How long does it take to create an episode?

We're often asked how long it takes to create a "Velveteen Lounge Kitsch-en" episode from start to finish. Sometimes people are surprised to learn that it's not just three or so minutes, since that's what you see on the screen! The answer is, it varies tremendously. On the short end it might be a couple of days. Currently, we have one in process that we've been working on since summer (and I'm determined to finish it this year)! Most fall somewhere in between.

Every episode starts with an idea. I'm not ashamed to say that some of those ideas are pretty mediocre and get tossed! Once we have a good idea, the recipe testing begins. Depending on how quickly we need to get that particular episode online, this could take from a day or two to a month or more. Once we have the recipes, I write the episode (which typically takes an hour or so), then a day or so later I shoot the food shots and our green screen backgrounds, if we're using them.

Floating cheese doodles. I was proud of my makeshift doodle mobile!

Green screen background for our Nightmare Before Christmas episode. You should have seen my "tripod!" :D

If there are any special costumes to be made, I typically make those a day or two before we shoot, though I've been known to make hair accessories minutes before!

An offering from the costume closet

If we're shooting at home, it takes about three hours to get ready to shoot an episode, between setting up lights, arranging the ingredients for drinks and the bar top, makeup and hair, etc. It takes a lot of makeup to look like you're only marginally made up!

Shooting at a location can either increase or lessen our shooting time, depending on a number of factors, like how long it takes to get there, what we're using for equipment and so forth. If we're just using our portable light or available light, we can actually be pretty quick if we need to.

On location at Otto's Shrunken Head

Once the shooting is done, Paul dons his editor hat and takes the reins. He often, though not always, edits the episodes on his train commute!

I guess my performance didn't keep him awake that day!

Once it's edited and we're both happy with it, it's time to upload to YouTube, Facebook, REVRY, Instagram and anyplace and everyplace else! I maintain our website, which is the last step in the process. You can find all of our recipes there!

That's the process in a nutshell! We're always open to episode ideas, cocktail suggestions and anything else you'd like us to cover on the show, so be sure to let us know what you'd like to see!

Our Music Video Is Coming Together!

It typically takes us a week or so to pull together an episode of the show. I'll write it early in the week, test recipes and shoot the food mid-week, then we'll shoot several on a weekend day and Paul edits on Sunday. A music video takes a lot longer, but I'm pleased to report our next musical offering is on track to go online by the end of the month! The song was recorded earlier this month, we'd already shot some video at home, and yesterday we shot some of the sequences at Otto's Shrunken Head, in NYC! We're so grateful to them for their support of the show and their hospitality! Here's a small taste of what you can expect:

Lights, camera!

Director Paul "tests" drinks.

Guess who?

A tiki bar is so convenient for "apres shooting" celebrating!

We have more work to do, but it was a great day! We need to get a few more shots, then Paul can don his editor's cap and pull it all together!

Recording Session

We recorded the song for our next musical episode today! The weather was crappy, the trains were late and slow ..it could have felt as though everything was working against us, but I'm pleased to say it went well! I'm really proud of this song. It's the second one on which I've co-written lyrics and I may be biased, but I think it's a lot of fun. You can judge for yourself in a few weeks! 

Now we have to actually shoot the video!

Recording session!

 

Screw Up Some Recipes

It can be incredibly daunting to try new things, including recipes, because there is an excellent chance that your results won't be perfect on your first attempt. I've had to learn this the hard way, trying out ideas and recipes for this show. We eat them whether or not they come out perfectly, unless they're just inedible. Sometimes they look like real "Pinterest fails." That's okay. Every attempt gets me closer to something I'm proud to share and I would never use a recipe on the show if I didn't think it was really good. That ugly duckling stage is a necessary part of the journey, so don't be afraid to mess up! You're not failing, you're doing research and development!

Test Kitsch-en

You Can't Please Everyone

One of the biggest challenges I've faced on my journey to creating my Velveteen Lounge Kitsch-en media empire is knowing that not everyone adores me. Shocking, right? It's in my DNA to be nice to people and I always approach any new person in my life wanting to have a fabulous relationship, whether personal or professional, but sometimes it just wasn't meant to be. Sometimes folks hate you on sight. Sometimes there are professional rivalries, imagined slights or you just resemble someone's abusive boss or cheating wife. There's not much you can do about other people and what they think. All you can do is be kind, be yourself, do the work you want to do and live your life in a way that makes you proud. If someone doesn't like you or what you represent, that's their problem!

At Vidcon last year I attended many panels featuring creators of wildly successful food and lifestyle shows on YouTube and some of their stories were shocking. The abuse and vitriol that even the most popular ones endure is pretty amazing to someone like me, who wants to love everyone. But I took a valuable piece of advice away from more than one panel, which is that you're no one without haters. If you don't have haters, it means you're not putting yourself out there in the world. So thank a hater! Their asinine comments are evidence that your message is being heard!

Here's a little cocktail to enjoy as you build your business, life or just navigate the crazies who are determined to hate everything:

Happy New Year!

I hope 2016 is treating you well so far!

I love the feeling of a clean slate that a new year brings. Resolutions aren't particularly my thing, although I do love to set goals! We have some pretty ambitious ones for the show this year, including producing three new music videos and getting our YouTube channel to 10,000 subscribers.  It's not just vanity on our parts. YouTube has an arcane algorithm which ranks channels on watch time and subscriber numbers. If they deem either of those numbers low, you fall in their rankings and it becomes that much harder for viewers to discover your channel. And when that happens it becomes a vicious cycle. Our watch time is excellent (a high percentage of viewers stick around to the end of our episodes), but our subscriber count could be higher. More subscribers means more opportunities for us to spread the love of kitsch and cocktails throughout the universe! So please subscribe to our channel if you haven't already. Click here to go to our channel - the "subscribe" button is red and on the right. And please share with anyone you know who loves cocktails, cooking, kitsch, retro culture or just laughing at the antics of a couple of goofballs. We're so grateful for your support!

Happy New Year to YOU!

Please click the link above to subscribe to our YouTube channel: https://www.youtube.com/user/VelveteenLounge

A Visit to Philadelphia

Over the weekend we took a desperately needed overnight trip to Philadelphia and it turned out to be just what the doctor ordered! It sounded like a lot of fun when we originally signed on for it, but as we got busier and busier and the nightmare of our powder room redo got worse and worse we began to have second thoughts. However, we'd arranged to shoot our next episode there, so we pulled ourselves together and made the trip and were really glad we did!

We began at Reading Terminal Market, which is chock full of fabulous little eateries and merchants. It can be overwhelming, due to the crowds, but we gamely got in line at DiNic's, which we'd seen on TV was named as having the best sandwich in America - their roast pork.  We got one with hot peppers and broccoli rabe and it was really great.  We followed that up with a Whoopie Pie from the Flying Monkey Bakery, which was also fabulous.  We were even ushered into seats by our friend Jeff, who'd organized the trip, which was nice after a long car ride.  We shot some video and headed off the The Yachtsman, the tiki "dive bar" which was the centerpiece of the day.

The Yachtsman is celebrating their first anniversary and we were fortunate to be able to shoot there. They've done a lot with their little space, including a fabulous hidden space called the Pineapple Room, whose lighting scheme I plan to steal. The drinks I tried were amazing and I'm happy that we'll be sharing one tomorrow on our new episode! A huge thank you to our friend Jeff Westlake for organizing the event! If you're in the DC area, be sure to check out his Tiki Thirstday nights for great drinks, food and company!

After that we walked over to Joe's Steaks & Soda Shop for cheesesteaks and pizza fries, which were perfect after a few tropical libations.  It was a very meaty day, but so good!

We spent the night with our friends Beth (a.k.a. Mod Betty, from the fabulous Retro Roadmap blog) and Cliff in their adorable home about a half hour outside the city.  We also got to see their fantastic, newly restored vintage travel trailer, which made me very envious!  They were wonderful hosts and can't thank them enough for their hospitality.  We capped off the visit with breakfast Sunday at The Fisherman, a local eatery/time capsule that we've now been to twice and highly enjoyed both times. Order the scrapple!

Here are a few shots from the weekend. Can't wait to return!

The Yachtsman, Philadelphia

Two yachtsmen at The Yachtsman. I'm not sure I trust them at the helm!

The Fisherman, Phoenixville, PA

The Fisherman is ready for Christmas!