Me, writing the cue cards for Matt's Old Spice intro.
By Jennifer Long, TODAY Producer
"I'm sorry you want to bring WHAT on the plane?"
"Snow," I sheepishly replied to the Jet Blue check-in desk as I pointed to a sketchy looking taped-up box that said "SnoBiz" on the side.
Production manager Grace Yavana with that sketchy box of snow.
And there began my adventure of making it snow in Barbados.
About a month ago I went to Matt's office to get a sense of what he would like to do for the last day of Where in the World. We knew we'd be on a beach in Barbados ... and we'd had plenty of beach "reveals" in Where in the Worlds past. How could we make this one different?
I suggested constructing a clear platform on the surface of the water to make it look like he was walking on water. You know, like Jesus-style. I'm not sure if he actually didn't hear me or chose not to acknowledge this ... I'm guessing the latter... but all of a sudden he bounced up and said, "What if we did a take on that Old Spice Body Wash commercial??"
Co-producer Krista Brunson transporting Matt's "costumes" to Barbados.
YES!!!
There began figuring out how to do on a beach in Barbados what Old Spice did so brilliantly in a high-tech Hollywood sound stage. Another challenge: we had to do it live. I had knots in my stomach.
After meetings and scripting and set designing and wardrobe constructing ... I was now standing at the Jet Blue terminal with a box of snow.
OK so the snow didn't make it to Barbados ... at least on that Jet Blue flight. Something about the packaging (apparently Scotch tape isn't an acceptable form of packaging on international flights). FedEx to the rescue.Shockingly, the snow was the easiest part. A few days ago I looked down at my ringing Blackberry ....and let me tell you ... seeing "Matt Lauer calling" is still a little jarring even to me!
"Hey, so why aren't I ending on a horse like the real commercial does?" Matt asks.
Me: "Cause you're a germ freak ... I never thought you would get on one."
Cut to me at a Barbadian horse farm at 8 am the next morning.
That's me, on Matt's horse.
I know you have heard Matt say it a thousand times, but our technical crew is the best in the business. For 3 straight days they have been tinkering with the backdrops and camera blocking and lighting to pull off Matt's Old Spice reveal. And it's hot out. VERY HOT.
Our crew really is the best in the business. Here's cameramen Callan Griffiths and Bob Riggio hanging the fake "Canadian Rockies" backdrop.
I'm writing this the night before the big show...Matt is set to arrive to Barbados in just a few more hours.
We just finished our final rehearsals and it's looking pretty great ... we hope it will make people smile.
I do know we made one person smile already. I just looked over and saw one of our local Barbadian crew members staring at our box of snow. I grabbed a bunch of it and handed it to him and said, "dont worry its biodegradable!"
One of our Barbados crew members, holding snow for the first time!
He smiled and said, "Oh it's not that. I've just never held snow before. You made it snow in Barbados!"
Miss a moment? Here's a Where in the World recap!
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