A Labor of Love – Bold and the Beautiful’s Eva Demirjian Interview!
Brad Bell - Photo courtesy of CBS Photo
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.
Another unique touch that Eva gave the "The Bold and the Beautiful, In Celebration of Twenty Years on Television" was a B&B Family Tree in the form of a pull out poster. She confided that the process of figuring out how everyone on the show was related was quite a lot of fun, and everyone involved indulged in some giggles, laughter, and gasps as they sorted out who was related to whom. Eva says that what became evident was how the character, Brooke, is focally connected to everybody on the canvas.
Eva always knew she wanted the book to be fun, rather than just a history laid out in chronological order. She described how she broke down the layout of the book, by doing a recap of the first decade in one chapter, followed by a more in-depth look at the events of the past ten years in subsequent chapters. She enhanced the book for fans by pulling out highlights from each of those years in categories such as "Weddings", "Remotes", and my favorite, "Catfights". Eva oversaw every aspect of the book, which included conceptualizing the visual "big picture" and color scheme with Anthony Ferrari, and then working daily to achieve that design with Dan Boland of CBS, whom she calls "amazing". Eva also credits Jennifer Mulhall, her then assistant, now B&B's Domestic Publicity Coordinator, with being a vital part of the collaboration effort.
When she first saw the finished product, Eva admits that although she was not critical of it in any way, she was nervous about whether or not she had achieved her goal of honoring the Bells and the others who had started out with B&B, such as Ronn Moss (Ridge), Katherine Kelly Lang (Brooke), Susan Flannery (Stephanie) and John McCook (Eric). Naturally, it was the heartfelt words of Lee Phillip-Bell and the rest of this close-knit group, in expressing to her how much the book meant to them, that Eva says touched her the most.
Soaps.com offers Eva Demirjian congratulations, and thanks, on behalf of our staff and readers who are fans of The Bold and the Beautiful, on the creation of such a remarkable tribute, not only to the Bell family and the late Darlene Conley, but to the entire history of our beloved show.
"The Bold and the Beautiful, In Celebration of Twenty Years on Television" coffee table book is astounding aesthetically and exceedingly well written. It is a 'must-have' item for fans of The Bold and the Beautiful. Now available for order by Canadians as well, it can be purchased exclusively at The Bold and the Beautiful Website.
Candace Young
B&B News Writer
Soaps.com
