In November, I was selected to a part of HGTV’s House Hunters. It was such an amazing experience that I am I am excited to share—to truly understand what actually goes into making a television show would shock you! Being able to bring HGTV’s cameras here to Bedford, New York to showcase—on a national level—how cool it is to live in this dynamic community has been an honor. Here’s how it all happened: While educating my clients, Steven and Megan Grskovic (and their three children), about fine homes in the Northern Westchester-area market, I began the process of selecting the type of homes that they were looking for. The Grskovic’s were in the process of relocating from Boston, Mass. to Westchester, New York to take on a great new job in New York as an advertising executive, working on TV commercials. The Grskovic’s are just the greatest, kindest people and absolutely amazing parents. We hit it off immediately and became friends on all levels! In passing, I jokingly mentioned that I thought they would be a great story to showcase on HGTV. Their eyes lit up and the light bulb went off, they were immediately hooked on the idea! I set their expectations clear—that there was a lengthy approval process to get through. But, for the Grskovic’s the prospect of being able to show their friends and family their home search through a national setting was enough to lure them in. For me, I could just imagine my son being able to walk into school and tell people his Daddy was going to be on TV. But the truth is, for me, the bragging rights were really to showcase this part of the country and the dynamic, thriving community that exists here. We first submitted our written applications, the standard stuff, who we were and what was special about this area of Westchester—that was pretty easy—it’s an area of the country like no other! It’s a hub, so-to-speak to commuters, with its proximity to NYC allowing residents the best location, in my opinion, in the country! A few days later the video application came as a result of the networks interest: how would we be on camera? Do we have interesting personalities that are outgoing and captivating? Can we communicate our “story” on camera? You know, telling someone a story is one thing, but doing it with a camera pointed at you becomes a whole different experience. Low and behold, the production company loved the story, my clients and the Westchester community that I presented. They took the applications and video, pitched it to HGTV and, guess what, they loved it! We were in, and they told me that the film crew and producer were scheduled to fly out in three weeks to film! As you can imagine: I was in shock. This was actually going to happen! WOW. I almost couldn’t hold in my happiness. I am sure there are many other people that were applying to be on the show, and the fact that myself and my clients were chosen was pretty humbling. The first day of filming, I guided the crew to area locations that would really showcase the essence of what Bedford and the surrounding areas were all about: the Bedford Oak, downtown Katonah and some great equestrian properties along the BRLA. We showcased some really fantastic locations, even Richard Gere’s Restaurant in Bedford. It was interesting to see people’s reactions as the camera was rolling on sidewalks of downtowns and the director was explaining how to get the shots she was looking for. I have great relationships with local business owners, as I grew up here in Mt. Kisco. I approached some owners with permission to film some aspects of the show at their locations, and everyone was so accommodating! We filmed all the homes we toured and some family interviews and introductions to my clients on location, as well as in different parts of town. As an overall experience, I have to tell you, there is a lot of work that goes into filming on a professional level. The sound engineer always had to have the perfect sound levels, our wireless microphones needed to be positioned perfectly, the camera man was constantly adjusting his lens and camera settings, the perfect light was needed in every take and often moved around as we went about our business—there was a lot of moving parts. TV magic truly is magic. Being part of such a successful show is an honor for me… the amazing factor of being able to tell people I was selected to be on national television is humbling and, truthfully, I would love to do it again. On that note—is anyone looking to buy or sell a home in the area? Sorry, I had to get that in—I am, after all, a REALTOR!
