Interview With “Shark Tank” Star Karina Michel! (@KarinaMichel)
1.What was it like being featured on “Shark Tank”?
It was great. I’ve always shied away from any kind of reality TV. Early on in my career in LA I remember being approached by “The Bachelorette” and a few others. Now that I think about it, this story could have taken a very different direction! (laughing) Shark Tank is very real, but of course with editing they can change the direction of the show to get what they want.
- What was the most memorable part of that experience? I didn’t really take into account the following the show has, especially for us here in Florida. People really love the story and always ask how business is going.
3.How did you come up with the idea for your business “Fresh Patch” for those who don’t know?
I was working as an associate producer for Lifetime at the time. We had just moved from LA to Miami and my husband came up with idea while at home with our dog, Chloe. Our apartment in Hollywood had a nice yard and it was an issue when we moved to a townhouse in Florida with no back yard. He started by bringing in these very messy pieces of sod – I was not happy and I’m also allergic to grass! Fresh Patch is different as it’s soilless. It’s much cleaner, compact, and doesn’t smell like you’re in a pasture. Which is a good thing!
- What were the most exciting and nerve-racking parts of the experience?
Um, the most exciting part was probably hearing that the sharks loved it as much as we did. I helped choreograph the presentation and write the pitch so I was happy to hear it went well and Andrew did amazing! The most nerve-racking part was being holed up in a hotel for a week not knowing if we were going to film or be on the show. It’s quite a long process.
5.Have you noticed your business expand as a result of the exposure you were given from the show? The exposure from the show was really unbelievable. The show aired four years ago and continues to air frequently on CNBC. We don’t advertise much, it’s been mostly word of mouth. We’ve been lucky to have been featured on The Today Show, Oprah’s favorite things, Forbes, Entrepreneur magazine, etc. We continue to grow and expand and have picked up a great celebrity following in the process. It’s very important to us to be able to give back and continue to donate to organizations like “Best Friends”, “Paw works” and “Vanderpump Dogs”.
6.What can you tell us about your upcoming films?
We start filming the feature “Where the Land Meets the Sky” tomorrow. I worked on a few horror films before this and decided it was time for something different. It’s written and directed by Preston Walden and films in Central Florida with mostly local actors. When scouting for locations it was important for me to highlight Florida in the way I see it, while also supporting local family businesses. I’m really proud of that. There’s a lot of natural beauty in Florida that people don’t usually focus on. You’ll see a beautiful story – beautiful parks, vivid colors and cultural diversity. The table read was really moving and the cast and crew on this one really blows my mind. What I loved about it when I first read the script was the fact that it talked about the ebbs and flows of life. The synchronicities, and how it’s about the journey and not this destination. It’s a family movie that doesn’t sugar coat anything. Also that it’s a road trip movie! I’ve always had this fascination with American road trips.
- Do you have any other projects you’d like to share with us?
I’m one of the executive producers on the documentary “Little Miss Sumo” by Matt Kay. The film has being doing so well in the UK and Europe and is premiering at The Tribeca Film Festival in a week, so I will be there supporting the team. I’ve always been a fan of Robert Deniro and the festival. It’s fun to be a direct part of that. It’s an exciting time for women at the moment and this story follows Hiyori navigating her way in a men’s sport in a country rooted in tradition.
- What are your social media accounts?
@1KarinaMichel
@LandSkyMovie for updates on the film. Summer 2019 .
Twitter @KarinaMichel
IMDB https://www.imdb.com/name/nm2405454/?ref_=fn_al_nm_1
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