CONVERSATIONS WITH DEBRA KOERNER
CONTINUED
Koerner takes in the breathtaking sunrise at Rancho La Puerta.
completely self-funded, we were successful in getting some of
our production costs covered through partnerships for Senior
Moments. ResortSuite and ISPA are underwriters and our
product partners include Anatomie, La Bella Donna and Skin
Authority. Also, for this show, most of the crew members are
voluntarily contributing their time to this project.
P: How did the idea for Senior Moments come about?
K: I have a dear friend, Kelly Osbaldiston, who owns a
company called OzzCare within the elder-care industry. She
and I have spent quite a bit of time talking about our older
population and some of the challenges that are coming our
way. She is so passionate about providing quality care for
mature adults that I became convinced we should do a show
on healthy aging. There are alarming statistics about the
burden an unhealthy older population will place on our
health-care system and on families. We have time right now
to focus on prevention and alleviate some of these challenges.
We hope this show turns into a series and inspires people to
focus more on healthy aging.
P: What criteria do you keep in mind when narrowing
down the spas and wellness centers to feature in the
show?
26
PULSE
■
December 2016
K: Within one show, we like to represent all aspects of wellbeing, which to me includes “Well Body, Well Mind, Well
Heart and Well Soul.” We do not have to look very hard to
find amazing stories to share and, often, they appear at the
right time. Mostly, we need a focus on natural health and
well-being and experts who are passionate about what they
are sharing. The rest is just magic.
P: Walk us through behind the scenes. How do you and
your team typically prepare before an on-site shoot?
K: Logistically, there is a lot of work prior to our arrival. We
usually work with a publicist and set up the topic to be
covered, who they feel is the best expert to feature, the space
and timing. I am an organized person and know that things
have to run smoothly when we arrive, so I generally have a
shared document we all work from that has every detail for
the upcoming shoot. Any person involved with production
can access this information and be updated on the status of
the shoot.
For the actual interviews, I am not a script reader, so the
only preparation I need to do is to research the person or
place, understand what we are trying to accomplish with the
segment and have a few drafted questions. The rest just flows
naturally and, if the person is really excited about the topic, I