My Once in a lifetime Oprah experience
At some point
in everyone’s life you hope to have the opportunity to meet the celebrity you look up to. I’ve always been a gossip junkie, reading every trashy celebrity magazine on the shelves – I know I know! However, would I give anything to meet one of these celebrities? Probably not, but Oprah Winfrey has been a role model to women everywhere and I could only hope I’d have the chance to meet her. I recently travelled to Chicago for a few days with my mom and sisters. We’ve made a tradition of visiting Chicago once a year together as a family. Every time we go, we attempt to get tickets to see Oprah Winfrey, and every year we are let down.
This year we made it to the standby list which really means the”stand around for hours and wait to possibly not get in the show list”. After waiting in line for hours we were told that we’re the only four people that had a chance of getting on the show. Ten minutes before Oprah was going to make her grand appearance, my family and I walked through the doors and into the audience…
This was a moment I was never going to forget! Cameras all over the room, a stage that was made for a queen and bright vibrant lights everywhere. The audience were all wearing bright colours and had smiles across their faces, awaiting the moment when Oprah would walk through the doors.
I felt a tap on my shoulder and moments later the stage director was leading me to the front row. They needed someone in a bright shirt to fill a seat front row center and thankfully I remembered to pack the brightest shirt I owned.
As an event intern, I took a moment to examine the entire décor as I walked towards the front row. Having the opportunity to see how much effort goes in to creating a big event, I could see some of the same details that go in to creating the Oprah set. The biggest shock was when Lionel Ritchie went to perform and the entire set was transformed in a matter of minutes. The couches where Oprah conducts her interviews were removed and a piano was lowered from the ceiling. The stage was raised and a crystal chandelier was lowered. It was unbelievable; it looked like a different set entirely. This reminded me of the recent event I did for 5th Element Events, when we entered the Fermenting Celler in the Distillery District for AdBall, I watched an empty room transform in to an amazing event, much like the set of the Oprah Show.
My thoughts were interrupted when I heard the stage director counting down…
5… 4….3…2…. and there she was! I had seen her on T.V hundreds of times but this was nothing like T.V! Oprah was standing only steps away from me – this was a surreal moment to say the least!
The best part of being an audience member was seeing the guests she would be interviewing. The extremely talented and phenomenal Lionel Ritchie and New Orleans Saints quarterback and MVP Drew Brees.
Drew Brees was kind, humble and down to earth considering his recent Super Bowl win.
He had his wife and 13 month old son join him on the show, and discussed how after the years of struggle that New Orleans has endured since Hurricane Katrina, he could feel the energy of the country with the team”.
The most shocking part of being on the Oprah show, is how many people work on the set, during commercials there would be 20-30 people moving things around, touching up Oprah’s hair and wardrobe and preparing her for her next segment. The speed and transformation is almost like an adrenaline rush with everyone taking a specific role to make the transformation as smooth as possible. You would never know watching from your living room, how much effort goes in to producing the one hour show.
When Lionel Ritchie walked on the stage, I sat their stunned at how close I was to this legend. He was there to discuss the remake of 
We Are the World with 80 talented singers like Tony Bennett, Celine Dion, Jay-Z and Jennifer Hudson who joined on to raise awareness for Haiti. It has been 25 years since Lionel Ritchie and Michael Jackson wrote “We are the World” to end hunger in Africa and now he was here sitting in front of me discussing what this song means to our world and the people of Haiti. I clearly remember a comment Lionel made “I’ve never seen so much excitement—Tony Bennett, Snoop Dog talking to each other. Lil Wayne, Barbra Streisand talking to each other,” Lionel says. “Everyone stepped up, and it’s beautiful.”
It was a great moment I would never forget. Being an inspired event designer really enabled me to experience this day with a different perspective than most and gave me a larger view of large scale production execution!
If you haven’t seen it yet, check out the “We are the World video” that premiered at the 2010 Winter Olympic games opening ceremony.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZTaKQDXU81o
If you want to hear more details from the Oprah show, or just chat in general, you can find me on Facebook or Twitter @CarlyAshR.
Until next time,
Carly (the star struck Intern)
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