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Gregory Fake Discusses His Business-Rich Career Path

February 9, 2013 By Leave a Comment
Gregory Fake

Gregory Fake

Gregory Fake is an assistant television producer for Lifetime Television’s show, The Balancing Act.  Prior to television, Gregory Fake spent much of his career in business.  In the following interview, Gregory Fake describes his career path thus far.

Q:  How did you get interested in business?

Gregory Fake:  My grandfather was a worker on high steel and passionately interested in the stock market.  I grew up with stocks in that sense and was very aware of the markets from an early age.

Q:  It sounds like your grandfather deserves a lot of credit for where you are today.

Gregory Fake:  Yes, not only did I have a great desire to be like him, but he also put me through college.  So, yes, I owe him a great deal.

Q:  What type of business training have you received?

Gregory Fake:  I received my degree in Economics from the University of Pennsylvania and went on to get a law degree from Georgetown soon after.

Q:  What types of positions have you held in the business world?

Gregory Fake:  I have had tremendous opportunities in my career.  Fresh out of college, I worked for Andersen Consulting, one of the most prominent consulting firms in the world.  Then, I went on to work with several Fortune 500 companies developing and implementing manufacturing resource planning systems, customer service databases, and internal computer systems.

Q:  These sound like complex projects; what was your most complicated or memorable project?

Gregory Fake:  I helped the Federal Government design and develop their overall general ledger system for use in the General Accounting Office.  I also worked on programs for AMP Incorporated and The Campbell Soup Company that were relatively complex.

Q:  And what did you do with your law degree?

Gregory Fake:  I worked in banking law and was an enforcement attorney for the Securities and Exchange Commission.

Q:  What is so appealing to you about business?

Gregory Fake:  Business is what makes our world run; without it, we’d get nowhere.  Businesses provide the critical services and products that keep our communities functioning and thriving.

Q:  How did your business experience prepare you for television production?

Gregory Fake:  Over the years, while involved in the business sector, I helped produce a number of programs for businesses.

Q:  And has your past experience in business helped you succeed in producing television specifically for women?

Gregory Fake:  Absolutely. The Balancing Act is all about empowering women.  I have become adept at identifying issues that are important and helpful for women, just like one would with a client in the business sector.

Q:  Yes, but business isn’t always fun, is it?

Gregory Fake:  It is to me!  But, yes, The Balancing Act certainly has to be entertaining; it is television after all.

Gregory Fake lives with his wife and children in Pompano Beach, Florida.  In addition to his many professional endeavors, Gregory Fake is a deacon in his church, a prison minister, and an avid outdoorsman. 

Filed Under: Business, Professionals Tagged With: , , , ,

O2 Media™ Shares Success Stories from Satisfied Clients

October 22, 2012 By Leave a Comment

Based in Pompano Beach, Florida, O2 Media™ is an industry leader in commercialized branded entertainment. Their cornerstone television series, The Balancing Act® on Lifetime Television has been a daily morning show for 5 years and offers a unique platform for customers to showcase their products. O2 Media™ offers both studio and field production as well as print and direct response advertising. The company’s professional and high quality productions have culminated in numerous lasting relationships and repeat clients. Here are a few of their stories,

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I think anytime you get on TV in front of your target audience, it’s a huge opportunity to really demonstrate a product. There is nothing like showing people how it’s done as opposed to just hoping they stumble into it and want you to find out about it.

David Gonzalos II, Founder & CEO, Impact Advanced Can

I could not have said it better myself. We appreciate you putting your trust in our team.
Doug Campbell, O2 Media™
3850 N. Powerline Road, Deerfield Beach, FL 33073
954-691-1102

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I have been on a lot of shows—I mean, a lot of national shows. The Balancing Act®, let me tell you, has been nothing but first class.

Robert Ferguson, Nutrition/Author/Endorser, Proclaim Nutrition

Robert, we have put forth a great deal of effort to ensure that our sets, our staff, and our end product meets our clients’ expectations. I am so happy to see that our efforts are paying off and that The Balancing Act has been a rewarding experience for you.
Doug Campbell, The Balancing Act®
3850 N. Powerline Road, Deerfield Beach, FL 33073
954-691-1102

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It was a great experience. We saw it as a wonderful opportunity. The communication was good back and forth. You guys were very open to our suggestions on the script and making changes.

Judy Bellack, Primedia

No one knows your product like you and we are always happy to make changes to ensure that our segments best reflect our clients. We can’t wait to have you back and sincerely believe that The Apartment Guide will offer a real value to our viewers.
Doug Campbell, The Balancing Act®
3850 N. Powerline Road, Deerfield Beach, FL 33073
954-691-1102

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Number one, it’s the format. Traditionally in the nutraceutical field, or nutritional supplement field, it’s mostly done by search engine optimization, marketing in magazines and print—which is really what some consider a dying breed. It’s becoming less and less effective. This is something where you have a targeted focus group. We have a product that really fits and aligns well with those people. It’s something, I think, that is going to really catapult us to something where there is going to be that recognition of the product.

Anthony Lucchetto, Owner, 180BodyClinic.com

As pioneers in the branded entertainment industry, we definitely understand navigating uncharted territories. We appreciate your kind words and are always here if you need anything. Thank you, Anthony.
Doug Campbell, O2 Media™
3850 N. Powerline Road, Deerfield Beach, FL 33073
954-691-1102

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This is our first live, pre-taped broadcast. We’ve basically advertised in print only. We are very excited about the potential this could have for us now and in the future.

David Hawk, Marketing Consultant, Team Angel Barn Dad Nutrition

We can’t wait to see where this takes Team Angel and look forward to working with you later down the road.
Doug Campbell, O2 Media™
3850 N. Powerline Road, Deerfield Beach, FL 33073
954-691-1102

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We haven’t done a lot of media that has been specific in television. Most of our media content is generally in print or generally it’s web-based. This is really kind of our first entre into television and direct-to-patient.

Michael Sullivan, VP Sales & Marketing, Avlon Pharmaceuticals

Having the ability to directly communicate with your audience offers you the chance to allow them to meet your product and gives an intimacy that print just cannot. We appreciate that this idea has helped build your brand.
Doug Campbell, O2 Media™
3850 N. Powerline Road, Deerfield Beach, FL 33073
954-691-1102

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The budget was a really tight budget for us. You guys worked with us to get the cost down somewhat. It was a difficult decision from a cost standpoint for us but after thinking about it pretty carefully we thought that the opportunity that was presented to us to share our message, this message that we wanted to get out to people, was too good to pass up.

Gary Ike, General Manager, Talco Fire Systems

Gary, we are so glad that we worked something out and that you had this opportunity. Please keep in touch and let us know how things are going.
Lysa Liemer, O2 Media™
3850 N. Powerline Road, Deerfield Beach, FL 33073
954-691-1102

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The value for the cost for the distribution and the potential amount of viables that are going to see this technology—you just can’t compare that to other options out on the market today.

Kim Lewis, Marketing Director, Home Grid Forum

Designing Spaces™ was created with the average DIYer and Homeowner in mind. We are so thankful that you opted to debut your product on television with us.
Lysa Liemer, Designing Spaces™
3850 N. Powerline Road, Deerfield Beach, FL 33073
954-691-1102

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Our goal right now is to really get the Health Insurance Web name out there. Your audience matches our target of who we are looking for.

We also spoke with somebody else who was on the show and they gave us some good, positive feedback and some suggestions on how to go about promoting it on our own as well—which you had also provided some suggestions for that. I think that the background from the previous guests plus our initiative to brand Health Insurance Web with a target audience like yours is really what nailed it.

Lonie Murray, Marketing Manager, HealthInsuranceWeb.com

We cannot express how glad we are to hear that you based your decision to appear on the show on a recommendation. It is very difficult to earn that level of trust from former clients; I am happy to know that once the lights have dimmed and the cameras have faded that O2 Media™ and The Balancing Act® continue to remain in the spotlight. Thank you for your business and please contact me should you need further assistance.

Doug Campbell, The Balancing Act®
3850 N. Powerline Road, Deerfield Beach, FL 33073
954-691-1102

Filed Under: Media Tagged With: , , , , , , , ,

The Balancing Act on Lifetime with Laundry Buyer, Lori Wood and Refrigerator Buyer, Michael Burti from Sears

October 10, 2012 By Leave a Comment

The following segment aired on The Balancing Act on Lifetime Television. Joining the show was Lori Wood and Michael Burti from Sears to discuss how to get the most for your money with appliance deals.

The Balancing Act on Lifetime Television Host Danielle Knox:  Stretching our dollar is a top priority these days, so ‘The Balancing Act’ on Lifetime Television has invited Lori Wood, Laundry Buyer, and Michael Burti, Refrigerator Buyer, both with Sears, to help us save some green on our next appliance purchase. ‘Show me the money’ is a mantra that a lot of Americans are chanting these days.  When shopping for appliances can we do well in both price and value? Is it possible to have both?

Wood:  Absolutely, value is different to every consumer and we offer over 3,600 appliances at Sears, so we really do have a value that’s meaningful to every consumer. No matter what their budge is, no matter what the size of their wallet is, we have great products at every price point, from the top of the line down to whatever price point the customer is interested in spending.

The Balancing Act on Lifetime Television: Times are tough for so those price points may be lower for many of us. Do we have to sacrifice performance for price?

Burti:  Absolutely not.  You don’t have to sacrifice performance.  You’re probably going to have to sacrifice some features if you’re on a budget, but that’s okay.  I think what it’s going to come down to is having to do a little bit more research ahead of time, really trying to understand what features you have to have and which features you can live without.

The Balancing Act on Lifetime Television: How important is it to do your research, especially in these economic times?

Burti:  Without a doubt, if it’s an appliance then you are going to be living with it for a long time. You want to make sure that you’re going to be satisfied with it and that it is going to meet all of your needs.  Definitely do the research ahead of time, making sure that if you’re on a budget that you are going to get all of the features that you expect to get out of the appliance.

The Balancing Act on Lifetime Television: It seems like every day a new energy-efficient appliance pops up.  More and more, people are thinking about this. More and more consumers are heading towards buying these kinds of products. 

Wood: it’s a great way to go when you buy a new appliance and especially important because you will have it for a long time.  Today’s appliances are more energy-efficient than they have ever been.  In addition to saving water and saving energy which is so important, it saves you money so your utility bills are less.  The machines on the market today, like dishwashers use so much less water than before that they actually use less than if you washed dishes by hand.  And in a washing machine you can fit 25 bath towels in one load so you can do that many less loads of laundry.  They spin so fast that they take most of the moisture out of the clothes so you are also using your dryer for a lot less time.

Burti:  The appliance industry has come a long way and it’s really interesting to see all the things they’ve done to help save both water and energy.

The Balancing Act on Lifetime Television: I think the other important issue that a lot of us out there are worried about is the value.  Great value in important but the next question has to do with warranties and service.

Burti: A good thing about purchasing an appliance at Sears is the fact that we have our own service organization and when you make a purchase at Sears, your appliance is covered for a full year, 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, support on the phone and certainly if you need service, we have 10,000 trained technicians that are available 7 days a week for service.

The Balancing Act on Lifetime Television: How does Sears stack up to its competitors in terms of affordability and quality?

Wood:  We would like to tell you that we’re the leader in the industry as far as selection of appliances overall, especially as far as selection of energy star appliances.  And with the service organization that we just told you about, we can give you service and assurance with our price match that no one else can do.  You can go to sears.com for more information.

The Balancing Act on Lifetime Television is the only morning show in America produced by women specifically for women. Every morning, The Balancing Act on Lifetime hosts Danielle Knox and Kristy Villa tackle the issues that face today’s woman. Popular show segments include Live weather updates with Mark Mancuso, surprise celebrity visitors, and news about the latest trends affecting your life, home, career and family. The Balancing Act on Lifetime Television airs daily on Lifetime at 7 a.m. ET/PT. For more information, visit The Balancing Act on Lifetime Television’s website at www.thebalancingact.com.

 

Filed Under: Health and Wellness, Media Tagged With: , , , , , , , , , , ,

The Balancing Act on Lifetime with JP Morgan Chase

April 17, 2012 By 5 Comments
The Balancing Act

The Balancing Act

The following segment aired on “The Balancing Act” on Lifetime Television. Joining the show was Donna Vieira to talk about Chase’s web services for small business owners.

The Balancing Act: Well, you know, ladies, we should be pretty proud of ourselves as a gender.  I’m going to go ahead and pat myself on the back on that one, because research shows we are now, more than ever before, an essential part of the business world.  There are more female CEO’s and more female executives, women own a growing number of businesses, and, in fact, women held nearly a million businesses nationwide and generated more than a trillion—yeah trillion with a t—dollars in 2007.  That’s according to the most recent US census data available and the numbers have only grown since that census.  Well, whether you are a lady who already owns a business or you’re thinking of starting one, we know you want to have every possible advantage.  That’s why, as part of our “My Career” series, we’ve asked Donna Vieira from Chase to join us today.  Donna, good morning, thanks for being with us.

Vieira: Good morning.  It’s a pleasure to be here.

The Balancing Act: You know, it’s interesting, I just read something the other day that said that more women than ever are now starting their own businesses.  Who are these women who are taking this plunge?

Vieira: It’s women from all walks of life that are starting their businesses.  It’s really a varied path that has brought them to small business ownership and I think what binds them is really a passion to drive the growth and success of their business.

The Balancing Act: I love that passion and sometimes, with that passion can come a few mistakes, right?  What types of mistakes do you see small business owners making?

Vieira: You know, one mistake, especially when it comes to taking your business on-line, is that small business owners may be a little bit intimidated so they may shy away from it a little bit.  They think it’s expensive, you know, a lot of them know they need to get a website, but they’re just really not sure how to get started.

The Balancing Act: You know, here’s a thing I think that’s fascinating is that, isn’t having that on-line presence kind of critical and key to the success of a small business?

Vieira: It’s absolutely critical.  It really is about reaching new markets, you know, taking your business from local to global.  It’s about helping you improve your cash flow, which is critical to any business.  You know, you can set up the site to accept payments on-line and get paid much more quickly and it’s about being much more productive.  In a small business, they’re busy people, they wear multiple hats and so this can help them react more quickly by taking their business on-line.

The Balancing Act: You know, I want to circle back to something you said.  You talked about “cash flow,” ’cause with small businesses, either you’re capitalizing it yourself or you’re undercapitalized.  And so when we’re looking for solutions, we’re looking for solutions that are quick, that are easy, and that are affordable.

Vieira: Absolutely.  And, you know, with Chase, we offer instant storefront, and that allows you to easily and affordably get your business online.  It helps you to design your site and accept payments on-line, you know, very easily.  It’s all about really creating an instant storefront.

The Balancing Act: All right, so, Donna, walk me through the process.  Consider me a typical small business owner.  I don’t have an on-line presence, I know I need one, how can Chase help?

Vieira: It’s really four easy steps.  The first is getting your domain name.  Secondly, you have to design your site.  Third, it’s about, you know, getting it set up for the web hosting.  And four, setting it up to get paid on-line, and at Chase, we have an experienced customer support team to help you each and every step of the way and you’re ready to get started.

The Balancing Act: I think the big thing that people think about, though, is when you do this you’re talking lots of time, you’re talking lots of money and I know when I had my guy do it, I’m sorry, I love you, but it cost a lot of money and it took a lot of time.  But that’s not necessarily the case here and I love that.

Vieira: It’s definitely not the case here.  With this site, you can make all the changes yourself, you can design the sites, there are a variety of templates for you to choose from, simple point and click templates, but it really allows you to customize and design your site for your own personality.  You know, you’re essentially the webmaster.  You’re not outsourcing that functionality, which can get very, very expensive.  The service really allows you to make changes when you want, where you want, how often you want and at no extra cost to you.

The Balancing Act: I love that, I love this.  Where were you when I needed you?

Vieira: You should have called me.

The Balancing Act: You should have given me your number—but somebody that you did give the number to—we wanted to check in with a small business owner.  We spoke with Susan Hess Lightner.  She’s the founder of the New Jersey Wine School, where they teach wine and spirit education classes, which are a prerequisite to the master of wine.

Lightner: I have no background in technical and I’m not very tech savvy, but it was very easy for me to build the website.  What was really wonderful was that I had customer support that I could just call or e-mail at any time and they would help me.  The representatives taught me how to add products to my website, how to add sales tax to my website, different categories, as well as gathering crucial marketing data of my clients.  From start to finish, it took me about a week to really navigate and feel very comfortable and savvy with the website.

The Balancing Act: Wow!  In one week, Susan said she was up and running and I love that, but here’s the other thing that I always think about.  Okay, so, my web guy gave me access—admin access—to get in and make changes.  But, girl, I think if I go in, I’m going to crash the site, so I always leave it to him to do that.  How easy is it to go in and make any kinds of changes you want to make?

Vieira: It’s very easy.  Again, you’re in control.  You can go in and make changes when you want, how often you want, and the site offers you really all the functionality of a big site.  So you can really suit your own business.

The Balancing Act: And I love the fact that the customer support is there, too, right?

Vieira: That’s exactly right.  Chase has an experienced customer support team that will help you each and every step of the way, so you’re never alone.

The Balancing Act: I love that.  So let’s cut to the chase, no pun intended.  How do we get paid quickly and easily?  And I know that’s what a lot of small business owners are always concerned about.

Vieira: Now, with Instant Storefront from Chase, we can set it up so you can accept payments on-line from any major credit card, debit card, and PayPal.  If you have an account at Chase, in most instances, you can have those funds available the next business day.  And most importantly, the transactions are secure for you and your customers.

The Balancing Act: And now, Donna, for the $64,000 question, cost.  How expensive is it to get all of these things kind of bundled together?

Vieira: Instant Storefront is really affordable.  It’s $29.95 a month for up to a hundred items in your catalog, plus credit card processing.  There is, in most cases, no long-term contract for you to sign and there’s free telephone support to help you each and every step of the way.

The Balancing Act: You really will have to leave me your number, Donna.  Thank you so much for coming by and sharing this wonderful information this morning.

Vieira: Thank you so much.

The Balancing Act: And for more information on Instant Storefront from Chase, simply go to the website.  It’s chase.com/storefronttv.  There’s a special offer, by the way, for viewers of “The Balancing Act,” so be sure and check it out.

The Balancing Act is the only morning show in America produced by women specifically for women. Every morning, The Balancing Act on Lifetime hosts Danielle Knox and Kristy Villa tackle the issues that face today’s woman. Popular show segments include live weather updates with Mark Mancuso, surprise celebrity visitors, and news about the latest trends affecting your life, home, career and family. The Balancing Act on Lifetime Television airs daily on Lifetime at 7 a.m. ET/PT. For more information, visit The Balancing Act on Lifetime Television’s website at www.thebalancingact.com.

Filed Under: Business, Finances, Media Tagged With: , , , , , , , , , , ,

The Balancing Act on Lifetime with ASPCA supervisory special investigator, Annemarie Lucas

January 12, 2012 By 10 Comments
The Balancing Act Lifetime

The Balancing Act Lifetime

The following segment aired on The Balancing Act Lifetime Television. Joining the show was Annemarie Lucas from the ASPCA to discuss dog adoption and how you know you are buying from the right type of breeders.

The Balancing Act on Lifetime Television Host Marybel Rodriguez:  If you’re planning on getting a new pet pooch, you could be paying a higher price than you realize.  Many pet stores and internet vendors are actually selling dogs that were bred in puppy mills.  The ASPCA, which stands for the American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals, wants to warn consumers about this problem before they buy.  Joining us is the top dig in a top-rated TV series, ASPCA’s Supervisory Special Investigator, AnneMarrie Lucas.

Lucas:  A puppy mill is a large-scale substandard commercial dog-breeding operation.  Basically, they house numerous dogs where their sole purpose is to breed over and over and over again, and the results of that breeding are the puppies that then get shipped to pet stores all over the country.  So the ASPCA strongly advices people not to buy puppies from pet stores.

The Balancing Act on Lifetime Television: Are puppy mills more prevalent in some areas than others?

Lucas: They are and Missouri is number one.  Followed by Nebraska and Oklahoma–but we also see them in Florida and across the entire country.  No state is without a puppy mill.

The Balancing Act on Lifetime Television: What should consumers know about the puppies sold at pet stores and over the internet?

Lucas: Every time you buy a puppy from a pet store or even over the Internet, if you have no idea where that puppy comes from and the origin and where their parents are from, then you have no idea of the health of that puppy.  So you could buy a puppy for thousands of dollars and then, in turn, spend thousands of dollars in medical bills because that puppy was not bred correctly.  They have hereditary diseases and they are very sickly so that could be a huge problem for you that you certainly cannot afford.

The Balancing Act on Lifetime Television: Then how do you know if the papers that you get when you purchase the puppy are legitimate or not?

Lucas: Basically, you don’t because pet stores and anybody can make a breed registry.  You can make one up if you wanted to. A responsible breeder will always invite you to their home. They will want to meet you, interview you, show you where the adults are, how they’re bred and they’ll show you the puppies and how they’re kept. A puppy miller on the other hand could care less about who takes the puppies.  They just want to get them out as quickly as possible and make as much money as they can.  So every puppy in a pet store is from a puppy mill and it is important that you remember that.

The Balancing Act on Lifetime Television: For those people who want to get involved, what can we do to help get rid of these puppy mills?

Lucas: We have to support legislation to protect puppies. You can write to your local legislators and tell them you don’t want puppy mills in your state.  Tell them you want responsible breeders only.

The Balancing Act on Lifetime Television: That is good advice and somewhere that people can start helping.  Can you tell The Balancing Act viewers where the best place is to actually find a pet?

Lucas: You should visit your local animal shelter or your local rescue group.  If you want a specific breed then contact a breed rescue group.

The Balancing Act on Lifetime Television: Can you tell me more about the animals in the shelters and why they deserve homes?

Lucas:  There are so many fantastic adoptable animals in animal shelters.   A lot of people think hat they’re only abused animals or that they have been abandoned because nobody wants the. That is absolutely not true. They are adoptable, beautiful and healthy.  You can go to aspca.org for more information on puppy mills and also responsible pet ownership.

The Balancing Act on Lifetime Television:  How are you able to deal with the trauma you see in abused and injured animals?

Lucas: It affects me every day and my heard breaks every day with the cases that we deal with.  I rush home at the end of the day and give lots of hugs to my dogs and cats and that seems to get me through the next day because I look at them and see their faces and realize how important my job really is.

The Balancing Act Lifetime Television is the only morning show in America produced by women specifically for women. Every morning, The Balancing Act on Lifetime hosts Danielle Knox and Kristy Villa tackle the issues that face today’s woman. Popular show segments include live weather updates with Mark Mancuso, surprise celebrity visitors, and news about the latest trends affecting your life, home, career and family. The Balancing Act on Lifetime Television airs daily on Lifetime at 7 a.m. ET/PT. For more information, visit The Balancing Act on Lifetime Television’s website at www.thebalancingact.com.

Filed Under: Pets Tagged With: , , , , , , , , , , ,

BrandStar Entertainment’s The Balancing Act with Chris Russo

January 12, 2012 By 10 Comments
BrandStar Entertainment

BrandStar Entertainment

The following segment originally aired on the August 12th, 2011 show on BrandStar Entertainment’s morning TV show, The Balancing Act on Lifetime Television.  The featured guest was the President and Chairman of The American Society of Travel Agents, Chris Russo. 

BrandStar Entertainment – The Balancing Act on Lifetime:  You might want to dust off your travel agent’s number or dig up their email address after watching BrandStar Entertainment’s popular “Smart Shopper” series.  You’ll not only learn just how much your travel agent can help in planning your next trip—you’ll also spare yourself a headache as well as money by not booking that trip yourself!

BrandStar Entertainment – The Balancing Act on Lifetime:  It doesn’t matter if you take to the skies, hit the road, or hop aboard a train– most of us would like to get the most bang for our buck when taking a vacation and doing it without cutting corners on comfort!

BrandStar Entertainment – The Balancing Act on Lifetime:  BrandStar Entertainment’s The Balancing Act on Lifetime brought in a true pro, President and Chairman of The American Society of Travel Agents, Chris Russo.  Chris is going to show how to stretch your dollar AND your legs– when you head out of town.

BrandStar Entertainment – The Balancing Act on Lifetime:  Gas prices are so high right now and airlines are charging arm and a leg for baggage—it’s crazy.  Traveling is expensive!  Is it possible to travel WELL and not spend a ton of money?

Chris:  Absolutely!  You just have to be a savvy traveler.  You have to be able to use a travel professional that’s looking for all those deals for you and especially one with The American Society of Travel Agents.

BrandStar Entertainment – The Balancing Act on Lifetime:  Most people think that the Internet would be the place to go and browse to find the best deals out there.  Is the web the best site for booking travel?

Chris:  The web is a great tool for both our customers and for us as travel professionals because there’s a lot of information for both of us to get.  But, it’s not the end-all… be-all… like we ALL want it to be.  You still want to use a travel professional.  A lot of people think that if you book your air, hotel and your car all together on a website that that’s the best way to do it.

BrandStar Entertainment – The Balancing Act on Lifetime:  That’s what I’d do.

Chris:  But, it’s not always the best.   

BrandStar Entertainment – The Balancing Act on Lifetime:  Ok, if I wanted to use a travel agent, what can they do for me that the internet couldn’t in terms of fees and savings?

Chris:  There are a lot of things.  Travel professionals are there with you before, during and after your trip so they’re always looking out for you—they’re your advocate.  For saving you money, we have connections already with the hotels you don’t have, meaning you don’t have to look up on the Internet at one o’clock in the morning!

BrandStar Entertainment – The Balancing Act on Lifetime:  What kind of insight can you give to our audience as a travel agent?

Chris:  If you’re going on a family cruise you want to make sure that a travel agent professional will make sure that you’re not sitting right above the disco, so that the kids can go to sleep at night and aren’t next to the engine room.

BrandStar Entertainment – The Balancing Act on Lifetime:  I think having a travel agent could be an important thing, but I don’t feel it’s something that a lot of people do think about.

Chris:  I think that there’s a misconception that prices are more expensive… when you use a travel professional—which is NOT true.  Travel agents are always going to be there and they’re going to help you throughout the process—so you really need to use one.

BrandStar Entertainment – The Balancing Act on Lifetime:  You have that “Human Experience.”  You have a physical person you know and can talk to instead of getting upset and banging on your computer keyboard when you can’t find what you’re looking for.

Chris:  When you’re standing in line at the airport because you booked a ticket online and there’s a line a mile long, it’s great to have a travel professional where you can pick up the phone, call them and have THEM help you out.  That’s what we’re there for!

BrandStar Entertainment – The Balancing Act on Lifetime:  How do the people wanting to travel, find the right agent for them?

Chris:  Finding a travel professional is like trying to find a good lawyer, CPA or a doctor.  Get recommendations from your friends.  Ask them.  They might have just come back from a great vacation.  Ask them who they used.  See if they can give some insight or can answer your questions the way YOU want them to be answered.  The other thing is, if you’re looking for something special… go to The American Society of Travel Agents at travelsense.org.  It’s a great resource to find a good local travel agent that’s a member of The American Society of Travel Agents.

The award-winning television production team at BrandStar Entertainment is one of the industry’s leaders.  BrandStar Entertainment features a full array of creative services that include distribution, sound stages and production/post production facilities. BrandStar Entertainment is known for producing content driven shows like The Balancing Act on Lifetime Television, the only morning show in America produced by women specifically for women. BrandStar proudly carries a WomenCertified® Seal, demonstrating leadership in women friendly programming. BrandStar Entertainment’s The Balancing Act airs daily on Lifetime at 7 a.m. ET/PT. For more information, visit BrandStar Entertainment’s website for The Balancing Act at www.thebalancingact.com.

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