This is my 5th or 6th attempt at writing a blog entry since January 1st. I’ve had severe writer’s block lately. Every time I’ve attempted to write something, I read it back to myself, hate it, get frustrated, and can’t continue. Maybe this time I will get the right words out.
I’ve had numerous people ask me why I haven’t written a blog about my experience working on Ridiculousness this past December. I haven’t written one for a few reasons. One, like I said, I’ve had writer’s block. Two, I have to be REALLY careful writing the blog, because I can’t give away any details about the show. I am going to try and write this blog, and since most of the people who read it are fans of Rob, I am going to try and focus on experiences with him. If you are reading this to find out secrets and details about the show, you can “X” out now, I am not giving anything away. You are just going to have to wait until it airs. ;)
I started work on Ridiculousness on December 2nd and I was really nervous. I knew I’d be the only PA who had no TV experience and I wasn’t sure what to expect. From day one everyone was really nice. I was told right away that the entire crew was aware I was a “superfan,” and because of that I was extra nervous. I felt I had to prove to everyone that I was in fact there to work. Most people heard the word “superfan,” and probably assumed that I would freak out at the sight of Rob Dyrdek. That’s not the case at all. I knew I was not to talk to the talent unless they talked to me first, and I followed that rule perfectly.
Just to be clear, PA work is basically waiting to be told what to do next and then doing it quickly and correctly. There were 4 PA’s and when we were waiting for instructions on our next task, we would wait around in this cafeteria type room. I was taught to always be visible so people could find me if they needed me to do something, but to also always stay out of the way. The cafeteria also held the entrance from the parking lot.
Days 1 and 2 were pretty slow. We built a few pieces for the stage and ran errands. Day 3 was when it got exciting. It was rehearsal day. Rob’s call time was approaching and myself and the other PA’s were in the cafeteria waiting for instructions. I wasn’t REALLY nervous, because like I said, my main priority was to work and I was focused on doing a good job at any task that I was given. It just so happened that I didn’t have any task assigned when Rob’s call time approached, so because I was just standing around my mind started to wander a little. I knew I wasn’t allowed to talk to him first, but I was wondering if he would remember me at all, or remember my name. Before working on Ridiculousness, he always just called me “shy girl” which is in reference to my twitter username "shygirl364."
The cafeteria had about 20-25 people in there, all part of the Ridiculousness crew. All of a sudden Rob walked in and went straight up to his dressing room. “Okay,” I thought. “Rob’s here.“ I didn’t think he saw me, but even if he did see me, I didn’t expect him to say hi or anything. This was a professional environment and I wasn’t sure about anything and didn’t expect anything.
Literally 60 seconds later, Rob comes storming back into the cafeteria and I tried not to make eye contact, but he yelled out “Carli, get over here!” I was kind of in shock because I did not think at all that the first thing he would do after arriving on set is say hi to me, a lowly PA. I knew all eyes were on me and I put my hand out to shake his hand, but he said “No, no, give me a hug. How is your first job out here going?” I replied that it’s going good, and I thanked him. It was very brief, but it reiterated the fact I already knew, Rob Dyrdek is one of the most generous people on the planet. It meant a lot to me that he took the time to come downstairs and say hi to me, give me a hug even. I felt a lot more comfortable after that.
Throughout the rest of production, Rob always said good morning to me every day, and chatted with me whenever he had a free second. If he’d see me in the hall somewhere he would always make some sort of comment. He was always so friendly. One day he introduced me to Alex Laws, his trainer, and told her and everyone else who was sitting at the table the story about how I am “his number one fan in the entire universe” (his words). He told them the story of how I got where I was today. I still can’t believe Rob remembers every detail, from Ohio, to the Carl’s Jr Sk84Life contest, to Street League, to Ridiculousness and everything in between. He told me he was reading my tweets and saw that I went to the DC store and bought a “Make Your Own Luck” T-shirt. He said he would get me that shirt in every color, but I think he forgot. That’s okay though, while I would love those shirts, it’s the thought that counts. I didn’t want to remind him because I didn’t want to seem greedy or anything. I was just happy to be working there.
Like I said, I never broke the rule about not talking to the talent unless they talk to me first, but everyone always talked to me first so I did get a chance to talk to most people. Chanel is adorable. She is SUCH a sweetheart. Steelo is hilarious. There were two guest stars I would have loved to have met, but I didn’t break the rule. I’ll admit, it was a little surreal to see them standing in front of me after being fans of them for so long. I kept it professional though, I did not say a word to either of them.
I did get to see Geoffrey and Tracy when they stopped by for a visit and I talked to them for a bit. Big Cat stopped by for a second one day just to drop something off, and I said hi to him. Rob’s assistant is always so sweet and nice to me. Shane and Christian and Lauren were always really nice to me. The other PA’s were great and they taught me everything I needed to know about being a PA. Honestly, everyone was so SO nice. It’s really strange to meet a group of people and have all of them be nice, but every time I’ve interacted with anyone that has anything to do with Rob’s shows, or Dyrdek Enterprises, everyone is always really friendly.
I’m trying to figure out what I can and can’t say about the show. I know it’s a very fine line and I don’t want to cross it, but what I will say, the show is HILARIOUS! I am confident that everyone who is a fan of Rob Dyrdek will love it, and I am pretty sure that even people who aren’t a fan of Rob Dyrdek will love it. It will open up a whole new batch of people to Rob Dyrdek and show them how hilarious he really is.
I’ve said it before, but working on the show was a dream come true. It was really amazing to see how all of these extremely intelligent and funny producers and crew members can get together and create a TV show. It was like watching magic happen right in front of my eyes and I am honored to have been a part of it. It was a lot of work, but I loved EVERY second of it and I’d be content being a PA for the rest of my life if it meant I got to be a part of production on a show like Ridiculousness. Unfortunately, all good things must come to an end and now I am back in Chicago. I miss working on Ridiculousness, but hopefully I will get another opportunity like that sometime in the future.
PS - I am going to plug Tracy Tubera’s art page because it is awesome. Tracy is SO talented and now you can own a print of one of his original pieces! Find him on Facebook at - http://www.facebook.com/tracytubera.art
