American Idol and Guilded Grey
It seems sometimes things in business and life happen when they align at the right time. During the early part of season 2 on American Idol I had one of my initial necklaces gifted to the Hollywood Hair Guy, Dean Banowetz. Dean who is still styling celebrities for television today, happened to be doing Ryan Seacrest's hair for an upcoming show when he asked Dean about the necklace.
Dean contacted me to send a piece not only to Ryan but to appear on Extra and attend a live tapping of American Idol. I flew to LA and sat in the audience while they filmed the episode and smiled the entire time. These are the moments designers dream about in the beginning, a bit of recognition and validation for the long hours working on the business. I went on to do pieces for Kimberly Locke and created a "205" for Rubban Studdard and his then famous area code.
The press and opportunities that came from the show launched Guilded Grey's One of a Kind jewelry and initial necklaces. I've since done several hair pieces for other American Idol seasons and will always be grateful to Dean for sharing my jewelry with American Idol and its audience.