Ok! So I cried in a good way! – And here’s why. I spent 4.5 years in the wilderness after I left Page Six and had some of the MOST OFFENSIVE SH-T told to me (EVER!) by male media execs including:
- “You’re too smart for our audience.”
- “You know what your problem is? You don’t fit in a box…” [from a cliched dude who prided himself on thinking “out of the box’]
- “Women don’t watch travel shows.”
- “You are great and so dynamic, but you’re from New York and smart. Our viewers are in the flyover states and god are they stupid. I don’t even watch the shit we put up on our screen for them…” [Me: “i’m from Ohio and Kentucky.” Dude: “Really? i would never have guessed.”]
- “We are focusing on the male demographic right now – it’s what advertisers want.” [me: so you’re only hiring male talent?; Dude: Pretty much. sorry. I know women are funny – youknow women are funny, but America doesn’t like funny women.]
- “Yeah, but whats your angle??? Everyone has to have an angle or a shtick these days!”
- “Women are really into getting married.”
- “Women don’t want funny travel books or essays – they only buy travel books if there is a journey involved. You know, like Eat, Pray Love.”
- “You are so smart and funny and cool… I just wouldn’t know what to do with you.”
- “You know what women like? Women really like beach shows. Like where the best beaches are…”
- “You have really sexy shoes”
- “We need to start figuring out how to get people to start buying TVs again.”
So.. along came a piece by Joe Pompeo who… got me. And got my story. It made me cry. After the jump is an excerpt, but you should read the whole thing. It’s lovely.
