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Mobile's
own 'Party Girl'
Sunday, April 17, 2005
By CASANDRA ANDREWS
Staff Reporter
Move
over Martha.
There's
a new party planner with her own reality series coming to television
sets everywhere this spring.
Mobile native Cathy Riva, 32, will host the show "Party Girl"
on the Discovery Home Channel starting Saturday.
In
each episode, camera crews follow Riva around as she assists party
givers with their vision for a dream celebration. They devise a
plan that falls within a projected budget and suits the soiree.
Along the way, Riva will offer tips for planning and executing memorable
events.
"She's
about to hit it big," said former local TV reporter Randy Tatano.
"Cathy has it. Her personality just jumps through the screen.
She just connected with the viewer. I think she'll be a big hit."
Tatano
first met Riva a decade ago. He remembers her as a spunky, funky
production assistant trying to figure out if she wanted to work
in front of the camera or behind the scenes.
After
graduating from Shaw High School and the University of South Alabama,
she spent about a year at two local TV news stations as a reporter
and producer before moving to New York to bust into the broadcasting
business there.
The
Southern girl known for helping others find jobs was without one
when she headed to the Big Apple in 1995. Within months, though,
she was holding down two: one as a production assistant with MTV
and the other seating diners at a French restaurant.
Her
mother, Jane Cunningham, a media specialist at Indian Springs Elementary
in Mobile, said she never doubted her daughter would make it in
Manhattan.
"She
just sees what she wants and goes after it," Cunningham said.
"Opportunity seems to knock on her door."
Riva
spent five years at MTV, where she worked her way up from a production
assistant -- one step above an intern, as she puts it -- to a researcher
who found crazy story ideas for "The Tom Green Show."
She
landed her latest gig when a friend saw an online classified listing
and thought it would be perfect for Riva. It was a blind casting
call for a series about party planning.
The
friend kept after Riva until she finally sent in her resume.
"I
wasn't too into it," Riva said.
Even
so, when the still-unnamed employer called and asked her to send
in a photograph, she obliged. They called back promptly and asked
her to come in for an interview.
Thing
was, Riva was planning a big event and told the contact she had
little time.
"I
was really crazy busy," she said. "I really wanted to
focus on the event. I didn't even know it was Discovery, but my
friend kept bugging me."
Riva
went on the interview. Looking back, she said her tone may have
been a little "short" the day she met with producers.
Maybe
it was her Southern drawl, or her model good looks, or the way she
could juggle people, places and parties without falling apart.
"Whatever
that dynamic was that I gave that day, they loved it," she
said. After the initial meeting, the Discovery Channel had a film
crew follow Riva around as she planned an event.
"They
just really liked my event style," Riva said of why she thinks
they chose her from a bevy of other planners and actresses who tried
out for the show.
Sue
Norton, director of production for Discovery Home Channel, said
Riva stood out immediately during the casting process.
"We
were really looking for an effervescent personality as well as someone
knowledgeable and inspirational," Norton said. "We wanted
someone who could entertain and inform our viewers."
Norton
said she's seen several cuts of the first few episodes: "We're
really excited about it. She's a lot of fun. She's got a great personality
and great ideas."
On
the first episode, which airs on Riva's 33rd birthday, she helps
a Manhattan woman plan a Mexican fiesta in the middle of winter.
"We
decided to bring a little heat to New York City," Riva said.
Ten
years ago, when Riva was just starting out in the big city, party
planning was a hobby, not a full-time, make-you-famous kind of thing.
While
working for MTV and then later as a researcher for the program "Who
Wants to be a Millionaire," Riva threw parties for the crews.
Her events became so popular that she was allowed to plan an Emmy
party at the infamous Studio 54 for the award-winning game show
first hosted by Regis Philbin.
"I
was really fortunate that people liked my organization skills,"
Riva said. "If you can organize a story, you can organize a
party."
When
she wasn't planning parties for the game show, she worked as a researcher
picking apart questions before they were posed to contestants. Riva
also verified answers with three sources.
"I
got paid to read books," she said, ticking off a hefty list
that included "Gray's Anatomy," "Oxford English Dictionary"
and various encyclopedias.
After
about two years working for the game show, Riva jumped jobs, landing
at W Magazine, where she hosted advertising and promotional events.
She called it a "magical experience."
Her
responsibilities there included producing parties for brands that
included YSL, Louis Vuitton, Gucci, La Mer and Evian.
She
also helped organize the 2003 W Golden Globes event, sponsored by
Cartier and MAC, that welcomed celebrities including Uma Thurman,
Chloe Sevigny, Portia de Rossi, Isaac Mizrahi, Kim Cattrall and
Kate Moss.
"What
I really like about organizing parties is the instant gratification,"
she said. "When you are done with a great party, people are
really happy. I'm not saying that parties are going to cure any
disease, but it's nice to add that positivity to this crazy mess
of a place."
In
August of last year, Riva stepped out on her own, opening Riva Events.
One of her first jobs was in Miami, where she worked with the MTV
Music Video Awards on the Style Villa, a three-day hospitality suite
which hosted an array of high-end brands including Kiehl's, Xbox,
Cosabella and Estee Lauder.
Her
latest high-profile job was the launch of Dom Perignon's 1995 Vintage
Rose, which debuted in New York City, Chicago and Miami.
Riva,
who describes herself as a Type A personality, said she inherited
her skills for organization and party planning from her mother.
"Teachers
organize everything," she said. "I was always the girl
who organized my friends' birthday parties."
Riva
said her dream job would be to focus more on intimate gatherings.
"I
think less limelight parties and more behind-the-scenes parties,"
she said of the direction she hopes her business will take. "Say,
if celebrities want to throw their parents an anniversary party.
... That's the sort of really intimate parties I'd like to plan."
In
recent years, budgets for her parties have ranged from $3,000 to
half a million dollars. Picking a favorite past event would be difficult,
she said.
"Ultimately,
I'm happiest when the party really pleases the person who sought
me out to plan it."
Riva
said she won't make it back to Mobile Saturday for her birthday
and the premiere of the show.
Instead,
she'll be busy in New York, taping the final two episodes of the
series. Other episodes find her planning a poker party for women
heading to Las Vegas and a day of pampering for a bride-to-be and
her friends in Miami.
"I
thought it was going to be really intrusive, but it's not so bad,"
Riva said of the crews with booms, cameras and microphones that
follow her every move. "It's really sort of good. It's definitely
different to do things for the camera."
While
she's enjoying her 15 minutes of fame, Riva knows it may come to
an end when the show wraps next month.
At
the end of April, though, Riva and her husband, Marc Bloomgarden,
an Emmy-winning commercial film director, will leave their apartment
at Broadway and 92nd Street for new digs on Central Park West.
"We
have a view of the park," she said, adding that the new space
is a cozy 800 square feet.
"I'm
really lucky," Riva said. "I'm not rich. I'm not a gazillionaire,
but I have a great husband and I love my life."
Cathy
Riva's party tips
A good hostess knows that tea is in, cold or hot. It's a must-serve
at my parties. My favorite is Tracy Stern SALONTEA with fun names
like Society Hostess, Celebri-tea, and Chari-tea (sales benefit
select charities). Check out www.salonteas.com for where to buy.
Music
is a key component to keeping the party vibe going. An afternoon
brunch with the Pottery Barn Mojito Mix CD is a must. My favorite
track is No. 6: "Boombox" by the Mosquitos.
If
you want to kick it up in the evening, and you don't have big bucks
for a fab DJ, then crank out your iPod, hook it up to your stereo
and spin your favorite tracks!
Fake
colorful flowers in a really fun vase add a splash of color, save
you a ton of money and last forever!
If
you can't bear the fake idea, get a few really tall sunflowers and
tie them together on the bottom and top. You spend less because
a few of these make a huge impact. And, if you tie or rubber-band
them together, they keep their height and stay nice and straight.
I recommend thin rubber bands so they are invisible.
Food
tip: Don't want to slave away all day in the kitchen? Buy packaged
hors d'oeuvres from your grocery store, but serve them on REALLY
unique platters like the "Petal Plates" found at Crate
& Barrel.
--Source:
Cathy Riva
Cathy
Riva's show, "Party Girl," premieres at 7 p.m. Saturday
on the Discovery Home Channel. Upcoming episodes include the planning
of a poker party for women heading to Las Vegas and a day of pampering
for a bride-to-be and her friends in Miami.
'Party
Girl' buzz
Here's the thrust of the new series "Party Girl." In each
episode, Mobile native Cathy Riva lends her organizational skills
and original ideas to assist party givers with their vision of a
dream celebration.
Together,
they devise a plan that falls within a projected budget and suits
the specific celebration. Riva calls on florists, caterers, costumers
and crafts vendors in New York and Miami to get the best deals on
supplies for the soirées, all the while giving valuable tips
for planning and executing the perfect party, according to information
provided by Discovery Home Channel.
The
10-episode series premieres at 7 p.m. Saturday.
The
Discovery Home Channel is available to Mediacom subscribers on Channel
203. Comcast Cable digital subscribers can find it on channel 113.
On the Net:
www.rivaevents.com
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