Having the Best Job in the World

I returned home to Palm Springs after spending a week in New York City on business for Westminster Dog Show. I’ve been attending Westminster nine years now, and yet every year I learn something new about the sport of show dogs. The trek back to the desert was nearly a full day's journey, and by the time my plane touched down at Palm Springs International Airport the San Jacinto Mountains were a sight for my tired eyes.

Lots going on at the moment—all good, just lots happening all at once. One project I’m especially pleased with is our new reality TV series called ‘Who Let the Dogs Out’. Set to premiere this Saturday morning February 18^th on Animal Planet, Who Let the Dogs Out follows the antics of Tillman, the world-famous bulldog and star of the Rose Parade. Tillman has been a bit of a phenomenon for sometime now and now has a whole canine sports team of pals. You see, Tillman and Friends have set out on a talent search to find the most talented dog in America.

Me with Tillman

The show follows Tillman and Friends, along with his cast of human trainers traveling the country holding casting calls and making appearances from places like Times Square in New York City, to the White House and the beaches of California. Tillman even has his own personal assistant, named Eric Presnall, an up and coming actor/singer who loves spending time with Tillman.

www.WhoLetTheDogsOut.tv website

I’m involved with Who Let the Dogs Out as a production consultant, but I also head up the social media effort to get the word out about this great new show. Social media marketing and outreach is something I’ve done on a personal level for over six years, and thoroughly enjoy learning new things from fellow bloggers and social media gurus.

At the moment, we’re full steam ahead getting the word out about Who Let the Dogs Out. I’m amazed at how easy it is network a message socially when the content is strong. The preview clip of Who Let the Dogs Out is engaging and fun, which is part of why people enjoy following Tillman.

One of the very cool things I've been working on is the Watch and Win Sweepstakes we have planned around the show. Each week, during the run of the season we will have a trivia question to answer about that week’s episode. Correct responses enter you into a random drawing for a weekly prize package. Then we have one Grand Prize, a trip for two to Hollywood, California to meet Tillman, plus a one-year supply of Natural Balance Pet Food.  If you want to check out the Watch and Win Sweepstakes for Who Let the Dogs Out, click here.

So as you can imagine, developing a show website, launching an official sweepstakes and executing a comprehensive social media marketing campaign for a television series has kept me busy. Keep in mind that Natural Balance is a small, family owned and operated company, so we all pitch in. It certainly helps having the Van Patten family insights to Hollywood television production but that’s part of what makes it fun. If I had to file this post in one of those manilla folders, I’d name it “Best Job in the World” with a sub-folder of "Gratitude".

Who Let the Dogs Out can be seen Saturday mornings on AnimalPlanet starting February 18^th. 10 am E, 9 Central, For west coast viewers check your local listings.