A Labor of Love – Bold and the Beautiful’s Eva Demirjian Interview!

I recently had the distinct pleasure of chatting with B&B’s dynamic Eva Demirjian, about her amazing job, and her adventure in conceptualizing and creating the fabulous “The Bold and the Beautiful, In Celebration of Twenty Years on Television” anniversary book! Soaps.com readers, not only did Eva share a special glimpse into the remarkable work that went into the making of the book, but she also conveyed what a truly ‘beautiful’ family the Bell’s have managed to build at B&B. Enjoy!

Eva Demirjian is the Director of Communication and Talent Relations at The Bold and the Beautiful. She has been in publicity for twenty years, the last nine of which have been spent in daytime television. Eva launched NBC’s Passions in 1999, and three years ago, received an offer from Brad Bell to head up the publicity, marketing and advertising for B&B and the Bell family. She acts as the liaison with the domestic media, provides the mainstream press with publicity materials, handles marketing and advertising, and acts as the representative, or spokesperson, for the Bell family. It is also Eva’s responsibility to look after the ‘talent’ and their needs. When I asked Eva what the most rewarding part of her job is, she told me that she derived the most satisfaction from simply being of service, both to the wonderful Bell family, which has created this amazing dynasty and legacy, as well as to the fans of The Bold and the Beautiful. Interestingly, before she became involved with daytime television, Eva was the publicist for the Oscars, which she described as “an amazing experience” and “a massive undertaking.”

Next, our conversation turned to Eva’s book, “The Bold and the Beautiful, In Celebration of Twenty Years on Television”, and how it came into being. As the twentieth anniversary of the show approached, Brad Bell began thinking about having a commemorative book done to mark that milestone. At that time, having worked at B&B for two years, Eva felt such a connection with the Bell family, (she particularly admires the gracious and brilliant Lee Phillip-Bell, whom she holds in very high regard as a creative pioneer for women in the fields of journalism and television), that she asked Brad if she could submit a proposal to do the book. In Eva’s mind, she envisioned it as a fun, colorful, yearbook-style history of the show, but what was most important to her was that it ultimately paid tribute to the Bell family and their contributions to the television industry. Brad accepted her proposal, and the two worked together throughout the entire process of completing the book.

Considering that Eva took on the monumental task of writing the twentieth anniversary book in addition to her already full-time responsibilities with B&B, I had to ask if she ever felt overwhelmed. Eva said the book was truly a labor of love, and although her enthusiasm for the project never waned, there were certainly times, particularly near the end, and during the busy Emmy season, where she got a little tired. She explained that on the whole, it was an amazing journey for her, not only because she got to delve in and do research, and learn about the entire history of the show, but also because she got to interview so many incredible people, particularly Lee Phillip-Bell, Bill Jr., Brad and Lauralee Bell, as well as other key staff and talent who had been with the show since it’s beginning. Eva lamented that she never had the privilege of meeting Bill Bell Sr., and noted that it was a priority for her to create a very special tribute to him in the book.

The late Darlene Conley, who played fan favorite Sally Spectra, was also honored in the twentieth anniversary book with a tribute, as well as with a touching gesture of a bookmark embedded with fibers, which grow forget-me-not flowers in Darlene’s memory. Eva told me that she had the honor of knowing, working with, and caring about this incredible woman until her passing in January of 2007. A sad part of Eva’s job as publicist was to inform, not only the public, but also the many industry people who had known Darlene over the years, of her passing. Ironically, it was through these contacts, made under such unhappy circumstances, that Eva was able to build such a wonderful tribute to Darlene for the book. We agreed that to this day, Darlene Conley (and Sally Spectra) remain synonymous with The Bold and the Beautiful. Eva also remarked to me on the fact that Brad Bell, whom she credits with having an amazing sense of humanity, chose to keep the character of Sally alive, and we shared a laugh over the visual of the retired Sally, lounging on the beach with her cabana boys.