GUEST BLOG: A Furry Muse by Theresa Peluso
I am so lucky to know Theresa Peluso (always Teri to me). I’ve worked with her for my entire 15 years at HCI, laughed with her, battled with her, but mostly have learned from her. One of the smartest, most productive people I know, she’s largely responsible for putting together our latest Ultimate series of books. Teri, I mean Theresa’s sharing a great story about a puppy dog named Jack and his rising star in the video contest world. But, look for the words of encouragement she’s offering to the creative part in all of us. Enjoy!
When Stephanie Longinetti saw a blurb on the internet about a publisher wanting stories and photographs of dogs, cats and horses for an upcoming series of books, she grabbed her camera and her puppy and started shooting.
Meanwhile, I was culling through the thousands of photos submitted when Jack’s smiling face popped up on my screen. Jack’s photo met all our criteria and was among 70 photos published in The Ultimate Dog Lover, an anthology of stories, photos, and expert tips which give the reader a nice mix of material in a short-attention-span format.
Jack’s all grown up now and Mom has continued to cultivate her creative side using Jack for inspiration. While Jack was counter-surfing one day, Stephanie grabbed her video and captured his antics. Soon after, she saw a call-out for entries in the “Marley and Me” video contest.
Stephanie’s talent for capturing Jack’s charm paid off. Their video is one of 12 finalists!
The videos will be shown during commercial breaks on Thanksgiving Day during the National Dog Show on NBC and the winner gets a trip to Hollywood for the premiere of the movie, “Marley and Me.” You can view the videos and vote for your favorite at http://www.longliveyourdog.com/Dogpark/overview/videocontest.aspx
Who knows what may be next…a trip down the red carpet; and agent; contracts that stipulate Milkbones in every green room.
(arf!)
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Hitchhiking off of an old commercial, “When Teri Peluso speaks…listen.” I’ve had the extreme luck and delight to work with Teri on many books and we affectionately call he Capt. Peluso as she’s very good at the helm of creating a book that is good to look at, great to read, and most importantly will sell. This lady has a crazy good eye for a story or photo that enhances a book. With Teri you get a triple whammy of purpose, passion and plan. She’ll stab you in the front and defend you behind your back. She’ll tell you what you need to hear, not what you want to hear (some might say the unvarnished truth). Always, ALWAYS, she has the book’s best interests in mind. I’ve learned from her, respect her, yeah, grown to love her. She’s had three prosthetic noses from having them to the grindstone so long and hard.
Plus, she’s wonderful to share dinner with. Thanks Teri, for all you’ve done for me in my career. I’m in your debt.