Josie   |   Jan 8th, 2008

Gloria Estefan performs on ‘Despierta America.’ Photo by Andy Newman

For a travel industry public relations professional, working with a television production crew is an inevitable part of the job. The most potentially exhilarating, exhausting and harried experiences that destination PR representatives tackle are projects involving folks working in front of and behind the camera.

The 3 or 4 a.m. wake-up call when you’re working with a morning show — most of which broadcast live — is just part of the job. For example, working with the crew from Spanish channel Univision’s “Despierta America” morning show had its share of challenges.

For one shoot, the crew basically took over Mallory Square in Key West. But we were concerned about how that 4 a.m. setup, complete with loud music sound checks, effect guests at the nearby Ocean Key Resort. To avoid any unpleasant surprises for hotel guests, we called the property a few days ahead of the shoot to alert hotel personnel so they could warn guests to expect an early-morning disturbance on the day of the broadcast.

Often, just deciding on the location for a shoot can be a challenge. Sure, at first it would seem like the Florida Keys would have plenty of picturesque locales, but the task can be tougher than it would seem.

Working with Univision on their morning show, this time at Hawk’s Cay Resort in Marathon, poolside seemed like the ideal location to video the 61-acre resort. However, the logistics of positioning the satellite truck and running cables proved to be an unexpected challenge. Again, we made it happen — but only after a lot of trial and error and help from hotel personnel.

In both of these cases, the production was outdoors — in the South Florida elements — and weather in South Florida has, well … a mind of its own. As if the challenges of site logistics and time of day weren’t enough, keeping an eye on the skies, the wind and the direction of the sun is absolutely necessary.

As a PR person in South Florida, working with a film crew can be challenging on any number of levels, but if everything is handled properly, the end result on screen should look like a walk in the park.