COVID-19 stole the show...almost.

Days after we taped our brand new socially focused, witty and relatable show about women in business...COVID-19 entered the scene. What happened next?

It took the wind out of our sails. It changed the plan. It bummed us out but we had a lot invested and we had to push forward, didn't we? COVID-19 has affected everyone. Ours is no sob story but nonetheless, it is our story.

February 27th, 2020. 5:53pm. It’s a wrap! 

Our small but mighty team cleared hurdle after hurdle. I'll spare you the details but making this show was a struggle. We were followed by some very dark clouds and despite having one of our three producers and a vital guest moderator call in sick the day before, we made it to taping day relatively intact. 

We are scrappy, never say die, kind of folks. 

Who are we?

We are Lisa, Beth and Bobby. All production veterans with multiple Emmys between us. We met years ago while working on shows for Oprah Winfrey at the legendary Harpo Studios in Chicago. We came together again recently with a fondness for each other's skills and ethics. For the last few years, we have provided our production services to private businesses. We still do that and enjoy it immensely.

But Ladies of Influence is a new endeavor. An original production conceived, produced and funded entirely by us and for us. It was to be the first series on our new YouTube channel.

Our show spotlights unique female entrepreneurs who have built or run their own companies. Their businesses are all VERY different but they share stories of hard work, success, failure and a love/hate relationship with social media.

Lights. Camera. Action.

It’s showtime and six smart and successful...ladies of influence begin to share stories, a few at a time. Their chemistry is instant. They’re so excited, they talk over each other. They connect deeply and reveal stories about the upsides and hardships of starting their businesses. In doing so, they drop advice and witty remarks all over the place. They bring their A-game and we successfully capture three episodes of our new series.

Finally, after many long months in pre-production, we had relevant and very entertaining content. In. The. Can.

Next step: Review the footage, create a razzle-dazzle promo video for potential sponsors, launch marketing promotions, and deliver edit and design plans to our post-production team. We were gonna check all of these boxes in three to four weeks, tops. We would debut in late March or early April come hell or high water.

But less than a week after taping we started to hear a lot about THE virus. It would soon shut us and the world -- down. 

Hit the Pause button. 

In a matter of days, and out of an abundance of caution, our team stopped collaborating in person. We then took a solid week off to stock our homes with TP, soap and Home Run Inn frozen pizzas. Next thing you know, we’re Sheltering In Place; becoming eTeachers and recluses. We're carrying on from our homes but all the while thinking, hhhmmm, is this really happening and is now a good time to approach potential sponsors and partners about a new show? 

In addition to that, we had to come to grips with the fact that our new show is now dated by the fact that the conversations don’t mention COVID-19, Quarantine or Social Distancing.

Would our fresh show now appear aloof or out of touch? Maybe, maybe not, but we decided that when it aired, we would have to make it clear that this was taped before the quarantine (or BQ as I say). 

New Plan.

While stunned by this pandemic and all the sadness, fear and worry it brings with it, our team kept talking about how to complete our show. It was a good distraction and it didn’t take us long to decide on a new plan. Social distancing and zero funding being the primary drivers.

1. We would not seek sponsors. This meant we would scale back on bells and whistles.
2. We would have to edit it ourselves. All of it. From our actual houses.
3. No Ad spend. Spread the word with organic reach. 
4. Find a Virtual Studio. Research and choose a platform for our future show tapings.  

Does the world really need this right now?

Yes, damn it! Now more than ever. Let’s get it done.

Because standing still is a terrible idea and because women are now making up 40% of new entrepreneurs, more of us are building businesses than ever before. The U.S. has 12.3 million women-owned businesses, generating $1.8 trillion a year and because while going through a dark time like this quarantine, we could all use some upbeat, inspirational and heartfelt discussions. The advice and insights that our guests cover is still relevant. Yes, things have changed irrevocably and they still are changing, but the principles of running a business, promoting your product and working hard have not changed.  

Some of our episodes get deep and serious, some are light snacks and all are strong yet humble. Our guests are as real as it gets. They aren’t household names but they have made their mark and are poised for more. Future episodes will no doubt be packed with relatable conversations about how our guests (new ones and visits from our first six) recover from the devastation of this pandemic. Were they forced to start over? How did they overcome? Did they learn something new? Have they yet received any stimulus dollars? 

These Ladies will be sharing what has worked and not, from their perspective. And they will continually remind us that we are all in this together.  

Current entrepreneurs (and someday-soon-entrepreneurs) enjoy sharing and mentoring, and are illuminated when they see people like themselves talking shop. This is why we did the show. These women poured their hearts out during the taping. It was exciting to watch and these stories were too valuable to leave on the cutting room floor.

Finishing touches. We still have an overwhelming amount of work to do before the show is ready, but we’ll get it done by our April 21st deadline. 

That’s our goal and we’re sticking to it.  

LADIES OF INFLUENCE Premieres April 21st on Storybeat Studio's YouTube.