And That's What You REALLY MissedA rare treat for Gleeks! A look inside the world of publicity!
Usually, network publicists spend all their time pitching stories to get buzz and exposure for their shows, but Glee was different! Tracey Raftery joins Jenna and Kevin to talk about what it was like working as a publicist on the show from the very start, including the crazy weekend when the cast was on Oprah and then performed at the White House the next day, a rowdy flight story, her biggest fear during Glee's very first mall tour, and how things changed after Cory Monteith died.
And that's what you really missed with Jenna.
And Kevin An iHeartRadio podcast.
Welcome to and that's what you're in the mist podcast. It's the publicity episode. Today we have Tracy Raftery, the head of publicity for Glee. Her first live action scripted show, Out the Gate, which is a very big undertaking for her. And I came to one and she also was like not much older than the time she.
Started, and she had been working on animated shows before.
She gave up this air of like knowing what she did, so I just assumed she'd been around for a while.
Yes, we all trusted her blindly, and I think that was the right thing to do because she took care of us. Yeah, she's She is just the kindest person. She worked so hard and I can't wait for you to hear all the things she did for the show. This is Tracy. Oh my god, Hiray you ageless, wonder what.
The hell like?
Benjamin Button, Oh my god, you guys to see you.
I'm good to see you.
Oh my gosh, Suy you guys.
We cry all the time.
No, I know this, this podcast must be so like cathartic. It is asking me to come on, I'm like thinking about that time again, just like going through all those memories and it's just like very therapeutic.
I think, yeah, yeah, buckle up. Well, we're so happy that I mean, honestly, it's so good to see you.
Seriously, so like I don't think people understand and we'll get we'll get there, but like we spent so much time with you over the course of that show. It really does take an army of people to like make something successful, to make everybody happy, to get it all done in all the different departments. Can you tell people what you did on Glee?
Yes, So I was the network publicist, and I'll explain a little bit about the different types of publicists that work on the show. But for me, as a network publicist, you're sort of the middle person, the conduit from media to the show, from talent to executive producers and the network. So you're just either pitching stories and features or you're receiving request from reporters, and you know, it runs the gamut of everything from a talk show booking to a profile in the New York Times to a radio interview or online. So it was really a lot of different things and how the different publicists work within the show. Is like you guys had personal publicists, so you guys would hire someone that kind of oversaw your career and your goals and things like that. And then there was the network publicist, the studio publicist who was Chris Alexander, who was amazing and he was my counterpart on the show. And studio publicists really oversee sort of the business of the show, licensing and merchandising and a lot of other things outside of just airing on the network. And then there was Pam Jackson, who I definitely wanted to talk about because I love so much and I know you guys loved so much, and she oversaw international pr, so any international press went through her. And then there was the record label and they would help us with all the music, music drops and exclusives and stuff like that. So it was a it was a it was definitely a big role at the time. It was my first big show. I was my first day at Fox was the premiere of The Simple Life with Nicole Richie and Paris Hilton. And you know, my bosses like were great there. Shannon Ryan was my boss at the time, and she gave me a bunch of great shows that she had worked on, and it was like the days of Arrested Development and twenty four and you know, it was this really interesting time. There were only four major networks at that time, you know, and it was like the good old days. And if I could explain further, just the media landscape at that time, it was just, you know, so different than it is now. And I don't think you realized it unless you were like going through it. But so, yeah, so that's sort of it in a nutshell.
That's awesome. That was a really good.
Yeah, that was very good.
No good.
So when you when you got when you heard about Glee for the first time, when they brought you Glee, they're like, there's this new show. Read the pilot, Like what did they preface it with any kind of like this is going to be big? Like did they give you any kind of inkling as to what this show was going to be?
No? But what was weird about the show is that I don't think this was very common back then that a show would get picked up for thirteen episodes right off the bat. So it was really because of Ryan Murphy and just like I was a huge Niptock fan, like everyone at Fox loved him and that show, and he got picked up for thirteen. And so typically the network would buy a pilot and then then they'd have it come in and they'd look at it and they decide, Okay, we want this to go to series, and that's when pr will get brought in after it was already going to series. So we typically didn't even cover a pilot of a show. So yeah, so I got brought in on the pilot on this one, and they were like, this is going to series, so we should cover the first episode, and we of course were like we have to cover. Don't stop believing, like that's you know, that's the scene, that's the moment, you know. And I think there was a sentiment that this was something different, but I don't think I don't think it was fully realized until the first season, like September of the first season. I think those early days, it was a small group of us at the network that we're getting scripts and that were kind of like this is amazing, Like we're on set, We're seeing what's happening. You know, this is like special. You know, these these performances are gonna like kill it and people are gonna love it and and so yeah, I don't. I don't know. And it's funny because, like I was, I had only had Family Guy and American Dad as the shows I was working on at the time, and this was like my first scripted show. And it's funny because I was just kind of junior. I was only twenty nine when I got the show, and it only i'd only been there probably.
Like a peer.
Yeah, crazy, I.
Was only a few years. Different thing, or is it? You know Corey and I in age, you know, So I was like young and and I had been working on animation, but animation was a totally different beast, Like it was like table reads and a year in advance, and you know, it was a different world. And so I got brought on on Glee, and I'm surprised at some point they weren't like, let's bring in someone senior, like to help her with this. But like I think, I just you know, became like embedded with you guys. Yeah, working on like going on the Glee tour and the Mall tour and stuff like that. So so I think that sort of like you know, changed it. And then you know, season one it was it was just a crazy rollerbuster.
Start with the Hot Topic tour that we did because because let me just clarify, at that point the pilot had aired, the rest of it had, the thirteen had not, and we had we didn't have any personal publicises at that point yet, like most of us had not brought on personal publicists yet. We didn't know where we were going to be headed, Like we really didn't know what was in what was ahead yea. So it was really you and Marissa that were really our people. And this first like big press tour was like a couple of cities we did. It was it's called a mall.
Tour top days in twelve days. I remember for the details because I felt like we were going on tour and only one episode had aired, and we're like, what is.
Maybe somebody's going to show up?
Yeah, okay, so okay. So the concept behind like airing after American Idol was like this idea of like, we have this huge musical show. We want this to be the springboard to a marketing campaign. So they aired you Guys in May after Idol, and the plan was to like booy that with press and with Mark throughout the summer and then bringing back in the fall, and they were like, you know, at Fox they had nine oh two one. Oho was like their big teen show that they had had that finished about ten years before ours, and I think it had sent them on a mal tour and they were like, let's send the kids on a maltwur and I was like, oh my gosh, okay. So we so we get hot topic as a partner, and we do like ten like you said, ten cities in like twelve days. We started in Boston and we ended up in la And I will tell you, guys, you had only aired one episode. The fear inside of me that that first city was going to have no people, like I remember driving up to that first bo mall thinking like oh god, please, like please, like I don't want to be embarrassed with this, Like I hope there's kids there. And I remember walking into the mall and seeing like a line of kids that have been like sleeping and waiting. And then like you guys sat down to do a signing and and you were like getting like women are bringing their babies and like leading onesies and you guys like kids are crying, like oh my god, I see myself in this character. And I remember like calling my bosses at that time and was like, I don't know what this is, but it feels like the Beatles, Like I don't know, it's like it felt like something special, and it felt like it was like really moving people. And I saw it in that like first mall and I was like, this is crazy, you know, here we go. And then I remember after that, you know, it's snowballing and like paparazzi started following us on the mall star and you know, and and and you're right, you guys did not have publicist at the time, and you know, I was still really young, so I think I tried to give you the best advice that I could, but I think it was you know, it was like anything anyone could expect. No one knows how to handle a pop culture phenomenon, Like no matter how smart and talented you are, no matter how long you've been in the business, you can't get your arms around it. And there's no explaining it to anyone. You almost just have to like go through it and learn by trial and error.
Did you have to do more pitching or were there now like say season ones up and running and were a hit? Was just like influx of press coming to you that you kind of have to like pingpong around.
Yeah, you had to like manage. So what I would say on a normal show is you spend all your time pitching, You spend all your time trying to get press for your clients for your show, really getting people to buzz and talk about it. But on Glee, it was different. It was like a wildfire, and it was like, how do you contain this in a way? And my ultimate goal with every reappearance that you guys did was just make sure like they're taken care of, their reps, are there, they have what they need. It goes smoothly. Press are happy with what they get. You guys are happy with the experience, and nothing kind of backfires on us because I think at a certain point, you go from like in the PR world, you go from like pitching a show and trying to get awareness, and then you kind of get to that top and then you have to like protect the show and and the people and like it kind of just kind of does that? Does that like natural pop culture? You know, like like media blitz? Yeah, yeah, yeah, I actually so I did some research before this. I pulled every single all the big things that we did, and I just wanted to I just go through and like just read.
All the things, read them through.
Okay, all right, and this is I want to preface this by saying, because you know, there was like a team of people that worked on the on the show. It was me, Chris, Alexander, Pam, Mike Navarro, Shannon, Ryan, Joe Early like in marketing, Christen Graham, and Missy. So every one of us is like this little inner circle team at Fox and all worked on all these things.
So I feel like we were all so close to that whole group too, because every name you say, it's like we had such regular interaction with all of you. I mean you and Pam and Chris the most, but everybody on that team was always around because there were a lot of people to that funny.
It's funny is that it almost was better that was like a small group of us at the network that were like with you guys, yeah, because there wasn't a lot of cooks in the kitchen then, and it was.
A little like you, there was a lot of consistency. It was always the same people, like right.
Exactly, Okay, So we did past or performances at the World Series, the Super Bowl, the White House East Egg Event, and the Christmas Tree Lighting, a themed episode of Oprah. Jane hosted the Emmys Cast, did and Emmys Open with Jimmy Fallon. Jane hosted Saturday Night Live and Inside the Actors Studio performances at the Tonys MTV Music Awards Cast, presented Lady Gaga on Award Our, Ten City Mall Tour, Star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame Premiere parties at Santa Monica High School, Chateau Armont, Paramount, Lot three, Entertainment weekly covers, cover of Emmy Magazine, Rolling Stone, GQ, Marie Claire, People's Special Issue, Hollywood Reporter cover twice, TV Guide Magazine cover twice, US Weekly Special Issue, Billboard cover, Vogues, Fashion Night Out, solo covers on Glamour, More Detail seventeen, Nylon, Cosmo A Lore, Marie Clare teen Vogue, cast, appearances on almost every talk show. And then that doesn't even include like upfronts, TCA screenings, Q and AS award campaigns. So that I mean, and the context of that is just like that was in the day when there was like like no like when you were on something, everyone saw it.
Like right, And also most of that happened within the first like three seasons.
Like I'm tired listening to that list. It was like you're like every weekend we were like here we are again, here we are.
Yeah. That was the hardest thing was that you guys were shooting five days a week, and then I would have like Saturdays for photo shoots every weekend, and then Sunday was typically an award show, so you guys like Sundays are always during awards campaign. You had to go to every red carpet of every award show. So it was it was a good two and a half years of like you know, working like NonStop on all that.
There's something you said about like being on the pilot and you seeing the performances and being around all of us, and then you being able to go back and be like, guys, something's happening here, and going on the mall tour and getting to witness like how people interacted, like you saw from the very beginning where a lot of people, how many of us were on that mall tour. It was like you and us, yeah, like and so nobody else was really around to see some of those things except you, like was there a role and like being able to go back to the network and be like you being able to report like I think this is going to be something like could you start mentally preparing for oh if this hits because I know how I feel about it, and then like being ultra in a healthy way like protective over us immediately, like I feel like going on that mall toor was like such a rude wakening for all of us of like, oh, there's more of them than there are of us. And then you were able to relay that back like what was especially because this was like the first I don't know five action show you had done in the hot minute, yeah, like what is happening with this beast?
Yeah? Yeah, I mean I definitely related back to like Joe Early and the team like at the network that it was something special and I relayed everything that I was seeing and like the response from from fans, and I was sort of like, you know, I wasn't in that age bracket. I was older, but I was close closer to it than some execs that were there, and I think they valued what I had to say about it, and they you know, they really listened to me. That was one of the great things about working at the network is they did value like young, younger people opinions and kind of thoughts on where things were going. And I was really I was really excited for the show, and I was excited for you guys, but I never could have anticipated the trajectory and the things that would have how it would have taken off, and what it would have become, you know, And yeah, and it was just so special. It's just so special, you know, And being able to it's funny because like when I think about Glee, I've been trying to, like I forget a lot of the things that we went through and the things that we did, and I've been trying to like go back and think through a lot of this again. And it's the early days that I remember the most. Yeah, you know, like the end kind of got fuzzy for me, Like it got like it got harder and it got fuzzier. But I remember like that Maltor in those days before anyone else knew what it was, those were the most special. Those I felt like I really connected with you guys. And then you guys, you guys all got publicist pretty quickly, like the first season, and I always thought that was like so wonderful because I was only one person at the time, and I already felt like, even just on the mall Toor, there was no way I was going to be able to cover both of you, you know, even just said I remember the Santa Monica, the first Santa Monica High school like screening thing that we did. You know, everyone arrived at like the same time, and I'm like, I'm only one person. I don't know how I'm gonna take everyone down the carpet and be there for everyone. And so it was great that you guys all got you know, reps and who were all amazing good. Yeah.
One of those early memories that sticks out in my head is on that Maltor We're on a flight being rowdy and the flight team that got mad at us and they're like, where is your parent? It was like parent, and then we just were like we took over first class and four other people that weren't part of our group for them, and then we were just like her, talk to her.
Oh my god, I know, I know. Yeah, I was like, I guess I was the adult in the situation.
Yeah, but like ironically, yeah, yeah, not by a lot.
How did did you guys, did you work with Ryan and like the Ryan Camp on a lot of like the PR strategy and such like, how did that kind of line of you know, I don't know the rain work.
Yeah, I worked with them, like very closely. I've worked with so many incredible producers over my career, and Ryan, Brad Dante and Iann were my favorite. They they Ryan, I would email and he would respond like that, like within minutes, you know, Oh, it called all the time. He was really involved. He is, I feel like the great, Like he understands media and pop culture unlike anyone I've ever met. And I thought I was going to like a master class of marketing and PR just my work with him, because because he understood how the media worked, he knew he knew, you know, and and I learned so much from working with him about it. And you know, there were times when he I remember, I think it might have been before second season he called Joe Early and Shannon and I and Chris and we did a meeting and he kind of presented like the second season, like the episodes that were going to come up, and you know, it was like the Brittany. I don't remember exactly what it was, Brittany up was Rocky Horn episode and and we left and I was just like, I think about it now because it's it was just sheer brilliance, like the fact that he created like a marketing hook for every single episode so that we could promote it and the music team could promote it, and the marketing and promos and social and stuff like that. He gave us something to sink our teeth into. And I think it helped really catapult the show like even more. And it wouldn't have been for you know, for his you know, brilliant ideas and the musicians they brought on and guest stars and things like that too. But yeah, I worked really close to them. Probably Dante I probably worked with like every day.
He was He was more.
Like when I had you know, like when SNL calls and like we want Jane Lynch to host, I have to get Ryan and Dante's approval to clear her for a week before she can go. So yeah, so I worked with them on clearing you guys all the time, and you know, working towards events and stuff like that.
Yeah, it's crazy.
The marketing for the show was one of the most unreal things I remember back then we used to say it was like the Obama eight campaign and then the Glee for a season marketing campaign, or like two of the craziest like pop culture. Even being inside.
It, it was obviously I.
Could still recognize how crazy it was with those like the Loser l posters were just everywhere every Yeah, it was no.
I mean you have to have someone on from marketing to talk about this, like if you could, you know, interview Joe or someone, but we've.
Reached out to Joe. We need to get them on.
Yeah, yes, yes, yes, because you know, this was brilliant. That was just so brilliant in the campaigns and the slushy campaigns like the key Barbara Lake worked on that as well, like the photo shoots you guys would do, Yeah, and Joe would just has such a great sense of humor and he just got the tone of the show. And I think that was why it was so you know, so great and it worked so well because he sort of got the humor and like the edginess of the show and incorporated that throughout the marketing. Because I think in someone else's hands or at some other network, it could have been a little too like sugary sweet. You know, if you know, you could have marketed in the wrong way. And I think Joe and his team on the marketing side just did an incredible job with that. And then I don't know who came up with gleek, but I know I put it into a press release at one point early days and then it sort of like took off. And I remember that week in like everywhere it was. I know it came from. I know it came from a marketing PR meeting and we started using it and then it just sort of took off.
So that's nuts.
Yeah, it's crazy to watch those things happen because now they're synonymous. You can't you can't take it away. I mean, speaking of all those photo shoots, like you would be there for all of those photo shoots and we I know were not the easiest on photo shoot days and because we were probably tired and had been shooting all week, but you are always just like this, like no matter all the big personalities we all have or tired, and you get the brunt of it where there's sort of because we were so close, there was not a lot of filter, which probably wasn't the most professional thing on our end, But you managed to get through those really long days, especially at the beginning of each season when we have to do those big photo shoot days for all the new key art. How did you do that? Like, I don't know, there were so many of us for so like since the beginning, and it just only got bigger where I don't know how you. I don't know if you would go home and just scream at the yes.
What No.
I never I actually never thought you guys were like that because I was feeling very similar to what you guys were feeling. Was that like I needed a break too, and like you guys just needed a break and I and I kind of like felt exactly how you felt because my friends were getting married and having babies and spending weekends with their friends and I wanted to do that those things too, you know, but we were all working, and I think so I think there was like just like we understood that it was just a really it's like an amazing time to be grateful for to have all these experiences. But on the flip side, you just were tired, you know, we were all tired, and so I just I really like I didn't I and I'm also a people pleaser and I'm an introvert, and so I've realized that in retrospect looking back on that time, Like you know, it kind of went against the grain for me of like the type of person I am to be like so much and to be out and you know, like I am just quiet, shy person and I like to like stay at home and do things at home. But it took it out of me too, you know. So I never felt like you guys. Never never felt like you guys, you never had attitude towards me anyway. Like you guys were always like great to me and like very nice and and if there was ever an issue your you know, sometimes your reps, you know, rep would reach out to me and explain something, and I just I just like always understood because I just sort of saw like the grand you know.
The I mean, you were there from the beginning. You understood like where we all started from to where we took off to you know, you're like with us on the train, you know.
Yeah, exactly. And then I think like after Corey Pass, I just got very like protective of you guys and like really just wanted to like button down the show and wanted to keep you guys like away from.
Yeah, what was that like after Corey died? Like, because so this was all very new for all of us, Like none of us really knew how to navigate a public something so public and so tragic, Like what was the handling the media side of that? Like, and then also having to promote the show still.
Yeah, and also you were friends with him, so you're also had and then the loss.
That was literally the hardest thing I've ever done in my entire life. I remember when I got the phone call. I was like in a movie at the Grove and Melissa Kates, Corey's publicist, called and I missed it. And then Dante called and I was like too yeah, and I was like I should jump out of the movie. So I jumped out of the movie. And he was like, Corey passed and the police are going to do a press conference in thirty minutes and we need you to draft a statement from the work in the studio and and all of everyone. And I was like, oh my god. So I sat down in the in the the theater and I was like like I couldn't wrap my head around it. My my brain was frozen. I was like I can't, Like I can't. I have to. I know I have to go into like work mode, but I just sort of I can't do that right now. So I called all my bosses at the time, and one of my bosses, Jason Clark, answered, and I was like, I need your help, Like, I like, I cannot write this by myself, Like I need you to like what are we saying? Like what you know? And so we worked on that, and then that night I went home and I'm not kidding you, I didn't even realize there were thousands of media outlets at that point at that time, but if every single media outlet in the world reached out to me that night to get our statement. So I sat up all night just copying and pasting and spending all night crying. And then I woke up at like five in the morning and I went out front of my apartment and like it was like a quiet morning. There was no one on the street, and I was just like bawling, and I hear this loud music just turn on. It like turned on and then it went off. I like, I don't know if it was a sign. I don't know if you guys believe in things like that, but it was a really weird thing. And then and then you know, I had to go into this like work mode. And it really wasn't until I helped Dante plan like the memorial for Corey that we did on set, And it really wasn't until I got to that memorial that I like just like let go and started crying. It was just a really weird thing because you know, you just wanted to grieve. You just wanted to cry. I didn't want to have to work, but work, and and I saw a different side of media, you know, that was you know, it's a side that I hope other people don't ever have to see. But it sort of was not a great side. Had to answer a lot of questions like about what was going to happen with the show, and we didn't know, No one knew at that point. So yeah, it was difficult.
But yeah, I can't believe that was like thrust upon you. I mean that that is your role, right, but it's just like you're like, I didn't sign up for this, right, Like, this is not something that I prepared my like anybody can prepare for. So it's so crazy.
You don't often see the human side of it too.
I don't think that it ever happened where as someone that was on a current hit show had passed away. I don't think, like maybe maybe maybe it had, but at the time, I think they said that it was like the first time that someone that was still on a show it had happened, so and it was such a big show, and and I just loved Corey so much, so it just yeah, that was that was.
How do them social media affect the evolution of Glee? Because obviously that was like kind of towards the middle, kind of towards the end. Aside from Twitter, we started doing like the live Twitter feeds as the show was airing and things like that, Like, how did that because we were one of like the pioneer shows for that, how did that affect like the way that you strategically had to evolve? I guess yeah.
I mean so I think that you guys were like the last pop culture phenomenon TV show because you came out at a time where it was like, right, like the networks were still the four big networks. It was still ABCNBC, Fox, CBS, cable was starting to crop up, but it wasn't at the extent that it is now, and you guys were It was right when like YouTube and Facebook and Twitter were just sort of starting, So you benefited from those new outlets and like the amount of amplification that they take with content, with your quotes, with the stories that were pushed out on Glee. But the world wasn't as fragmented as it is now, you know what I mean. So, like now, if you asked me in two thousand and nine, what are the top five shows? I would probably I think you would probably get the same answer for most people if you ask that now, I don't think you would get the same answer at all because of our media landscape and our world is just so fragmented. And so you guys were really you know, you were. You were right place, right time too. It wasn't it was it was this show was so special. You guys were so talented, but it also premiered just at the right time where you could capitalize on social media and it wasn't as fragmented as it is now. And I remember remember I remember like Missy and them, like or Marketing must have asked us for you guys to do a tweet along, and I remember having to explain to publicist, so like what is this And I'm like, I'm like, Missy, I'm like I don't really I don't really know exact that. I'm like, Missy, should we have them like come into the office to tweet along? And she was like yeah, and they like I think Missy and Kristen like handled like getting a space in the office and you got into tweet along because we didn't really understand that like tweeting along you can do from home. Like we were like, let's bring everybody in here, have thee together.
I remember that you guys have like the East Coast feed. We sat in like a conference room or something and just tweeted.
Yeah, that was sort of fun.
Yeah.
I have one other there's I have a little like Easter egg bank for fans if they was over all of our stuff. So our rolling Stone cover that we did. So the cover art or so shot by Mark Selliger. You guys have like this amazing feature. There's an amazing feature on the inside. But the cover was actually inspired by the Friends cover from nineteen ninety five. So if you look at like the the Friends cover rolling Stone compared to the Glee cover rolling Stone, it almost looks like identical. Wow, it's a fun little yeah, I.
Think, I ever, yeah, I think, but I can totally see it. It must have been all right, that's awesome.
Yeah, so that's a little fun one. And we had like some great reporters that you guys probably remember that like covered you know, Tim.
Stack and my Glossy Yellow and yeah Smark Malcolm, you're so great to us. It was nice to see familiar faces like that on at these panels on red carpets, because you feel like you have a relationship with them. You don't feel so uncomfortable going into these very uncomfortable situations. So it was always nice to have familiar you know, friends. I guess you'd call them. Some of them are friends now, you know. Yeah, it's hard to call media friends sometimes.
But yeah, but I think also to that point, like you said after Corey passed that you felt really protective. I think though from the beginning, whether you meant to or not, we were always protected in the way that even like the like everyone you just mentioned, Jeda, it was a very like like trusted, secure group of people we were around. If you were putting us in front of reporters, it was people we knew and had built relationships with and I think that's probably intentional. And we always felt protected, and it always felt like when we were going into an event that you were running or that you were there. I just know there was always a feeling of Okay, this will be so much easier. There's this isn't going to be weird. There's not going to be a situation we can't get out of or we can't handle. Because when you're on your own, that's the other thing. Yeah, when you have your own publicists and you go out into the world upon that In that time where we had never been a part of something so successful before, we were spoiled with you because it was so protected. There was such a great team. I'm sort of building this, you know, invisible fence around us because the press art it can be crazy and it can be mean and salacious, and when you're on your own without that sort of tracy and co protection, it was terrifying. Like every time we had to go to something and you guys weren't there, I remember the feeling of like, oh god, it was so daunting of how is this going to be interesting?
To hear you say that? Yeah, I mean, we definitely try to like make sure everything we did was like super thought out and we know exactly where you're being dropped and escort you a certain way and make sure talent were there. That was we just wanted a controlled environment exactly like you said, just because it was so out of control at the time, and that was the part that we could control. And shout out to Clinton, who was our sen was like my favorite person.
And you two were like imaginate in heaven. It was funny work together.
We were good together, and Marissa like we would all like now like get you guys, and we make sure, you know, everyone was like good and stuff. And yeah, we took it really seriously and you know, we never wanted to drop the ball and make sure everything was set for you guys. So yeah, that was that was a big part of it.
Yeah, we definitely felt that way when it was handled like that, like it was. Yeah, it was so chaotic. It was truly just so chaotic.
Yeah, what do you guys remember besides that, like from like interview stuff like do you.
Have any like oh I remember so I Jim, we did, I don't know. It was Entertainment Weekly. It was some cover we did. Were you even started to have having photo shoots on set, so like we'd be shooting in the middle of the day when you could, you would grab us to a different stage that connected, and we'd have to change hair and makeup and pop in for fifteen minutes or ten minutes whenever they were like turning around on camera coverage in the scene we were shooting, and we'd go And that happened several times where then we'd go in and shoot whatever story we were doing and then run us back and you were just like, Yep, this is how it's happening now, because we don't have any other time, and we.
Not have them work on Saturday, so maybe we can just have them work during and like right, do it in between. But yeah, we would. We would totally did that.
I mean, I have so many memories from the photo shoots. I remember the very first one we did, Kevin, I don't think you were there. I was like Leah, Diana mean Amber and Corey I can't remember. We were in some club at ten in the morning.
It was I remember those photos.
Yeah, it was like.
Life and Style or.
Like yes, that's right, yes.
And that was before you guys premiere, So that was like a free, like.
Yeah, yes, you know. I mean, all the big ones really stick out, and all the Fox events always like stick out to me because it was like family, you know what I mean. You go and you see all the other talent from Fox shows, and all the teams were there, Missy, Pam, You, Chris, Joe, like everybody was always there, which was nice too. They were just familiar events, which I liked.
Obviously. The Oprah Obama weekend was nuts.
That weekend was amazing. That was the weekend that went down in history because we did Saturday, we went to Oprah and then Sunday you guys were performing for Obama.
Like it was literally one of the craziest weekends.
I got.
All the Fox showed up. I was like, oh, so now you're here jumping.
In the photo with Obama. Were like I wasn't on the list, but I was like, I'm gonna try to sneak in here.
Yes you do, Yes, you do.
I remember too, like the World Series game, I guess, and like Biden was there.
Do you remember we came down and hung out with us.
Yeah, yeah, And I remember you guys being in that room and you guys were like going around like playing some game about like who's going to be the first one to like get married, or who's going to be going to get a movie? You know, who's the first one that's going to get arrested? And like, you, guys, I don't know what the answers any of those were.
But we loved a game. We loved the game.
I'm sure did in so many ways entertain ourselves. I remember it was rained out. There's a rain delay, yes, and then Biden was down there with us and.
Yeah, that was crazy. Oh my god.
Do you have any favorite events, like do you have any or hectic times, like anything that stick out to you about a lot of the crazy stuff we had to do.
I mean, the my one of my favorite memories was when Janet chose a sn L and I was like I didn't need to go, like my boss, like I could have just gone for like Friday, Saturday, you know. And I was like to my boss, can I please go on Monday and like do the whole week with her? And she was like Okay, so yeah, ago and it was like the memory of a lifetime. I mean, I remember Monday night showing up with Jane and they were like Lauren michaels Is on his way up, like you know, he was almost like, you know, a president or something at the time. Totally he gets up there and they start like throwing out ideas and this was the days of like I think it was like Andy Samberg and Jason Sudeikis and Kristen Wigg and it was just like a it was a really really.
Fun week just to be around ya.
I Mean, I have so many times where I'm like, you know, I I was like a kid from Florida that grew up like moved out to La you know. I don't know how I ended up being a part of the show and making just like the memories of a lifetime. And even though I was in the background, and I still appreciated, you know, every single thing and tell my friends and people about it all the time. So it's definitely something that like shape my life, and I know it shaped yours too, and just it was hard, but it also was like really really fun and.
You worked so much. So I'm just thinking, like I think it was easy for us to take for granted, like you're always there. We were used to the hours we were working, but like you were always there.
I worked a lot. I had no life and then guys, guess what. Six months after Glee wrapped, they're like, hey, we have another music show. It's called Empire. And I was like, oh my, there's no way this show is going to be like Glee. So it's fine, you know, I'll like, you know, I'll figure it out. I'll be able to like work life balance. And then it premiered and I was like, oh my god, this is Glee.
So I was you know, it was we've just done this before, we can do it. Yeah.
I had pretty much. I worked for like probably eight years, like a good eight years where I didn't have a weekend or oh.
My god, I'm maybe now though good Oh my god, you I mean you mentioned Pam earlier YouTube. Pam Jackson was international pr at the studio and last year she passed away. But she was just everybody's favorite, just like the best human in the world. And I remember being on the mall tour and her calling me outside of some airport to pitch me the trip to Australia that we took right after, because she was like, do you think we get everybody to agree to fly premium economy and not business? And I was like I think everyone would like coach, like what do you what do you mean? Like we're so new, we're flying first class for like the first time right now on this little tour, so like I think, and then that trip was just unbelievable, and she took us you know, she was like your counterpart for everything outside the US. But she was also around all the time on set, and I mean, did you guys work closely together too, because of I imagine you did, because it's coordinated strategy. But she was also just the best.
She was just the best. Like her laugh and like she would just hug me and I was just like and she would just laugh and it would just like put it all into perspective. She was just the best. And she did oversee international and had like a lot of responsibilities outside of the US, especially because Glee was such an international phenomenon. But she's still like any events that we had, she would come and help Kris and I on the red carpet, helped cover you guys. She would come to set with us. I mean, she loved you guys, and she loved that show so much. Like she she would be way better at this interview than I would. She she would. You know, she was so good at at everything she did, and you know, we all we all loved her at Fox.
She was a beloved yeah, a dear friend, such a good, so good at her job. She just liked she was the best.
And it is very much beyond just a job. Like from the very beginning, it was like Mama, Pam's going to take care of us. Yeah, Like I don't think this has anything to do with international press, but I'm so happy here here here, Yeah.
I know That's how I felt with her too. I remember actually, like when I when I walked up to Corey's memorial, she was the first person I saw and she gave me a hug, and that's when I like, just let go. She was just a mom figure. I don't writ how she did it to everyone, but she was just so loving and she did really care and she was really like friends with you guys.
On that note, we ask everybody on the show, what is the feeling that Glee leaves you with.
Say nostalgia, I would say, just that feeling in your gut that like it was something so good and so special and you know you wish you could just go back and not do it. Over again, but just you just want to be back in that moment and just remember it and just how grateful I am that I got to be a part of it.
We're so lucky that you were involved too, I know.
And it's just so good to see you. It's been so long. I'm so happy for you, guys.
I mean, this is awesome, like really awesome, and and I love seeing you with the baby and just having the lives and going to the White House still and still doing better.
Believe I taking my parents who I was like, I said, this is where we took the picture where the Obamas that's the long way hung out with the dog.
Yeah, exactly. Well, thank you guys so much for even inviting me on to do this. I really was.
Yeah, it's not the same without you, so we had to know.
Yeah, thank you so much for doing this and for sharing all those memories and the lists of all the things that you got to like you got and did for the show. And there's a lot of like unsung heroes that went into making that show what it was and you are definitely up there.
So thank you.
Thanks for taking care of us and all your incredible work in friendship. Bye bye.
Glee would not be the same without Tracy and without all the amazing peer people that she mentioned that worked so tirelessly for this show, just like there's literally took a massive village to make this show run.
The way, and she was the head of that on the ground, like she every red carpet, every photo shoot, every interview, she was there making sure everything was okay, setting the parameters for how these things were happening, controlling everything and it was like a masterclass. And she just was twenty nine and doing all of that. It's and I mean shout out to her bosses for also like giving her the reins and letting her do that and trusting her to do it because she was great at it.
Well, thank you so much Tracy for coming on taking the time to chat with us, and yeah we are we are nothing without you, no.
Thanks for taking care of us like kindness goes a long way, you know, and hard work. Thank you, Tracy, and thank you for listening everyone, And that's what you really missed, se Yah, thanks for listening and follow us on Instagram at and that's what you really miss pod. Make sure to write us a review and leave us five stars. See you next.
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