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My Interview with Hollywood Talent Manager/"Queen of Hosting" Coach, Marki Costello

By Joy A. Kennelly

I grew up watching the Abbott and Costello comedy team and loved their brilliant sense of comedic timing. As a result, when I learned Hollywood Talent Manager and "Queen of Hosting" Coach, Marki Costello, was the granddaughter of Lou Costello after reading a review of her new book in the New York Post, I knew I wanted to talk to her.

Plus, her 20 year successful career in the business was so impressive I knew I would learn from her because I always love hearing strong women's experiences of making it in Hollywood.

For those unfamiliar, or too young to remember Abbott and Costello, here's a famous sketch they did entitled, "Who's on First?" to share why they were so popular back in the day. Although, maybe they were so popular because they were also the first ones to start the "wrap" party at the end of a film production according to their fan website: http://www.abbottandcostello.net/:)

 

Marki has distilled 20 years of Hollywood experience into her new book, Become A Host: The Inside Secrets Used by Every Successful Television Host, and if you click the link here, you can read the New York Post review as she covers all the celebrities you see listed in the pic here and more. Very interesting perspective and right on the money.

Bahblog2

I had planned to attend Marki's "Sweet and Greet" book signing where she was donating the proceeds from the sale of the book launch party to her favorite charity, Alexandria House, to interview her there, but covering Fashion's Night Out that same night was too all-consuming and we just couldn't fit it in.

Here's a pic though of Marki in action that night. It was a huge success and a friend who attended said he had a great time. They're still tallying the amount raised from the book sales as they're waiting on online sales, but I'm sure if what he estimated as crowd attendance is correct, it will be a healthy amount!

Marki at Sweet and Greet

It was a pleasure to have a one-on-one phone interview with her a few days later when everything had calmed down and I knew I would be able to focus.

Have to admit, when I first spoke to her I called her a "Ballsy Broad" because I had been watching quite a few of her previous video interviews to see what had, and hadn't been, covered already.

She is definitely a force to be reckoned with! A producer friend of mine agreed with me when I mentioned I was going to interview her, saying she is a "presence." 

I believe it now!

What I love about Old School Hollywood people who have grown up around movie stars and Hollywood like she has, is the fact nothing and nobody fazes them. When you have a step-father like Craig Martin, the older brother of Dean Martin, and have Hollywood royalty in your lineage, it's just natural to feel comfortable in any setting with anybody. 

That's why I think she's so successful in her Become A Host trainings, her management and casting career as well. Nothing fazes her! She just goes out and gets the job done! Did you know she casts 30% of every hosting job in Hollywood? May want to take her class and get noticed!:)

I was very curious about what it was like to be raised in the world of Hollywood and asked her about being related to Lou Costello to start off my interview. She explained, "It didn’t affect me in the way kids are self-entitled now, I learned hard work pays off. Work your ass off. Everything is fleeting. I’ve created a huge niche for myself – I manage, cast, and teach host talent in the hosting genre. I reinvent myself every four years."  

Before her Mother died, she told her to go to college and Marki briefly attended UCLA. However, once her mom passed away, she knew her Dad wasn’t supporting her and she needed to work. "My very first job was working for Chuck Barris. One season was 365 days a year from 9am – 9pm. I worked on all his shows, The Newlywed Game, The Gong Show, and The Dating Game."

When I asked her if she agreed he was a spy, she agreed, without hesitation, very quickly "Yes!" Confessions of a Dangerous Mind PosterFor those of you have never seen Charlie Kaufman's film on Chuck Barris called, Confessions of a Dangerous Mind, which was directed by George Clooney, you really must rent it. Actor Sam Rockwell is brilliant and funny as Barris. 

Marki continued on with her experiences with Chuck and how she got into the business of hosting. "He created reality shows. He was wonderful at making sure people on the show knew how important they were. I started out doing cue cards, but always would be talking to the audience."

Chuck told an associate, "She’s terrible with cue cards, but great with the contestants." After that, Marki was the last person contestants would meet before going on the show and never did cue cards again. She's always been great with people. 

After working for Chuck, she opened up own casting company, Creative Management Entertainment Group and never looked back. A friend had approached her about managing her career and soon she was managing talent too. "I realized I had a gift for coaching people," she said. She knew what the networks wanted, she knew how to teach people to do it, and after starting out with 20 actors and 1 host, she now represents 1 writer and 30 hosts!

When she started in the business of hosting, only one or two people were trying to do hosting. "People have tried to copy me," Marki freely admitted. "I realized how flattering it is, but it’s taken me 20 years to get here." Needless to say, no one else has had the longevity, the credibility, or the success Marki has had.

Just ask E! News Host, Jason Kennedy, The Voice/Musician, Jason shotCeelo Green, or Game Show Host, Todd Newton who won an Emmy last year who have all gone through her program, and/or are managed by her.

Emmy on Red Carpet

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Marki realized she needed to speak the language of actors and studied with the famous acting coach, Sandy Meisner, who told her, "Marki, you should be in front of the camera."

Marki Headshot

Perhaps you remember seeing Marki as the take-no-prisoner casting agent on a reality show which is where I first saw her, or her appearance on the Real Housewives of Orange County where she coaches Gretchen Rossi?

I'm telling you, if she can make Gretchen seem less wooden, then you know she's a miracle working coach.:) Remember this scene from the Real Housewives of Orange County?

 

I like Gretchen, don't get me wrong, but damn! If she can make it, so can you! See what the power of a good coach can do? (As a little aside, I attended a Super Bowl party years ago in the OC and Gretchen was there with Slade. Both very sweet, low-key people.:)

Where was I? Oh yeah, Marki and keys to successful hosting...:)

I was very curious to hear what she thought made a host successful and here's what Marki told me in her no-nonsense, tell-it-like-it-is manner:

"Hosting is a very visual medium. You need to be visually appealing in this medium. You can’t be 700 lbs, with pimples. You have to clean up your look. Otherwise get into radio. "It" factor is what makes you want to watch that person. You want to hear what Chelsea Handler and Howard Stern have to say. He is very aware of his audience. Oprah Winfrey also puts her audience first. When I watched her Behind the Show episode, it was all about 'my audience, my audience.' It’s not about Oprah, it’s about her audience. Her final show was a love letter to her audience."

On the flip side, she gave this little story on Piers Morgan which totally explained why I dislike his interview style so much and now know why.

"If you don’t put the audience first – what they want, what they need, and balance it by your point-of-view, you're not going to be a good host. Piers Morgan is so worried about himself – kissing the celebs butt, when he was interviewing Beyonce, she wanted to tell him about the pregnancy and he didn’t even pick up on what she was alluding to. I was so pissed I changed the channel."

I was very curious to follow up on her impression of Khloe Kardashian as a new host and Marki told me. "I would hope Khloe comes to me. Talent thinks hosting is so easy – I can just be me. Hosting is the great balancing act. You need a strong sense of self, must be super comfortable with yourself, and understand you’re not going to make everyone happy so let it go. You have to recognize the elements."

I wasn't familiar with that term and asked her what elements she was referring to. She responded, basically it's the need to co-exist with the co-host, connect to your audience, read the teleprompter, and still have a relationship with your audience. "Intellectually, it's easy to grasp, but you don’t want to practice on the show," Marki continued as she explained her view of Khloe hosting. "The single most important thing is putting her audience first."

I also asked Marki what she thought about ageism in Hollywood and if older people have a shot at hosting at all:

"Every advertisers want the average demo 18-34. They want to hire talent their audience relates to, but in this day and age it's more open. For example, there's now a host for a show called, Sex after 60. You have to build your brand, tweet daily, blog, and buyers will find you and come to you. Very cool thing about the internet is you can showcase your talent."

And as she's fond of saying, "If you build it, they will come, and when they do, you better know what to do. You only get one shot for a first impression."

I was very surprised to hear the internet was a place where networks are finding talent and inquired more into that because of all the videographers I've seen over the years on red carpets who I never thought had a chance at doing anything beyond their little internet shows.

"Tons of people are breaking from the internet. The Networks tell me all the time, 'Find me people from the internet.' Here’s what I say. I don’t think you need  a lick of talent to be a great host, but you definitely do as an actor. It’s hosting. You have to have a strong sense of self, strong point of view, get the media’s attention, put your audience before your ego and BS. That’s 100% trainable."

She added, "You have to have a strong work ethic. Work on building your brand. There are hosts on the air today making a million a year. Check your ego at the door. Hosting is about asking me to be me, but also why do people want to hear what I have to say?"

Great advice, wouldn't you agree? She has been leading "Hosting Boot Camps" for over 17 years and actually has a free seminar open to those who have never attended before happening on September 28, 2012 in Los Angeles, CA.

Click here for all  the details: http://www.becomeahost.com/class/free-workshop-break-hosting

Here's what one professional has to say about Marki and her classes: "Marki Costello is one of the Marki teaching classmost revered leaders in the world of television hosting and casting. 

Her off-kilter sense of humor, her dedication to her clients and her widespread relationships throughout the entertainment industry are just a few of the qualities that make her so wonderfully unique and special..." 

-Lisa Germani, TVGuide Network

Marki definitely knows what she's talking about. Everywhere I looked, all I saw were positive comments and that's impressive. You can find out more about all her programs here: http://www.becomeahost.com/

When I asked her why she had written her book, Book Cover (1)which you can purchase here: Become a Host: The Inside Secrets Used by Every Successful Television Host, she explained by saying, "I was having people fly in from NZ, NY, everywhere and not everyone can travel. I wrote the book for them." She told me her book has sold 10,000 copies in three months which is unbelievable numbers for a first-time author.

Just goes to show you, build a brand and those who like it, will buy it!:) Part of her brand is giving back. Here's what she had to say about why she donated the proceeds of her book sales from her Sweet and Greet book launch.

"I am very passionate about giving back. If you don’t give back, you shouldn’t be living," Marki said assertively. "Say thank you, care about the answer to the question, 'how are you?' Help a homeless person. Think of all the women in the world who don’t have something. Give back. It takes very little to be kind to another human being."

And with that admonition, I will close out my interview. Big thank you to Marki for her time and hope you enjoyed the read!

I have so many more events to share and hope to have these stories ready soon too! 

Comments

Ray Schiel

Very informative...Well done Joy!

Joy

Thanks Ray! Glad you liked it. Isn't she an interesting person? Really enjoyed speaking with her.

Joy Kennelly

Parking Tip when visiting Become A Host offices: Parking is $5 in the lot (cash only.)

On Fridays most of the streets nearby have street cleaning from 12pm - 3pm and parking tickets are prevalent.

Do not park in Orchard or Staples parking lot as you might get towed. Otherwise, come early, early!

Another reason to arrive early. Marki believes in starting promptly and the door is locked past 12pm. Do not waste your time parking if you are late.

That's all!

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