My TODAY Show Adventure

A year and a half ago, I was leaving the dentist and walked by the TODAY show.

It was a rainy morning so the crowd wasn’t as thick as usual and I was able to stand up close and personal with the glass window, getting a perfect view of what they were filming inside.

I remember making eye contact with Matt Lauer. Who saw me and waved. I was just another fan who stood there with my fingers pressed up against the chilled glass wondering what it felt like to be inside there.

Wondering If I would ever get my chance to be inside there.

From that day on, I tried.

When I released, “All My Friends are Engaged”, I reached out to the show more than a handful of times to see if they wanted to interview me about it. I was a 25-year-old NYC woman, writing about dating from the perspective of feeling like the only single gal left in my world of friends.

They didn’t say no. They didn’t say yes. They didn’t ever say anything.

Then, last June, when I kick started Bridesmaid for Hire, my mom pushed me to reach out to them again.

“Call up the TODAY Show,” she said. “This is something they definitely will cover.”

So I did. I first emailed every single person there. I spent days researching for who to email and then even more days researching how to get my hands on their actual email address. When I heard nothing, I called. Every single day for two weeks I called and left messages and told assistants that my name is Jen Glantz and I expect Mr. Lauer to give me a ring by noon today!

When that didn’t work. I emailed some more. Called a couple more times. And finally, decided to back off a bit and keep my cool (I didn’t want to ruin my chances with a restraining order).

A month later, I answered my ringing phone to a voice on the other line saying her name was Britney and she was calling from the TODAY Show. I was on an airplane, waiting to take off and the stewardess had already asked me twice to put away my cell phone.

If ever there was a time to bypass that rule, now would be it.

I put the phone underneath my sweatshirt, curled up into a mini ball and spoke.

They wanted me on. They finally wanted me on.

I was scheduled to come on one July Tuesday morning at 8:45 to talk about Bridesmaid for Hire.

Monday night I get a phone call. “We need to postpone this. There’s some heavy breaking news and we’re going to have to bump your segment.”

I heard nothing,

So I called and emailed and called again until finally Britney called me back and said I was scheduled to come on again the following Tuesday.

Monday night I get a phone call.  “One of the TODAY Show hosts doesn’t want you on. She doesn’t like the story and thinks Bridesmaid for Hire is too new to have on. Right now it’s just a concept and since you haven’t worked with any brides yet, she vetoed the segment.”

Getting on the TODAY Show was suddenly feeling more difficult than getting a bill passed through senate.

I was really upset. I wanted this badly.  I thought I worked for this. Yet hours before, they gave a big fat N-O.

I decided I wouldn’t give up. Well first I decided I’d treat myself to two slices of pizza and a small cookie cake. But then I decided, I’d keep pushing for this.

I called and emailed and called every single week for the past 6 months.

Until finally, it happened.

 

You can watch it here!