Breakfast Television Toronto experience

Breakfast Television (BT) was one of those shows I watched diligently whilst getting ready for work back in the day so I was definitely a fan and enjoyed the topics and the personalities. The BT crew seemed so fun and lively and whilst I had the opportunity to be part of the audience for many of Toronto’s daytime shows and even have a makeover on national Tv, BT was off the list as they don’t usually film in front of an audience. Given that it’s a three hour show, that kinda makes sense! Well guess what? I got a chance to see the behind the scenes workings at BT! Wohoo!

A couple weeks ago they put out a call for pregnant moms to attend the show as part of the #BTBABY Bonanza show they were collaborating with Target on and a friend luckily brought this to my attention (thank you lovely Corina!). I applied and sat back and waited, since the show was the day before my scheduled C-section I figured that perhaps they wouldn’t want me in attendance, just incase I went into labour on the show! However I did get an email requesting my attendance .. wohoooooooooo!!

On Thursday, October 24th I was up bright and early and in their studio by 6 a.m. with a bunch of other eager preggos, none of us knew what to expect but when you get a chance like this, you make it happen! Ofcourse we assumed there would be some loot but for me the appeal was to see the BT crew live in action. It was fascinating to see them whiz in and out of the main studio, disappearing randomly for slots at a time only to come back for more lively banter with us and their TV audience. We got to interact with Kevin and Dina quite a bit and April ensured she hung out with us as well…. one big happy family! It was laid back, stress free and lots of fun, which is exactly the image they exude on TV. I totally wasn’t ready when the spotlight was turned on me! Given that I was due for delivery the next day Kevin came over to chat and then Dina made the point of asking me for advice (since I was the only one with a kid at home already). EEKS! I did the best I could and told them to do what feels right to them and that it wasn’t that bad, I got plenty of sleep during the 1st month!

Much like what Oprah’s guests must feel like, we were treated to breakfast (donuts, bagels and other deliciously unhealthy breakfast treats! Perfect for Preggos!) and lots of swag. First came the Target bag (which was perfect for my hospital bag!!) with some diapers, wipes, a $50 gift card and a swaddle blanket. Towards the end we were also given a full set of bedding. Yes we even got to choose the pattern and if it wasn’t available they were going to arrange for Target to send us the one we liked. Talk about accommodating!

With a bunch of preggos in one room the crew was joking that the only thing that hasn’t happened at BT was someone giving birth and what do you know… the lady due that day started her labour towards the end of the show! I hope she had a smooth delivery! As for me, I went home to c lose off some projects and then prepped for the arrival of version 2.0 (click here to read all about his arrival!).

Many have asked me how I manage to get on these shows and I tell them, APPLY ! Be socially connected and on the look out for fun opportunities that resonate with you and take the chance. You never know what to expect but it’s bound to be fun (provided you’re okay with the unknown). At this stage surely my fifteen minutes of fame are up but the next goal would be to be featured on one of these shows. I’ll have to figure out my expertise/topic!