Quarantine Blog
CTB IN QUARANTINE
“It was the best of times, it was the worst of times…” Well, this has been the longest of times!
Let’s rewind 8 weeks to right before quarantine officially began. Our CTB team was prepping to shoot 8 episodes of Who Wants to be a Millionaire with Jimmy Kimmel, celebrity contestants, and a full audience. As covid-19 was declared a pandemic a few days prior to our shoot and the CDC was encouraging people to stay at home in an effort to slow the spread, our team had to scramble and quickly adjust the original plans.
There was no longer a studio audience, and Jimmy became the lifeline: instead of polling the live studio audience, the celebrities had to poll Jimmy. It would have been even more helpful if the host knew all the answers in advance, but as he reminded Jane Fonda, that was not the case. [click here for video]
Our celebrity contestants were absolute troopers, as they rolled with the punches and agreed to still show up to play for charitable causes. Thank you to all our guests, including Jane Fonda, Anderson Cooper, Eric Stonestreet, Catherine O’Hara, Andy Cohen, and so many more, for making the show such a success! Our CTB team had a blast, and we know that our at home audience is enjoying it too, especially with the show’s high ratings. Tune in to watch this month and for the season finale airing on June 4th on ABC.
In addition to hosting game shows, Jimmy Kimmel has been keeping himself busy during quarantine hosting his late night show from his house. Check out some of our favorite moments from this past month with virtual guests like Seth Rogen, Tom Holland, Chris Hemsworth, Arnold Schwarzenegger, Don Cheadle and Regina Hall, plus Anthony Anderson’s reunion with Kangaroo Jack.
Our team is grateful to be busy during this time. We have been booking talent for HBO, TBS, USA, Comedy Central, as well as a new, exciting show on Quibi.
One of our proudest moments during quarantine has been working with Rich Eisen and the NFL Draft-A-Thon in raising money for covid-19 relief. This virtual fundraiser featured a variety of guests including Blake Shelton, Jeff Daniels, Yahya Abdul-Mateen II, Max Greenfield, and Frank Grillo.
One of our laugh out loud moments has been watching Crank Yankers weekly, which is the half-hour escape we need now during quarantine.
If you find yourself in need of a longer escape, we highly recommend watching this already buzzy documentary, Have A Good Trip: Adventures in Psychedelics, now streaming on Netflix. CTB enjoyed being part of this ride! [click here for trailer]
One podcast that we highly recommend is WTF with Marc Maron, as he conducts remote interviews for the first time. Some of our recent favorites have been with Dan Levy, Kenya Barris, Rosie O'Donnell, Cate Blanchett, and Samantha Bee.
Another podcast worth listening to is with one of our very own. CTB’s CEO Joanna Jordan had a lively, candid chat with Fredrik Calstrom for “On the Phone.” Jo gives us some insight into her world, and we loved hearing all her tips and tricks after being in the business for over 30 years. [click here to listen]
In order to maintain some cheer in our daily quarantine lives, our team has created a weekly “CTB Cheer” email, which highlights ways we can all find peace and enjoyment within the home through self-care, workouts, “quarantini” cocktails, good reads, shows to binge, and even activities for those with little ones. A small way our team likes to add some cheer and feel connected to ourselves and each other during this time.
With so much unknown about what lies ahead, our team decided to take a stroll down CTB memory lane at all of our bookings from over the years. We thought what better way to share some of the fun we’ve had than through our Instagram story highlights, each bucket capturing the variety of bookings. [click here for CTB Instagram]
As we enter into the month of May, one thing that can continue to unite us all is hope – that our future holds more brightness. One of our clients, America Stands Tall, represents just that. It hosts the Memorial Day Parade in Washington, D.C., and although the on-site parade portion is no longer happening, the annual tradition is still living on. [for more information, click here].
With Anthony Anderson and Tamron Hall hosting, featuring musical performances and special introductions, the goal is to remind us of the service and sacrifice of people both past and present.
We will continue to rally together and march towards better times. CTB is here for you, always!
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