Tanner Talks

Forbes.com

2008-05-23T12:29:00.000-07:00

Tara Weiss interviewed me about Find Your Inner Ugly Betty for Forbes.com and ran a Q&A, which is pretty darn insightful, if I do say so myself. Here's the intro:

If you're not a fan of Ugly Betty, here's what you need to know to understand this article: Betty is from the other side of the tracks, er, river. She lives with her family in Queens and aspires to be a serious Manhattan journalist. She pounded the pavement in her frumpy, bow-tied blouses and below-the-knee skirts to land her first job--assistant to the editor of fashion magazine Mode. Talk about a fish out of water. But Betty, through hard work and dedication, often winds up saving her boss' butt (and making some major fashion faux pas).

Along the way, Betty learns frequent lessons about office politics, professionalism and fitting in. They're lessons we viewers should take to heart, says Tanner Stransky author of Find Your Inner Ugly Betty: 25 Career Lessons for Young Professionals Inspired by TV Shows. Stransky, an editorial assistant in Entertainment Weekly's TV department, says Ugly Betty and shows like Grey's Anatomy and The Mary Tyler Moore Show are ripe with career lessons.

For the rest of the Q&A, read on.

Last TV Watch of Season

2008-05-23T10:31:00.000-07:00

So last night was the last episode of Ugly Betty for the season, titled "Jump," and thus, my last TV Watch on EW.com about the show. Betty and Mode (see our heroine in full regalia at right!) are playing against Elle in a softball game—and Betty has to make a huge decision between Gio and (ugh) Henry. It's shameless self-promotion, but check out my thoughts here.

Latest TV Watch: "Burning Questions"

2008-05-09T11:29:00.000-07:00

The third episode of Ugly Betty since the writers' strike aired last night, and I've got something to say about it in my TV Watch on EW.com, of course. Lots of "Burning Questions" (the episode's title) going on—and, of course, a whole load of Gio-Henry-Betty drama. But that all needs to end, already—Betty should just go with Gio! And, natch, a bunch of great scheming from dynamic duo Willy and Marc. Great episode—full of fire!

Book Party Photos!

2008-05-06T08:24:00.000-07:00

Last night was the launch party for Find Your Inner Ugly Betty. Honestly, it was one of the best nights of my life—all of my friends in NYC came out to support me and the book. As cheesy as this sounds, it was one of those "moments" in my life, one that I'll never forget ever. More than ever, I realized that my friends are my family in NYC. Go to the photo album on Flickr to see all the action from the evening. Enjoy!

Book Page Review

2008-05-03T22:52:00.000-07:00

Book Page reviewed my book, along with four other titles for recent grads. I especially like that she says, "Stransky has fashioned a humorous yet valuable set of on-the-job tips. Who would have figured that the folks at Dunder-Mifflin held the secrets for career success?" That's right—there is career advice in Dunder-Mifflin! And from Betty Suarez, of course. The .jpeg image of the page in Book Page is at right.

Profs as Ugly Betty!

2008-05-01T14:26:00.000-07:00

Seeing as how I just got back from my weekend at Drake University and Des Moines, Iowa, and was all up in some nostalgic college shizzle, I thought it was an appropriate time to pull out this photo. It's three of my professors from Drake University—Angela Renkoski, Lori Blachford, and Patricia Prijatel—dressed up as Ugly Betty for Halloween. Don't they looks simply fabulous? Ha! They're really troopers to subject themselves to such humiliation like this. But also: They were were so forward looking. They dressed up as Ugly Betty the first October after the show premiered. And they're magazine professors in the journalism school at Drake, so it's so fitting! Random, but I thought you all might enjoy. And it's clear that they've found their Inner Ugly Betty.

Blog Love

2008-04-28T23:47:00.000-07:00

One of my Ed2010 co-staffers, Anna Davies, gave me some book love on her blog, Company She Keeps. She's so sweet to give me a shout-out!

My Parents!

2008-04-28T15:13:00.000-07:00

Oh, and one more thing I forgot to mention from my wonderful weekend of promoting my book (and partying) in Des Moines: My parents showed up for the Thursday evening signing! I was so happy to see them. Special! Aren't we cute all together?

Fun in Des Moines!

2008-04-28T14:53:00.000-07:00

Months ago, I booked a ticket to Des Moines, Iowa, to celebrate the Drake Relays, my alma mater's big alumni fest. The whole thing is centered around a track event, but that's not the draw for folks like me: It's mostly an excuse to have fun with old friends, which is what I did most of the time. But...

My lovely old Drake magazine professor Angela Renkoski insisted that, while I was in town this past weekend, I do a couple of pre-release book events while I was in town. On Thursday, I did two talks/signings at the new East Village Books in downtown Des Moines' hip neighborhood, the East Village. (I know, it's a rip-off of NYC's famed 'hood, but seriously, it's very cool!) Mostly students attended the first, a "lunch 'n' learn," where I spoke about how I made the book deal, my background, and my top 10 tips from the book. The second, an evening event, was attended mostly by people from around town and other friends. On Friday, I went back to my old workplace of four years, Meredith Corporation, where a dear old colleague of mine, Gary McKay, hosted a delightful event where I signed books for a bevy of my former co-workers. They were all so happy to see me.

All three signings/talks were rather surreal. I never thought I'd be heading back to Des Moines just three years after college to give lectures and sign my own book. But it was amazing: Everyone was so supportive, and I was rather impressed with how well it all went.

Betty is Back! And So Are My TV Watches!

2008-04-25T10:28:00.000-07:00

Seeing as how I got my book deal via the TV Watch on Ugly Betty on EW.com, I thought I'd keep my readers apprised of my new TV Watch postings. And what do you know? Last night was the first episode back for the series after the writers strike. So, you should read my thoughts on the show's return, an episode titled "24 Candles," which focused on Betty's 24th birthday.

EW Finds Its Inner Ugly Betty

2008-04-18T14:40:00.000-07:00

My lovely co-worker Kate Ward wrote up the latest books from EW staffers, and Find Your Inner Ugly Betty was included. (The other included in the round-up was Pot Culture: The A-Z Guide to Stone Language & Life by EW music writer Shirley Halperin.) This is what was published in the magazine today:

Ugly Betty's Betty Suarez might own a non-workplace-friendly wardrobe, but she's still a good professional role model. At least that's what EW editorial assistant Tanner Stransky argues in his TV-infused career advice book, Find Your Inner Ugly Betty. "Betty is a person who didn't always know exactly what to do, but was very confident about it," says Stransky, 24. "She would just tackle something. I think that's a great lesson." Stransky also highlights other television icons — The Office's Michael Scott is a model for how not to talk in the workplace, while The Mary Tyler Moore Show represents ways to deal with a challenging boss. Suddenly, we don't feel so guilty about being couch potatoes.

Read it EW.com here.

My Friends Are Awesome/Suck

2008-04-15T13:19:00.000-07:00

So two of my friends back in Des Moines, where I went to college, work at The Des Moines Register. One's an editor, one's a designer. When the story about Find Your Inner Ugly Betty ran last week, they thought it'd be funny to modify the actual page of the newspaper where it ran. Here's what they came up with. You'll notice they added a "mugshot" of me (which wasn't originally there)—which is nothing more than a picture of a dumpster—and a caption, which reads, "Tanner shown working the streets of New York City." I've got funny friends, right? Ha!

Press Round-Up

2008-04-15T12:55:00.000-07:00

Find Your Inner Ugly Betty has been garnering some decent press recently. Here's a quick recap:

April 7: My alma mater, Drake University, ran a story about my book and upcoming press tour of Des Moines in the alumni newsletter, eBlue.

April 14: The Des Moines Register ran a great piece about me and the book.

April 14: My favorite website for scoop on Ugly Betty, Ugly Betty News discuss the details about Find Your Inner Ugly Betty.

Hopefully, there will be lots more to come!

Welcome! Let's Talk About Your Career

2008-04-14T13:23:00.000-07:00

Starting these things is always so awkward, so let me begin by telling you why I'm starting a blog. Basically, it's to try to help promote my new book, Find Your Inner Ugly Betty. Shamless, I know. But seriously, this is going to be a place for me to chat about the book, tips from the book, events around the book, press coverage of the book.

So, basically, all about the book. But this'll also be a place to hear about my musings on career-related issues, random entertainment news that I'm excited about, and what else I'm working on. Don't worry: I won't scrimp on posting links to the stuff I'm doing for EW.com and anything else I've got in the works. Now, I fully expect mean comments from all of you in the comments. And what I have to say to that is: Bring it.