Today we’d like to introduce you to Shelley Herman.
Hi Shelley, thanks for sharing your story with us. To start, maybe you can tell our readers some of your backstory.
Back in 1973, while attending Agoura High School, I was pretty sure I would be a teacher because that’s all the counselors could suggest I do. Remember, this was before women could sign their names on a credit card without a co-signer. Thankfully, friends and I secured free tickets to see the rock concert television series “The Midnight Special,” and I saw my future. No, not as a rock star. I saw a woman not much older than me wearing an ugly polyester uniform, ushering the audience to their seats on the studio floor, and they got paid to listen to rock music! That’s when I did some freelance thinking and realized I had worked as a volunteer usher at The Valley Music Theatre. I could apply for a job and be one of those ushers and not have to wake up early and deal with children for a living.
I’m sure it wasn’t obstacle-free, but would you say the journey has been fairly smooth so far?
The job was that of an NBC Page, one of the most coveted entry-level positions in entertainment history. Now in its 91st year, this Executive Training Program helped launch the careers of entertainers and executives like Regis Philbin, Chuck Barris, Grant Tinker, and most recently, Aubrey Plaza. Of course, the powers that be didn’t think I was ready to join their ranks until I had completed college. But I kept applying, and calling, and writing so when the time was right, they would know my name.
Thanks for sharing that. So, maybe next you can tell us a bit more about your work?
I began my career in show biz on June 21, 1976. Becoming an NBC Page was like grad school on steroids! In addition to ushering for TV Shows including “The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson,” “Hollywood Squares,” and numerous variety shows, I gave tours of the NBC Burbank facility, sat behind desks doing temp work when the employees went on vacation, read scripts, took stars to the airport in limos – anything I could do to lend a hand, so I could listen and learn. I am most proud that I didn’t do what everyone else thought I should be doing in my life. I figured it out for myself. Sure, there were setbacks, but once I knew what I wanted to do, I did some out-of-the-box thinking, meeting people I wanted to know who could help me stay in the entertainment industry once my 18 months of being a Page were over. Yep, that’s all NBC allows. I lived, breathed, and never slept all things NBC.
Have you learned any interesting or important lessons due to the Covid-19 crisis?
The friends I made over 40 years ago are still very close to my heart. Thankfully, Zoom and Facetime kept us in contact—so much so that I got inspired to write my autobiography, “My Peacock Tale: Secrets Of An NBC Page,” between sanitizing my hands and finding a mask that fits properly. I found a publisher and have received great reviews. Many of my Page Pals allowed me to tell their stories, too. Men and women should identify with the struggles we share, getting our foot in the door and keeping it there. The book isn’t just for people entertainment industry. The humorous stories serve as an inspiration to give the reader confidence to believe they can achieve.
Pricing:
- $25.00 Softcover
- $35.00 Hardcover
- $9.95 Kindle
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.mypeacocktale.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/mypeacocktale/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/shelley.herman
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCFwknNiUQ5MFjUZPdreWeKg
- Other: https://tinyurl.com/ynj62jju
