Last November, I got to live out one of my dreams – to be part of a travel television show. The show was called ‘Fabulocity’, a brand new show being produced for the OUTtv network in Canada, and I was being brought onboard as the travel expert for an episode. My destination? Thailand. It was a pinch me moment, one that I didn’t think was real until the wheels hit the tarmac in Bangkok.
I was really excited. I felt confident that I had the chops to cut it as a ‘travel expert’. But that excitement was met with equal parts of nervousness. Goodbye to my usual crew of 1 – i.e. me. For the first time ever, I’d have a crew of people filming me. Watching me. Critiquing me. And I really wanted to do a great job.
As I tried to envision what was in store for me, I knew I had one thing going in my favour… familiarity, both literally and figuratively. Having spent some time in Bangkok when Tristan and I backpacked through the region in 2011, I had a good idea of what to expect from the city. Additionally, having worked in Toronto’s television industry throughout university and after graduation, I knew what it was like to be “on set”. Think long hours and lots of repetition. With this in mind, I felt ready for the new challenge ahead.
I was looking forward to the frenetic energy of Bangkok and couldn’t wait to eat the street-food once again! It’s a sprawling city and can seem overwhelming to a first-time visitor. But underneath the congested streets and sometimes hot, stifling temperatures is a colourful and vibrant city, filled with stunning Southeast Asian architecture, a phenomenal culinary scene, and beautiful people who can light up a room with their smile.
So how does that connect to the concept of Fabulocity? From the words of the production team:
Fabulocity is a fast-moving series that sends our vibrant hosts to cities all over the world. They help uncover the one thing you can’t find in any guidebook… How fabulous a place really is! Accompanied by travel experts the hosts travel the world and report back with each city’s four-part Fabulocity findings: Flair, Energy, Flavour and Shine. How does your city stack up?
The host for my episode was Adamo Ruggiero. Many of you may know him from his role as Marco on Degrassi: The Next Generation. I certainly did, especially since I had worked on that show back in my television production days, though we missed each other by a season or two. Adamo and I clicked right away, which is really important when two people have to be on-camera together. I felt like we had known each other for years and we basically laughed our way through the 4 days of filming.
Our time in Bangkok flew by in a flash. It was filled with full filming days, trying some new activities, and fighting the effects of jetlag! Before I knew it, we were already packing up our things and heading back to Toronto. I was exhausted, but had had an incredible time with Adamo and the crew. My experience of Bangkok was very different this time around and it allowed me to see other sides that I had missed back in 2011.
Make sure to check out the full Bangkok episode! It premieres on OUTtv, June 6th at 9pm. Repeat airings can be found here.
Here’s a comment from an old youth group friend I shared this with: “What an exciting job, lovely talented young woman”