The road to House Hunters International began a decade ago...hahaha! Well not exactly, but I became a fan of the show about that long ago, and being married to a diplomat I knew one day I would move abroad. I told myself, "When that day comes, I will apply." So a decade and two kids later word came that our family was off to Mexico. Now for those of you who don't know, moving internationally is incredibly stressful and your plate is already full, so throw in filming a show and it is like...a lot. Plus the diplo-hubby was starting his new job at the new post, so it took some careful, gentle convincing that we could handle all this. In February 2018, I sent an email to casting with our little story and some pictures letting them know we would be moving later in the year. Weeks and months went by and I didn't hear anything. Figured heaps of people apply to this show and it wasn't going to happen, but at least I had tried. Then on June 5th, in the middle of full court press on our move, I got an email. They wanted to know if we were still moving and still interested. Within two days I had a Skype call I think just to make sure I was real, could speak, and wasn't a psychopath. After the face to face call they sent me a questionnaire. NO JOKE the document was 5 pages full of questions...like 100 questions! They wanted basic information, details of our house hunt and who wanted what, budgets, neighborhoods, etc., etc. It took me 3 days to finish filling it out! Two days later I had an email to set up a 45 minute Skype interview, with my husband this time, and the Casting Director. That went well and then came all the legal stuff. Location releases, image releases, legal documents, financial documents...O My! And we needed to create a casting video introducing our family, giving a house tour to see how we handled being in front of a camera, and doing an interview with the two of us about our history and our house hunt. Here are some clips from our videos...it is nothing fancy.
With some good old sticktoitiveness we made it through all these hoops. Our package and casting video was then presented to HGTV and we sat back crossing our fingers. Then... Woohoo! Ready for filming. We got a some direction on what to wear on TV, no logos, no black or white, small patterns, or stripes. And no loud jewelry that would interfere with sound. Here are some pics of me testing outfits which I sent to friends and family for opinions. "Can I wear the hoops with the beads or is it too much?" "Are these earrings too big with this necklace?" You know how it is ladies... ![]() They flew a director, a cameraman, and a sound engineer from the east coast and we used a realtor who lives here in Mexico. There was also a local fixer who was responsible for public filming permits, grabbing food and drinks, and making sure no one got towed. There was no make up person, no hair person and plus they were all guys. I had read some blog posts from other people who had filmed HHI about directors wanting the contributors to show them different clothes, but my director was like "looks good." I promise you no one but me was concerned about how I looked. It was not their first priority. No one was going to tell me I needed to refresh my lipstick, my hair was sticking out, I needed to powder my nose, or my shirt had come untucked. So who knows what I will look like in the final edit. I knew I liked the soundman right away when I asked him if my necklace was going to be a problem for the sound. I had read blog posts about sound engineers telling people to take off their jewelry, but I bought this colorful necklace in Oaxaca, Mexico, and I really wanted to wear it because it made my chambray shirt way more exciting. Like MacGyver he whipped out some clear Toupée tape and told me it wouldn't be a problem. Below is a clip I filmed right before we met the crew and began tapping. We began filming at a gorgeous castle right here in the middle of Mexico City called Chapultepec Castle. It was AWESOME having it to ourselves before the hoards of tourists came through the gates. We spend 5 days filming at 3 apartments as well as at parks, restaurants, and downtown at the Zocalo. Having a film crew follow you around a really crowded city was fun. People think you are famous and wonder what you are up to. It was really cool (for a few days). 5 days of filming for about 22 minutes! I have no idea what I look like, what I sound like, or if it will be edited to make one of us seem crazy. I got sick before filming and my voice was really hoarse (ate more cough drops in three days then in my previous 38 years.) We also have no idea what the realtor said about us on the side. With just one cameraman, we basically refilmed walking through the apartments multiple times at multiple angles saying the same things over and over. But the cameraman was super professional and efficient so the repetitiveness didn't drive us totally nuts. We tried to be as flexible and easygoing as possible because nothing happens on schedule or goes as planned. Our director was very sweet and constantly complimented us saying "You guys are doing great." I am not really sure if it was true or just part of his job to keep spirits up during the long filming days. I suspect the latter. He asked us questions from behind the camera about our thoughts on the houses we saw, but he said he wasn't really into the fake made up drama and did not make us throw our spouse under the bus. Although we might have done that on our own! He did not make us sit in tubs, put on sombreros to show we were in Mexico, or really do anything we were not comfortable with. He said our story was interesting enough and he didn't feel the need to create some drama between us. I am so thankful we got a good director who didn't try to make us into people we weren't. Fingers crossed the editing people are just as great as the crew they sent us. The filming experience was fun and I learned new and interesting things. During a break I overheard the cameraman say "Let's put a bra on the Diva!" What! I looked at him and started laughing. He explained it is like a filter for a certain light. I also became very familiar with the concept of room tone (basic room background noise) the sound man needs for editing. So we all had to stand perfectly still at each place we filmed for a minutes so they could record room tone. Who knew? You never think about all these things when you watch tv. Trying to film and get clear uninterrupted sound in Mexico City is a task! Between airplanes, loud trucks, and construction the sound man was consistently stopping filming for some sound to die down, and then we had to start over and repeat ourselves. Had to stop a few times for this sound as well...a sound anyone who has spent time in Mexico City is familiar with. While filming our 1st apartment we heard this loud and clear making its way through the neighborhood. And we had to suspend all tapping. Hahahahaha. This is so classic Mexico City that I tried to convince them to let the sound play for authenticity, but they rejected that idea.
Anyways...that was that. And now we wait. Lucky for us, while we were filming, the stipend they paid to contributors on House Hunters International increased. Our family was paid $2,000 for our time filming. They also paid for babysitters, and meals. So nice! All in all it was a fantastic once in a lifetime experience. It was also an affirmation of "Just Do It." Just give it a shot and try although it seems unlikely you will get it, you'll never know if you don't try. I sent and email one cold February day and here we are. It all culminates tonight when it airs. We are nervous but looking forward to watching. And we will be able to hold onto this little slice of a time in our life forever. Who knows? Maybe we will do it again for our next post! Hope you all enjoy it. Feel free to leave your comments on the episode below. Did you guess the house right? In Love & Tacos
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Here is the drinking game I created if you want to spice up your evening while viewing our episode of House Hunters International. Although parts of this can be used for any episode of HH. Cheers!
This is part two of my interviews with the crew who worked on our House Hunters International episode. My last post includes interviews with the Director and Producer (link here). As I explained before, House Hunters International is an incredibly popular show worldwide, but we often don't stop to think about the folks behind the scenes who make it all happen. Our crew was great! Friendly, professional, and fascinating people who have a ton of travel experience and have been to some really cool places on the job. Keep reading to learn a bit about them. Anthony Smith, Sound Engineer Website anthonygreysmith.com How did you, get into film? When I was 13 or 14 a friend showed me a VHS movie he made, and I was just inspired by the ability to edit and tell a story, so I worked all summer at the Oregon coast aquarium in Newport Oregon and saved my pennies and bought a camera. What is the craziest place, circumstance, or story you experienced while working in film? Working with special ops covering the war with ISIS in the Middle East. Antarctica was crazy too, but beautiful. One place you have always wanted to go for work? The Galapagos, and I missed out on Mike's Easter Island trip. (See below) One piece of travel advice? Or one thing you always bring when traveling? Don’t stay at an all inclusive. Dream project? Make a movie or documentary How many House Hunters/House Hunters International episodes have you done? Maybe a dozen or more at this point Is there one contributor (episode subject) you will never forget? Good or bad. No need to name names. We worked with an Elvis impersonator. Worst thing about Mexico? Mexico is awesome. Best thing about Mexico? Fresh fruit. Plantains and mangos! MF Cormier, Cameraman Website mfcormier.com How did you, get into film? I bought a Super 8 film camera to take with me to South America in the 80’s and ended up filming 3 pilot whales 🐳 being rescued in the Magellan Straights. I was hooked and wanted to become an international cameraman, so I made that my inspiration. It happened! What is the craziest place, circumstance, or story you experienced while working in film? Easter Island 🗿 was by far the most exotic location I shot. The closest habitable island 🌴 is Pitcairn Island where Mutiny on the Bounty occurred. One place you have always wanted to go for work? Mongolia 🇲🇳 One piece of travel advice? Or one thing you always bring when traveling? Don’t take a tour, guide yourself and see the country you’re visiting through unfiltered lenses. And don’t forget your camera! Dream project? My dream project would be filming around the world at different exotic locations that show we are all one on this planet. Everyone is a mother, brother, sister, son, aunt, uncle, etc. and when you travel and meet these people it breaks the barriers that separate us at borders. More US citizens need to get a passport and see the world, and personally, it shouldn’t be on a cruise. How many House Hunters/House Hunters International episodes have you done? Around 60. Is there one contributor (episode subject) you will never forget? Good or bad. No need to name names. I’ll always be forever jealous of the contributor got a house in Costa Rica near the beach for $79g. The original asking price was $239g but there were no takers for over a year and it wasn’t in the greatest condition. But, after a little elbow grease and minor repairs it was in great shape! Worst thing about Mexico? There is no “worst thing” about Mexico. It’s a great country and I’d love to retire there. Best thing about Mexico? The best thing about Mexico is the people! Show these guys some love in the comments and let them know what you think of the show and tune in on October 15th on HGTV.
In Love & Tacos I'd like to bring you behind the scenes with House Hunters International. While filming our episode in Mexico City, we ate a couple meals with the crew and had the pleasure of getting to know them. The show flew three people to Mexico for our story. The director, the cameraman, and the sound engineer. That was it, the three of them and us. We also had a producer who worked on the episode from New York and a local Mexican fixer. I quickly realized that these were fascinating people with fascinating lives and jobs. It occurred to me, for the immense popularity of this show, not many people know who makes it all happen. Who are the folks behind he scenes? I decided it would be fun to conduct a little interview with them. I have made it a two part series so the posts aren't too long. I begin here with my director and producer. Justin Herman, Director Instagram @Justin_Herman How did you, get into directing? After film school I was lost in terms of how to start my career, so I did what seemed the most fun; I shot my own comedy travel show pilot. I directed, hosted, produced, wrote, edited, etc. It helped me get my first job producing travel shows and it's a genre I’ve specialized in ever since. What is the craziest place, circumstance, or story you experienced while working in film? Carnival in Salvador, Brazil. Carnival further north is not the flashy runway work of Rio; it's a street party of 2 million people dancing in the streets, while these double decker trucks called Trio Electricos drive 4km an hour through the streets with famous musicians and bands and DJ’s blasting music from the top, while people dance around it. Our Trio Electrico got tear gassed while the host was doing a final lines to camera. It was nuts. One place you have always wanted to go for work? Antarctica. One piece of travel advice? Or one thing you always bring when traveling? Travel foam roller. The old bones ain’t what they used to be, and a good foam roll can be a saving grace after the physically taxing days. Dream project? I still think I nailed it when I was 22 with a comedy travel show! How many House Hunters/House Hunters International episodes have you done? I’ve worked on dozens of episodes of this show in various producing and directing capacities. Is there one contributor (episode subject) you will never forget? Good or bad. No need to name names. I think a lot about the Namibian and South African couple who moved to Galway. They were young, excited to see the world and came from a very different point of view compared to the more common western or American perspectives we more commonly showcase. Worst thing about Mexico? It’s hard to hate anything about a beautiful, rich, diverse country with such kind people. Best thing about Mexico? See above. Justin moonlights as an international stand up comic. So I asked him if he had any good Mexico jokes... Most of my cultural comparison jokes are usually vehicles to point out the flaws in America compared to how the rest of the world lives. I love touring internationally, but because I predominantly perform in the US, its more important to me to expand the minds of that audience to see the rest of the world as better than perhaps stereotypes suggest, and show that we have as much to learn from them as they do from us. No joke there, but a terrific mission in my opinion. I do remember Justin joking around about how fantastic his bank account looked in pesos! I second that feeling. Ines Pierce, Producer Instagram @tuddaloo How did you, get into production? The road to me becoming a producer had lots of twist and turns. I’ve been in this business for 14 years and started producing 7 years ago. I started as an intern at Entertainment Tonight which in turn got me my first full-time gig out of college working for a production house. I was a PA/Production Coordinator and eventually they let me produce a few red carpet events. When the recession hit, I started freelancing (which was terrifying) and started working on commercials and music videos still as a coordinator/manager. Somehow I landed in the reality TV end of things and after a few gigs I knew I wanted to get into creative. I had a friend set me up on a food network show and things spring boarded from there. I worked on a few big name reality shows (Apprentice, Chopped, Project Runway) and eventually landed my current gig at HHI. My current position is considered perma-lance which is a unicorn in this industry. I’m pretty happy and get to really enjoy a great work/life balance which is also very rare when working in TV! What is the craziest place, circumstance, or story you experienced while working in film? I one time had to drive three hours in the wee hours of the night in rural Louisiana to find an armadillo for a nature show I was working on. Looking back it was a pretty dumb move to go with one other person to some random guy’s house, but when I saw him literally watering an armadillo out of a tree (ala Looney Tunes) I knew he was legit. One place you have always wanted to go for work? The show does a lot of traveling and I am fortunate enough to get to go on a shoot here and there. One place I would love to go to is Iceland and see the northern lights. One piece of travel advice? Or one thing you always bring when traveling? Always bring a pair of plug-in headphones with you and an eye mask. You never know if you are going to be stuck in a bright hotel room after traveling for 15+ hours and desperate for sleep! Dream project? I would have killed to work on Game of Thrones. #teamdaenerys How many House Hunters/House Hunters International episodes have you done? I’ve been here for two years and produced about 40 episodes, which is nuts to think I have done almost two a month in order to make that happen. Is there one contributor (episode subject) you will never forget? Good or bad. No need to name names. I’ve had a lot of unique contributors and have been pretty fortunate to keep in touch with a lot of them. I don’t have any favorites but the stories that have stuck with me are the ones where the person is in a second chapter of their life. Something about their passion and fearlessness to change course and live their life to the fullest really connects with me. Worst thing about Mexico? The mosquitos. The end. Period. Best thing about Mexico? The people. The colors. The FOOD. I really love the warmth of the culture and how vibrant life is there. Every time I have left I really start appreciating the little things more and more and realize what is most important in the every day. It has been fun to shed a little light on the people who create House Hunters International. Feel free to tell them what you think of the show in the comments! Part 2 will be posted tomorrow with my interviews of the cameraman and sound engineer.
Don't forget to tune into our episode Tuesday Oct. 15th! In Love & Tacos Breaking News…I officially got word that HGTV is getting ready to air our episode of House Hunters International!!! We are so excited to share this with you and I am also totally terrified. We filmed many months back and have been waiting to see if they deem us “suitable for TV.” We filmed for 5 days and they only really use like 22 minutes, so I have no idea how I will come across or what I look like. Do I say the stereotypical stuff about a deeply rooted need for double sinks and closet space just for me? I also remember getting sick before they filmed and my voice was super hoarse. It is terrifying to have your face blasted across national TV for all to see. And the folks on twitter using #househuntersinternational are a passionate bunch, but aren’t that kind. Our episode is called “Getting Diplomatic in Mexico City”. The description reads…
”After 16 years abroad, a Mexican diplomat based in Washington, DC, returns home to Mexico City with his American wife and two young kids. Having moved frequently for his government work, the couple has grown accustomed to the nomadic lifestyle, but moving out of the US with the kids may require more than just old-school diplomacy.“ Are you gripped?!?! I am planning to write two more posts about this. One about our experience on the show and another with interviews of the crew who work on the show and travelled to Mexico to film us. I think it is fun to get to know the professionals behind the scenes. We will be season 144 episode 8! Yes, there have been that many seasons of HHI (as they call it for short). Our air date is Tuesday, October 15th at 10:30PM EST/9:30 CT. You all might get to see it before me, unless I can find someone here in Mexico who is pirating American TV. If any one doesn’t know, HHI is a show that features people who move from one country to another and follows them on their house hunt at their new location. It is fun to see what houses look like around the world and you get to try to guess which one they pick. For years I was a big fan and avid watcher. House Hunters has been described as television “comfort food.” The format is simple, familiar and repetitive to those who watch it. It is also family friendly and non political. TV you can veg out and relax with. Tune in! In Love & Tacos |
Rants of a Diplomat's WifeHola, I am an American married to a Mexican Diplomat. I am on my 3rd post as a trailing spouse. The first two posts I joined were in the US, and in July 2018 we moved to Mexico City. Maybe it was the fact that I was pumping out my diplo-babies, or maybe I didn't think anyone would be interested in diplomatic life at my US posts, but I didn't blog then. Now I am in Mexico, and perhaps you might find it interesting to know what life is like here. This is where I share my adventures and thoughts at my current post. Archives
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