Getting the Scoop on Pop Culture Reporters: Lunch at Michael's with Page Six TV

Offering a fresh approach to an old tradition Bevy Carlos fellow contributoramp160Elizabeth Wagmeisteramp160and hostamp160John Fugelsangamp160will be the main faces on the multiplatform extension of the New York Post39s legendary gossip column Page Six Carlos showing a cellphone photo of his painmed contorted face taken in the ER said his mugshotlike expression was quotworthy of a cover of National Enquirerquot That is where all similarity to the sensational stops amp160Page Six TVamp160will cover pop culture including trends in politics real estate sports and even technology but through a smart lens of entertainment and comedyamp160Over lunch at Michael39s restaurant Jack Myers and I learned about the diversity and distinction of this group and their shared goal for making this show stand out from the usual fare of celebrity scoopWhat began in 1977 as the destination for the paper39s gossip the Page Six column has not only been credited with breaking stories of national interest but has been theamp160subject of storiesamp160itself amp160It has also helped the Post keep selling papers amp160Michael39s owner Michael McCarty stopped by Table 1 to congratulate the team on taking his favorite print column to screen letting them know that he happily pays dearly to make sure his beloved paper is delivered to his mountain home in the Southwest The video version39s multifaceted multigenerational contributors will deliver content with a point of view and quotconnect the dotsquot for viewers and readers based on their unique access points all as reporters and some as performers themselves amp160Most important amp160As Bevy explained they will report quotnot just from outside on the red carpet amp160We39ll be in the room where it happensquotBevy39s twisted ankle backstory took place at one of her trademark events quotDinner with Bevyquot where the fashionista turned talker helps connect boldface names with each other and often with brands The evening in question includedamp160Tituss Burgessamp160andamp160Dascha Polanco challenging their host to show her best strut It ended with one of Bevy39s sixinch heels caught in the hem of her gown amp160But she didn39t stay down for longamp160Even as a relative quotunknownquot Bevy actually turned down a slot on a Tim Gunn vehicle for creative reasons An impressed Andy Cohen championed Bev putting her forward for Bravo39s latenight showamp160Fashion Queens amp160Her infectious upbeat style onair and in person is matched with a mama bear role offcamera praising quotLittle Carlosquot like a son or evangelizing Elizabeth39s talents and fast trajectoryPetite blonde Elizabeth who is a journalist foramp160Varietyamp160and just moved to New York City last week may appear to need protection but one listen to her recent ratatattat interview with Tyra Banks for aamp160Variety podcast or seeing her confident critiques as a guest commentator onamp160Entertainment Tonight and the guise is goneamp160 Despite a childhood in the epicenter of realityTV town Calabasas Elizabeth has according to Bevy quotno fluff to her She39s incredibly accomplished and does the work I just adore herquotThat work ethic certainly fasttracked Elizabeth39s accomplishments Elizabeth landed an internship at Fox11 the local Los Angeles affiliate and after being enthralled by the station39samp160Good Day LAamp160entertainment coverage she found the nerve to approach a senior executive who agreed to shift her internship and ultimately her career track to that showShe has come full circle as thisamp16020th Televisionamp160distributed program gained 98 US coverage at launch including Fox 11 and 15 other major Fox marketsAnother unexpected win was an internship with the Association of Magazine Editors and a stint at TV Guide Magazine giving her print journalism experience quotThat39s when I learned that I loved to writequot she said It was that combination of television and print that secured her next steps including Senior Entertainment Editor at Bonnie Fuller39samp160HollywoodLifecom while racking up YouTube views and a solid reputation for her commentaries from various red carpetsCarlos the only team member who joins as an actual reporter from the publishing side of Page Six had a clearer destination in mindamp160 He was determined to make it in New York from the start versus trying to work his way up from small markets like his hometown near St Louis This motivated a transfer from Syracuse University to Marymount Manhattan College and an internship at J Walter Thompson Exposure to their client VH1 fueled his love of the music industry amp160He honed his entertainment beat chops with a first job atamp160Entertainment Tonight amp160But a work ethic like Elizabeth39s also paid off At his next job with People magazine he volunteered to tackle the then littleappreciated video side content He wound up creating their first digital forayamp160Inside Scoop and also gained invaluable experienceElizabeth described the essential value of that crossplatform experience for them all quotHaving a foundation as a writer and journalist and then to have an oncamera presence is so important especially now because audiences are too smart amp160They don39t just want a talking head someone who smiles and has pearly white teeth They want something authentic And that39s what this show isquotJohn Fugelsang who maintains a presence on the comedy circuit wasn39t able to join the lunch also recently compared his show39s talent to quotthe fabulous Hollywoodbased shows where everyone is tan and smiling a little too much We all like to wear black and chain smokequot Comic hyperbole aside this is not your grandmother39s gossip show The team may not dress and act as streettough as John quips but they all adore New York and take pride inamp160Page Six TVamp160being the only pop culture show to be produced in the home town of the Post Additional points of differentiation are less publicitydriven content from the studios and more of the journalistic quotstory behind the storyquot coverage with John39s comedic background smoothing the edgesThe camaraderie of this crew is clear perhaps without even being cognizant of doing it even at a casual lunch they naturally quottossquot to each other Elizabeth punts the focus to Bevy the only native New Yorker encouraging her to talk about her impressive background in as it turns out the ad sales side of the businessNot surprisingly Bevy dreamed big from an early ageamp160She credits her comfort in navigating the Big Apple and likely the fashion world to her parents orchestrating regular excursions from her Harlem neighborhood to midtown exposing her to everything from Broadway shows to Bergdorf39s for Easter shopping excursions quotThey didn39t want us to become victims of the street so growing up my playground was Central Parkthe opera theater They made us understand that Harlem was part of Manhattan and Manhattan was where it all happened so we were already couched for successquot amp160She recognized early on that quotYou could take a train three stops and be smack dab in middle of the universe and therefore you could make anything happen in lifequotHaving earned ad executive VP stripes by the age of 28 Bevy described her next quotplaygroundquot as New York39s upscale dining circuit quotAnd you39ll appreciate thisquot she said to Jack quotMy inspiration was Darren Stevens onamp160Bewitchedamp160who was in advertisingAnd Mary Richards onamp160The Mary Tyler Moore Showquotamp160making it as a single woman in media and the big cityamp160amp160quotThe way I was raised gave me a diverse and broad outlook of what the world is so I was never cowed or intimidated to maybe be the only black person in the room You39re just 39Hey friend39 And you rise to the occasionquot amp160Drawing Carlos in Bevy added quotI think that39s something Carlos shared as well having to contend with not being in a very diverse school but his parents groomed him for what he went on to do laterquotquotAbsolutelyquot Carlos agreed quotMy family made it very clear to be independent be yourself and my grandmother would constantly say 39Don39t putamp160can39tamp160in your vocabulary39 Be curious about everyone and just be accepting of everyonequotBevy39s own quotcan doquot showed up when she got a job as a receptionist quotThat wasamp160Peter Rogers Associates which was hallowed ground a venerated ad agency and I cut my teeth there Imagine me with stars in my eyes being the front desk of that agency I was 39the host3939quotWhen Jack commented that he had never heard of a receptionist being described that way Elizabeth beamed quotThat39s the lens of Bevy She makes the best of every situationquotAs close as they are the contributors39 differences are clear tooamp160 Bevy is the master of the social scene while Elizabeth navigates social media like only a digital native can Carlos the more reticent to share on social media describes his preference to find news there rather than be the news amp160quotI like to be in the moment and be presentquot he saidamp160 quotDon39t get me wrongamp160 I39m always on it and that39s where I get information but I don39t necessarily like to oversharequotLike their quotseparate but equalquot interests they share distinct passions for causes each clearly sparked by personal experience and early influences amp160The banter turned serious when Bevy described the need for inner city children to gain exposure to the arts and is an ardent supporter ofamp160Cool Culture Elizabeth whose role model mom is an educator has volunteered with special needs students and is particularly focused on womenhelpingwomen organizations Carlos clearly moved with the turn in the conversation said he supports both counseling for at risk LGBT youth and cancer research stemming in part from the loss of his optimist grandmotherThis being the age of multitasking Carlos will keep producing for the Post39s print side Elizabeth will use insights gained from doing a Variety podcast or cover story to add authority to heramp160Page Sixamp160stories and Bevy and John will continue their radio shows Keeping their day jobs gives this team the edge the perspectives and even the celebrity access that makes them trusted reporters with solid sources communicating the inside scoop with a twist The proof Page Six TV debuted Monday with the highest overnight rating of any similar show launch since TMZ premiered in 2007Photo at top left to rightamp160 Bevy Smith Jack Myers Elizabeth Wagmeister EB Moss and Carlos GreerPhoto in center by Ed MartinClick the social buttons above or below to share this story with your friends and colleaguesThe opinions and points of view expressed in this content are exclusively the views of the author andor subjects and do not necessarily represent the views of MediaVillagecomMyersBizNet Inc management or associated writers

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Getting the Scoop on Pop Culture Reporters: Lunch at Michael's with Page Six TV

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E.B. Moss

We Are the Outliers - By Jack Myers

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Getting the Scoop on Pop Culture Reporters: Lunch at Michael's with Page Six TV

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