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Ben Silverman, the Making of a Fashion Star

rower — Wed, 16 May 2012 04:21:40 +0000

Exclusive interview with executive producer Ben Silverman on the making of a Fashion Star, series finale tonight on NBC-TV at 10p/9c crowns a new top fashion designer and bridges bricks-to-online retailing with America’s 2-screen lifestyle

By Robin Rowe

Fashion Stars real winners, Macy's, Saks and H&M, TV fashions sell

HOLLYWOOD, CA (Gosh!TV) 2012/5/15 -Would it work for fashion? It’s been done before in music. Then unknowns Carrie Underwood, Kelly Clarkson and Jennifer Hudson all launched in reality competition. Whether Fashion Star will launch a star to become a household name is too soon to say, but it has brought bricks-only retailer H&M online and proven that fashion can be sold from reality television as effectively as records. The biggest frustration for viewers? That East Coast viewers buy everything, that the show’s fashions sell out online before the show airs on the West Coast.

Fashion Star executive producer Ben Silverman produced such Emmy and Golden Globe-winning shows as The Office, Ugly Betty, The Tudors, and The Biggest Loser. The former NBC co-chairman’s latest show, Fashion Star, rewards competing designers by carrying their clothing lines at Saks, Macy’s or H&M.

“It’s American Idol with fashion…and you can wear it,” says Ben Silverman. “Unlike other fashion shows that are about ‘turn this garbage bag into a dress or make this meat into a coat’, this is real. You can wear this stuff. You can feel it and touch it.”

Considering how rare it is for designers to break into mass market, it may seem surprising that retail outlets are constantly looking for new designers. “One of the things they told us was, ‘If you’re going to scour the country and use the fact that these designers will be on TV so you can more access to them and more of them, that would be very valuable to us’.” says Silverman. The retailers would commit to buy, but wanted a hand in picking the top 50 new designers out of the 2,000 designers who applied. We brought them into our selection and casting process, so they knew they were good and strong. The buyers were helping us place so we knew we had contestants who could go the long haul.”

Fashion Star advertised for new designers everywhere says Silverman. “We used Women’s Wear Daily. We used fashion blogs. We told the world we’re looking for the next great designers, men’s and women’s.”

“We have no age caps,” says Silverman. “We have 50-year-old contestants. We have 20-year-old contestants. All colors…sizes. The filter is, if you’re good at design, you deserve a shot. The mentors…I looked at Jessica, Nicole, Elle and John. You need this much firepower to make things happen, and we have it in spades. Terrence is the scariest guy on the show. Unlike Simon Cowell who’s just judging, he’s, ‘I’m buying this stuff’. It’s amazing to watch the show.”

“We’ve built a whole social media content site that we shot during the show,” says Silverman. “On the social side, there are massive Facebook, Twiiter teams. They tweet during the show. We have all the NBC staff and then in staff we have ten people, four producers and six people just dedicated to digital. It’s a separate budget entirely.”

“We have Jeannie Mai, who’s one of the stars of The Style Network, doing all this additional digital content,” says Silverman. “Obviously there’s a commerce play, the stuff will be for sale that night. Inside we’re offering tons of additional footage, how the models make up their hair, what the judges and mentors are thinking. So, we’re deeply invested in the social space. We need to be as smart as possible that the message we control stays clear and clean and upbeat. Offering more robust content to the superfan than the hour mother ship show is what most of the audience wants. If you love Jessica Simpson, you want to spend more time with her, you’re have that ability on the web site.”

Fashion Star created an online commerce site for bricks-only retailer H&M. Will NBC become a retailer itself?

We had to build for H&M because they don’t do online normally,” says Silverman. “We had to build their commerce engine. That was a huge thing, too. We created a commerce play for one of the largest retailers and it could sit on NBC. It was a one-off just for this project because they want everyone going into their stores. NBC is never going to become Macy’s. Macy’s is never going to become NBC. In recognizing the strengths you bring to each other was a big moment. Lately, every business wants to own every other business’ business. This was a case where came together and said let’s all do what we do best.”

“I feel the inevitability of television’s role in commerce is coming,” says Silverman. “Whether that’s because of how people are watching TV with a two-screen experience so they can do it all at the same time. I think the idea of forcing it all through one screen is hard. I like that what we’re doing is after the show you can go buy. It’s not taking you away during the show. You’re on the emotional journey, you’re on the star-studded journey, you’re with an investment in the clothes, and bingo afterwards is your chance to go. It’s deep. We still have Jessica Simpson, the stuff you’d expect from a huge reality show. Then on the other side you’ve got the buyer, so it’s really exciting.”

This evening, the first Fashion Star will be crowned. NBC-TV, 10p/9c

Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/NBCFashionStar
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Globes Gifts: Izzy & Ali Handbags

marcus — Mon, 23 Apr 2012 20:56:19 +0000

Izzy & Ali vegan leather handbags provide socially conscious fashion

by Robin Rowe

BEVERLY HILLS, CA (Gosh!TV) 2012/2/24 – “These are vegan leather handbags, so they’re animal cruelty free,” says Izzy & Ali branding and marketing manager Cindy Newman. “We launched last month. We just got back from New York and we’re selling in boutiques and department stores nationwide.”

Watch the interview with Gosh!TV host Gabrielle Pantera…

Globes Gifts: Chick Boss

marcus — Mon, 23 Apr 2012 20:31:37 +0000

Design company Chick Boss empowers Guatemalan women to design and sell their own jewelry

by Robin Rowe

BEVERLY HILLS, CA (Gosh!TV) 2012/2/24 – “Chick Boss is actually a nick-name I got in another life,” says Chick Boss founder and CEO Pat Pannell. “But it really does correlate to what we’re trying to do as well, which is to try and empower women and to make them feel like they are in charge of there own lives.”

Watch the interview with Gosh!TV host Gabrielle Pantera…

Oscars GBK- Made in Earth

kelsey — Mon, 23 Apr 2012 17:57:52 +0000

by Gabrielle Pantera

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