BuzzFed, D-Listed and House Hunting

My daughter called me early yesterday morning laughing so hard she could barely speak. I asked her, “What are you doing up so late?”…seeing as it was 8:30 a.m. in Paris and 2:30 a.m. in New York where she was at the moment.

She had seen the latest posting on DListed.com. According to its master, Michael K,”Dlisted.com was started as The D-List on January 23, 2005. It soon changed its name when Kathy Griffin threatened to kill our a****. Since then we’ve been kicking a** and taking names or is it licking a** and being lame? Its also updated like every five seconds since Michael K has no f***ing life. Like honestly we should look into that sh**.”

So, you get that Michael K is a ‘tongue and cheek’ kinda guy and it turns out he watches House Hunters International. He picked up on the BuzzFeed.com posting “32 Signs That You’re Addicted To HGTV” and as a fan, labeled me “Hot Slut of the Day!”

Now you know why she was cracking up. I cracked up, too. Hey! I LOVE that as someone can still think of a 60-year-old in such provocative terms. It’s flattering to say the least!

It’s a funny thing how the gig with HGTV has blossomed. The first one we did was in the summer of 2006 with Ben and Angela Harris. They weren’t married yet, but were planning their wedding and buying an apartment in Paris together. The producers loved their story, their look, their personalities and the apartments. They asked me to be the “agent” or “consultant” on the show, I said “why not?” The rest is history.

HHI crew shenanigansThe network (HGTV) hires production companies to provide their programming. Since that first show, the producers have changed. This newer team is seriously fun to work with — they are young and open-minded, yet professional, located in London and New York. The crew that flies in (usually from the UK) to film the episodes are made up of freelancers who team up and work well together…a cameraman, sound engineer and director, plus a coordinator. It doesn’t take too many people to make it all happen and now that we’ve done 13 shows (hard to believe!), we’ve had the opportunity to work with some of the teams a few times, so it’s like meeting up with old friends every time we shoot another episode.

The photo Dlisted.com used on their site was taken by cameraman, Phil Mash, outside the Métro entrance at the Arts-et-Métiers station while we were filming “Searching for Style and Space in Paris” – Episode HHINT-4107H. It was one of those scenes where I’m on the phone talking to whomever while coming out of the station — it gets edited in to ‘show the life of a real estate consultant.’

I will not give away their secrets, but it’s clear the editors do a great job to piece it all together and keep you all coming back for more! And no, it’s not ‘scripted’ — it’s all as real as it’s possible to be, and whatever ‘acting’ we do is ‘just being ourselves.’ We just all do and say whatever we would do or say in any normal situation…but, while the camera is rolling.

The new episode airing on the 13th of this month, “Becoming a Buyer in Nice, France” – Episode HHINT-5501H is all about young American Scott Baker who “always wanted to live in France.” He’s a reader of Parler Paris and Parler Nice and was quick to answer one of our queries for what’s called “the contributor” — the person (or couple) around whom the story is built. This was our first time filming in Nice, but I hope it won’t be the last.

Filming this episode was great fun, in spite of the chilly weather (as we were all underdressed for the unusually low temperatures), because Scott’s sidekick, a pretty female French friend, Clara, put a real twist into the show…just by being very ‘French!’ I’ll tell you no more than that, except that it made it even more clear that Americans see the glass as half full, while the French see it as half empty! And since I haven’t seen it myself (we never do, until after it’s aired!), there is no telling how this dynamic will play out! (Guess you’ll have to watch it for yourself!)

It takes months after filming for the shows to be edited and ready for airing. We can’t view the shows here in France so I count on someone taping it for my viewing until the producers can send a copy on DVD. One Parler Paris reader has devotionally sent me a DVD after every airing, for which I have been eternally grateful and because of which we have become great friends!

About 20-25 hours of filming ends up as about 22 minutes of programming. That means several days of filming in several different locations. It starts early, it ends late and there is not the usual amount of culturally-French time allowed for breaking for lunch — although they know now that dining properly in France is essential to keeping the ‘actors’ happy! Sometimes being out in the cold and rain makes for a challenge, but all in all the filming is fun and a total break from the every-day routine.

At the end of this month another new episode premiers: “Planning a Future in Paris, France” – Episode HHINT-5612H airing August 28th with Jayne Lee and her French newlywed husband, Edouard who “wants to be sure there is room for a future family.”

Don’t miss these and the reruns of the others — by checking our Web page that keeps the air dates up-to-date…and if you’d like to be a “contributor” (aka “star”) on House Hunters International, write me at [email protected] and tell me why you want to be on the show and what your story is all about! You never know…you could be a star on HGTV, too!

A la prochaine…

Adrian Leeds

Editor, Parler Paris & Director of The Adrian Leeds Group, LLC

(Photo by HHI’s Phil Mash)

Respond to Adrian

P.S.I will be speaking about living and investing in France at the Wealth and Privacy Conference in Zürich, Switzerland next week August 11-14. If you are concerned about asset protection, asset growth, and international diversification, then you will want to consider this very exclusive event this summer tailored specifically for you. During the conference, you can join a panel of experts and other attendees engaging in a set of interactive discussions and presentations designed to arm you with the information you need to make prudent, long-term decisions about your financial future. On top of that, you’ll be doing it in one of the world’s oldest and most secure financial centers in the world, Zürich, Switzerland. For those interested in attending, visit hemispherespublishing.com for more information.

And don’t forget to register NOW for the Living and Investing in France Conference in Nice this coming September 27-29 to avoid the August15th cancellation policy fees. See Investing in France Conference in Nice for more information. http://www.adrianleeds.com/events/conferences/living-and-investing-in-france-nice-2013

P.P.S. There will be no Parle Paris Nouvellettres® on Monday, August 19th nor August 21st, our vacation period. Encourage your friends to subscribe at Parler Paris