My First Blog
October 8, 2008
NOTE: New section added describing the actual videotaping by the Phantom Gourmet videographer.
Okay, I guess it's time I get into the modern times and start my own blog. This was actually suggested to me by my husband, Casey, aka Poppie. So, here we go...
Ooma's got some really cool news recently. In early July, I got a phone mail message at the store from Kristen Stanton. She identified herself as a producer for the Phantom Gourmet television show. At first, I thought it was a joke, but she sounded good and let me a phone number. I called her back and played some phone tag. A week passed and nothing happened. Then, I got another call from her (this time we spoke for real) and she apologized for not calling back sooner. She had been on vacation.
Kristen asked if she could come out to see my store. So, we made a date for Friday, July 25 around 10:00 a.m. She showed up alone with a briefcase and a laptop. I asked her how she had heard about my tiny little bakery in the middle of the state in the small town of Spencer. After all, this is not "metro west" - I think that is Framingham! At any rate, she told me that the Phantom website had received "a number" of emails about my store and how they should check it out. She said they were all very positive. She could not give me any more information - such as, who sent them, how many they received, what exactly they said, etc.
So, she spent about an hour with me. She took a digital photograph of every product I had in the store (individually). Then she took out a small video camera and did a sweep of the inside of the store - that did not take long! When she finished that, she took out her laptop and asked me a bunch of questions -- where did the name, Ooma, come from, how long had I been in business, what were my specialites, etc. After she made a lot of notes, she took out her small video camera again and started taping me and essentially asking the same questions, yet with me answering them on tape.
When she had finished, I asked, "What's the next step?" She said that she would take the information and video back to the station, show it to the powers that be and they would then make a decision as to whether or not I was interesting enough to be on their program.
I asked how long that would take. She said, "You could get a call tomorrow, next week or 6 months from now." As she was getting ready to leave, I packed up a large pastry box full of samples for her to take back to the station and share. After all, they had to know if it tasted good!
Time pasted and nothing happened. Then, on Saturday, September 27, just before 3 p.m. as Casey and I were packing up the store for the day, my cell phone beeped that I had a message (my cell does not always ring at the store - bad reception). I listened to the message. It was from "Sean" at Phantom Gourmet who identified himself as one of the videographers at Phantom and he wanted to make an appointment with me to come out and do a tape to be used on an upcoming episode about bakeries. As I was listening to the message, I started to get giddy and jump up and down and Casey was wondering what the heck? As I was still listening, the store phone rang, Casey answered it, and he said it was Sean from Phantom Gourmet ---- who now had heard me yelling "Phantom is calling!" How embarrassing. I got over it, though. So, I now I talked live to Sean and we set up a time for him to come out with his video camera on Thursday, October 9, around 9 a.m. He wanted to come out when the store was not busy - he acknowledged that the store was so small if he was in there taping, there would probably be no room for customers. He's right.
So, today is Wednesday, October 8. I have been baking and baking and baking, trying to make a ton of my best stuff to show off tomorrow. I'm also very tired and it is only 12:33 p.m.
I've made a lot of stuff and pre-prepped stuff for tomorrow a.m. -- it will be an early 3 a.m. start. Tina Bemis of Bemis Farms Nursery has generously agreed to loan me a pumpking totem pole, dressed in one of Ooma's aprons and a chef's hat, to decorate the outside of my store for tomorrow.
So...that's where we are right now. I'll be back tomorrow after the Phantom has come and gone and give you an update. Casey will be taking photographs and will post them on the web for all to see.
Wish me luck!
The next day...
Thursday, Oct 9, 2008
Ed and Tina Bemis arrived around 8:00 a.m. this morning and set up the Ooma pumpkin totem pole dressed in Ooma garb. We nicknamed her "Oona" with an N, instead of an M. It is the cutest thing!
(Casey had videotaped a Bloomon' With The Bemis' program yesterday where Ed and Tina demonstrated how to make this pumpkin totem. It'll be shown on cable later in the month.)
Click here to see a slideshow of these and other images.
Dan Gould from the T&G stopped by to report on the Phantom's visit...we may see something about this in the newspaper in the next few days. Right after that, Sean Finley from Phantom Gourmet came in around 9:10 a.m. this morning, drving the Phantom-mobile. Very cool car.
Sean's a nice guy. He took photos of all the products in the store, arranging each one carefully and then taking shots from every angle imaginable. He also ate a lot of the props! Loved the hi hat cupcakes.
After we finished with that, he did an inside shot of the store - didn't take long - and then he did a short interview with me, asking about my products. He then did a number of outside shots of the store.
Then we waited for customers to come and he taped then making purchases. When the good folks from FlexCon came in, he interviewed one of them, Chris Marinin who sang my praises to the point of embarrassment! But, I loved it.
The last piece was to park the Phantom-mobile in front of the store so Casey could get a good photo.
They will let me know when it will air and we will let you all know!
Quite a day and quite an experience.
