Spotlight on Mommy -- Georgette Blau of On Location Tours

I am excited to share my first Spotlight on Mommy Monday Mom with you this week, not only because I know you will find her story inspiring, but also because I am looking forward to my review of her Boston TV and Movie Sites Tour, which I will be taking on July 1st.  To think that I was born in Boston, grew up outside of Boston, but have never been on this tour.  Many friends have gone, and said they enjoyed both the walking and bus tour, in which they can put famous film and television shows with their film location, including the famous Cheers show, which has a bar in Boston. 

 

Georgette Blau, creator and owner of On Location Tours, offers tours in both Boston and New York.  Having been in business for 12 years now, her tours have definitely made tourists happy, as well as locals like myself, who love where they live and grew up, and love movie and films. 

Here is a little bit more about her Boston and New York On Location Tours.

Boston TV and Movie Sites Tour:

Take the ultimate tour of Beantown with On Location Tours' Boston TV & Movie Sites Bus Tour or Boston Movie Mile Walking Tour.  More than your average Boston sightseeing expedition, our unique TV & movie tours are led by local actors who will provide behind-the scenes filming details and endless entertainment knowledge.

While touring Boston with On Location Tours, you'll see filming locations from TV shows and movies such as The Departed, Good Will Hunting, Cheers, The Town, Legally Blonde, Ally McBeal, Mystic River, Boston Legal, Knight & Day, 21, Fever Pitch, Gone Baby Gone and more!

New York TV and Movie Sites Tour:

More than just your standard New York Tour, this fantastic TV and movie tour is guided by some of New York’s best actors and actresses. These certified tour guides give you tips on how to get tickets to TV shows like Regis and Kelly, The CBS Early Show, Good Morning America, The Today Show, The Late Show with David Letterman, and The Daily Show with Jon Stewart. They’ll test your knowledge of every TV theme song you can remember and share lots of TV and movie trivia with you.
 
When you tour New York City with On Location Tours’ New York TV and Movie Sites tour, you will see for yourself where your favorite actors, personalities and characters from NBC, ABC, CBS, CW and HBO TV shows like Friends, Seinfeld, Ugly Betty, Gossip Girl, Will & Grace, The Apprentice, Law & Order, Mad About You, Sex and the City, The Cosby Show, Saturday Night Live (SNL), and many more, live, work, and play! You will also see 40+ filming locations from some of your favorite movies on these NYC Tours!

In addition to the above two popular tours, Georgette also offers a Gossip Girls Sites tour, Sopranos Sites tour and Sex and the City Hotspots tour, for fans of these great television shows.  Make sure you head on over to her website to order tickets for one of these great tours.  With the nice weather finally here, this would make for a great day out in the city (either Boston or New York.  And, stay tuned next Friday, when I will share my review of my Boston On Location Tour.  I can't wait! :-)

If you have been on either of these tours before, please leave a comment below letting me know what you thought. 

And, now on to my interview with Georgette Blau of On Location Tours.  Enjoy!

Name: Georgette Blau

Company Name: On Location Tours

Company Location: Office is in New York, but tours run in New York and Boston

Company Website:  www.screentours.com

Facebook URL: onlcationtoursnyc

Twitter Handle: @ onlocationtours

Age of Company:  12 years old

Favorite Inspirational Quotes: The Jackie Gleason quote: "Be kind to the people you meet on the way up, because you're going to meet the same people on the way down."

Favorite Book: Middlesex

Tell us a little bit about yourself.  How many children do you have?  What are their ages? Your hobbies? Etc.

I have a seven month old son named Benjamin. My main hobby is writing, and I've written and done stand up comedy several times. I also love cycling. One of my passions, which helped me launch my business, is 1970's and '80's television.

Briefly explain your business.  How did it come about?

I was inspired when I moved to New York and "moved on up to the Upper East Side" and noticed that I lived right near George and Weezie from The Jeffersons. Their building was so close to where I lived, and I started noticing a lot of buildings featured on the big and small screen. I couldn't believe that New York had so many locations and not a single tour!

What is a typical work day like? 

The majority of my day is spent managing my full time staff of seven and approving what they are doing, and also working on developing new tours and new cities. Some of my day is dealing with the "fun" stuff like taxes and running sales reports.

What has been a struggle while starting up your company?  

I had many struggles, especially since I did not have a business background, but some of my biggest were figuring out which permits we needed, since we are such a niche business, and managing people, especially our tour guides.

What did you do in your past work life?

I started the business soon after graduating college, but did work in publishing for a short time.

What have been some of your major successes?

 I would say that some of my major successes include being mentioned in an HBO special about Sex and the City (our numbers jumped after that!), having really quality tours and being known for that (especially for our very talented tour guides!), and starting in a second city.

What have been some of your major challenges? 

One of my major challenges has been managing tour guides, since all of them are actors and actresses, and tend to be on the more dramatic side.

On those impossible days, what motivates you to keep going?

I just love what I do and love the freedom of having my own business and setting my own hours, etc., which I always remind myself of on tough days.

What is your balancing secret in managing a business and family?

 I've really learned to multitask since I gave birth several months ago...I try to delegate as much as possible, and multitask by doing things like checking my emails as I'm feeding my son (as long as he doesn't mind!)

What is next for your business?

I would love to start movie tours in additional cities, places where there is a combination of tourists and filming locations. 

Do you have any advice for other mom entrepreneurs that are starting out and struggling, or are on the fence about starting a business? 

Starting a business was one of the best things I ever did, so it's something I highly recommend to anyone, especially moms, because of the flexibility it normally offers...Like they say in the New York lottery, you can't win if you don't play! It is tough to start a new business, especially as a busy mother, but even if you do a little at a time in order to launch it, that is normally a step in the right direction.