linda cooper
Photo courtesy of Linda Cooper
Television personality, producer and fashion blogger, Linda Cooper, is a busy woman. Between her roles as host of the TV segment Shopping Is My Cardio, and as a contributor forDesigning DFW, she is constantly on the lookout for new trends, events and products to review. Here she talks about how she made her love for shopping into a thriving career, and what she looks for when searching for story ideas.
Q: First things first: when did your love of fashion begin?A: When I was eight years old and I bought a piece of costume jewelry at Fiorucci in Beverly Hills.  I loved everything about that store – it’s bright colors, eclectic sales staff and you could roller skate inside the store! Shopping is about the experience for me – not just the actual purchase.  It’s that adrenaline rush you get when you walk into a cool store. There’s a lot to be said about getting instant gratification while taking in the sweet smell of mall air!
Q: What brought you into the fashion media industry? When/why did you decide to create Shopping is My Cardio?A: I have a BA in Broadcasting.  I’ve always been very entrepreneurial and back in 2001, I developed a statement t-shirt line at the perfect time to ride the statement tee craze. My bestseller was my SHOPPING IS MY CARDIO tank. Two years later I decided to combine my love for shopping with my TV background, calling the segment Shopping Is My Cardio and wearing the tank on my segments – the rest is history.
Q: Tell us about an exciting or unique experience you’ve had as a contributor on the ABC show Designing DFW!A: I’m so lucky I get to do some really amazing things on TV!  Riding in hot air balloons, flying a helicopter (or pretending to) – last show I drove a gorgeous Aston Martin convertible. It’s all exciting!
Q: What is the most challenging part of your career?
A: I feel so blessed and grateful each day I don’t look at anything I do as really a ‘challenge’, but one thing for sure -I am not an actress.  What you see is what you get, so probably the biggest challenge for me is to be ‘on’ for the camera when I’m sick or just not feeling it.
Q: Where do you get ideas for your blog posts?A: I receive so many pitches daily and I truly consider each one. I will only blog about things I can actually endorse personally. Sometimes I blog about an item I found on my own, which is often as I am a ‘Shopping Expert’!
Q: What are you PR pet peeves, or what is the strangest pitch you’ve received?A: Some of the items I blog about end up as ‘product placement’ in my TV segments and, on occasion, for my magazine article, Shop Dallas. One such item was a signature designer champagne bottle.  You would have thought I was getting paid for having this bottle in the shot, which I wasn’t. The PR rep made so many demands and I kindly complied, but the last straw which I had to put my foot down was their request to not actually open the champagne bottle so I could send it back!  I explained for TV we had to drink it as a prop – and we already had.
 Q: Any tips for PR professionals who want to get in contact with you?A: Before you pitch me check out my blog. Know my audience base and see if what your pitching fits in with my posts. Also, if the item is available in the Dallas/Ft.Worth market please let me know! Often I get feedback from my followers they want to purchase locally even if its a national item.
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