01/30/2013
Johnny Talks Fab Viral Video & Lesley's Harsh Words
When I heard about the viral video competition, I got kind of nervous. I'm used to working by myself or with the creative team, so the thought of being out of my comfort zone scared me. I thought they could do a little better than one paid vacation day as the prize, but at the same time, I didn't care that much because I was in it to win it!
I was thrilled to be a captain because I thought I'd be able to pick my own team, then I found out that the teams were pre-assigned! It sucked to know that I was being forced to work with Lesley, who had little respect for me. Some of the girls have said that Lesley can be difficult to work with. She has a serious personality and is very opinionated. I already knew that I wanted to make a funny viral video, but Lesley could put an end to that scenario because I had the burden of working within her demands. Hearing her passive-aggressive comments about my leadership skills hurt not just me but also my team's camaraderie, and I was already stressed out.
I definitely wanted to win and I knew I had a fabulous idea: A catchy song with an accompanying dance would definitely go viral! I wasn't worried about doing this without consulting my team because the deadline to complete the project was just insane. Everyone on my team was extremely busy, and I was the one with the music connections, creative skill to write a song and fabulosity to rap. Having my team members interfere with that process would have been a burden for everyone, and I did not want to sacrifice any of my creative abilities. Also, my idea was over the top and it would have been impossible to accomplish if I had to wait on a decision from my team about creating a song. We would have to write the song together, figure out a beat and come to an agreement, and that just wouldn't have happened under the time constraints. In reality, if my team didn't like the song, we wouldn't have to use it and it would have just been a waste of my time and not my team's (because I do respect their time!).
Seriously, I felt like Lesley was targeting me. Every other team met with no issues! I tried to accommodate everyone's schedules despite the short deadline we had and, of course, it worked for everyone except Lelsey. I already did most of the work since I spent the whole week writing the song, a full weekend recording and producing the track and a few nights planning the dance. All Lesley had to do was show up for 15 to 30 minutes to a meeting that everyone else was able to make. I tried to make it a fun and easy process for the team, but she had to ruin it—just like her outfits!
I was really upset because I worked so hard, and Lesley added so much more stress to the project. She was really horrible to work with. I think she wanted to cause drama and make me fail as a leader—and she enjoyed doing it too. Lesley is definitely out there to only make herself look good, so I'm just going to keep on being me and staying true to myself. I don't mind having faults. I'm not perfect and I can admit that. Lesley and I are like a real life Timon and Pumbaa—we're obviously different but we've got to work together!
Despite all of our issues, we had to present to the judges. After seeing the other teams' presentations, I felt confident about our song and dance. It was different, funny and super fabulous. What I was worried about was falling in those fierce-ass heels in front of the judges and hearing Don's response to our presentation. He was brutally honest about the other presentations, so I was worried about what he was going to say. Was it too gay? Was it too crazy? I knew Adam was more about numbers and statistics, and our presentation totally covered that, but the performance was all about Don. He wanted a good performance, so hopefully I gave him one. I put 150% into this.
Thankfully, my team won! That felt great. I know how to make people laugh and I can definitely put on a good show, so I was super thrilled to have a chance to let the world see what's in this cute head of mine with this viral video!
