Most days, you stroll on into work, turn on your computer, check your emails, return phone calls and settle into your regular routine. Then there are days when work decides to shake things up a bit, and asks you to attend the taping of Ellen for their Earth Day episode because the company you happen to work for, Dogeared, just so happens to be doing an amazing audience giveaway. Work can be so demanding sometimes.
I was invited, along with Becky, our marketing manager, and Rachael, our social networking guru, to attend the Ellen show at the Warner Bros. lot in Burbank, where it would be revealed that Dogeared was not only planting a tree for every single audience member to benefit Earth Day, but would also be gifting the entire audience with a $150 gift certificate to shop at www.dogeared.com. It’s time like these that I need to pinch myself for being a part of a company that pretty much has “extremely generous” and “remarkably socially conscious” on lock.
The three of us arrived at the WB lot and proceeded through the security gates where one of Ellen’s staff members greeted us (I’m convinced the prerequisite to be hired at Ellen is that you have to be awesome, hilarious and completely down to earth). As we passed huge trucks loading and unloading props and sets for various sound stages, and studio regulars whizzing by on bicycles (the fastest way to travel on the lot), the history of Warner Bros. studios definitely wasn’t lost on this film buff. After all, these studio walls have seen everything from Casablanca to Gremlins to Argo being filmed here, so I may have been keeping a cool exterior, but the cinephile in me was definitely nerding out a bit.
We were escorted backstage and up to our very own Dogeared green room where I resisted the urge to immediately dive into the free food basket, and instead unpacked some surprise swag we brought for the staff. What can I say? We love to give, and one of the best parts of my job is seeing the reaction on folks’ faces when I hand them a piece of jewelry…just because. There we watched the live stream of the taping, and were elated to see the audience’s reactions to Dogeared’s contribution to the show.
As silly as it sounds, when you work with something day in and day out, you can momentarily forget how important something small, yet meaningful, can be to someone. Like a necklace that celebrates putting good karma back into the world, or a bracelet that reminds you (not to) worry.
After the show wrapped, our Ellen escort brought us down to the set to snap some pictures and introduced us to the dedicated crew that make the show such a well-oiled machine. Every single person we met personally thanked us for being a part of the show. It was refreshing to see a group of people (apart from Dogeared) who love getting up and going to work in the morning.
As Becky, Rachael and I made our way off the palm tree lined lot and back to reality (complimentary Ellen mug in hand), we were a giddy trio of schoolgirls happy to have been a part of something equal parts Hollywood glitz and philanthropic. All in all, it definitely wasn’t a bad way to spend the workday.
—Caitlin Donovan