won't hate it. [We sit on the line in silence for a while.]
KP: Well, all right, Sandy, I've got to get back to work, but thanks for helping spread the word. We really appreciate it.
S: My pleasure. Team Math!!! (She squeals and hangs up.)
As you can see, it can be fun reaching out in a grass roots movement and the results are always unexpected. So go forth and spread the good word of Life!
Again, I'd like to thank the fine folks at E! for giving me this opportunity. Signing off until next week, this is Kristoffer Polaha. Bye
P.S. Jerry Levine directed episode 202 and he is famous for playing Stiles Stilinski in Teen Wolf with Michael J. Fox. He also stared in Born on the Fourth of July with Tom Cruise. Pretty cool, eh? [Editor's note: We actually interviewed Jerry Levine back in 2007 about being an actor-director if you're interested in learning more about what "Stiles" is doing these days!)
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Don't miss Life Unexpected tonight and every Tuesday at 9 p.m. on the CW!