Erika Somerfeld
- Additional Crew
Erika Somerfeld's personal passion for the beauty industry and interest in cable television and movies lead to her brainstorm for THE BEAUTY CHANNEL in 1994. She utilized her local cable company to inexpensively produce a pilot, and once completed, this demo would show the vision she had for the network. Erika Somerfeld graduated Cum Laude from The University of Southern California with a BA in English. She served as the Public Relations Chair of the University Senate for two years, creating promotions and highlighting women's issues in the Los Angeles community. Erika studied Liberal Arts at Boston University, where she was chosen as the Dean's Host. She was accepted to a pre-college curriculum at Harvard University, attended The Institute for Public Relations at New York University and studied computer graphics at the American College in London. She recently graduated from USC's Fast Trac II business program.
Erika's early love of the cosmetics world prompted her to seek employment with Estee Lauders' Prescriptives Cosmetics, obtaining highest annual sales for the Western division. Erika began her writing career soon after, penning KNX Newsradio's "Drama Hour" synopses for The Los Angeles Times. She was soon promoted to Research Director at sister company CBS-TV. While working as a writer's assistant on Paramount's animated series, "Duckman," she wrote a female-action script "Running on Faith," which later drew the attention of Canadian director Lloyd Simandl. He asked Somerfeld to write "Heaven's Tears," a pre-war love story set in Europe, which was filmed in Prague in 1995 and sold internationally.
After working as an independent publicist, Ms. Somerfeld became the Director of Publicity for the Corporate division of the famous "Improvisation Comedy Club." She designed their corporate logo, and placed comics like Tim Allen in corporate-show settings. Furthering her knowledge of the entertainment business, Erika worked as a sales agent for international film and television distribution, escorting clients to film festivals in Los Angeles, Cannes and Milan. She was soon invited to Tokyo to research the television and video markets, and it was here where she began to see the demand for beauty programming.
This eclectic background helped inspire THE BEAUTY CHANNEL and the pilot for the channel's first show, Belle-TV. Belle-TV is a fast-paced "woman's magazine on television," which Somerfeld wrote and produced for national public television. The colorful segments drew the support of companies such as Clinique, ESPRIT, The Body Shop, Turner Pictures, Vogue, Bazaar, Cosmopolitan, New Woman, SELF, Mademoiselle and Glamour magazines. While writing and producing a sponsored radio show for Cable Radio Network, Erika was asked by Conde Nast Publishing to create a radio vehicle for Allure magazine. The result was "The Beauty Channel Minute," hosted by supermodel Carol Alt. This radio project lead to the television syndication deal for the innovative one-minute show, now acting as the network's launch project. The Beauty Channel Minute will act as an entertainment segment on local news stations across the country. In an effort to market the "Beauty Channel" name, Somerfeld also produces annual "Days of Beauty" for cancer patients, combining complimentary pampering with corporate donations from companies such as: AVON, Polygram Records, ORLY, Hallmark and Barneys New York among others. Along with beauty, her interest in motion pictures allowed her to segue into theatrical and DVD publicity for top movie studios such as Paramount and Universal.
Erika Somerfeld has been a guest on Fox News, Money Radio AM1600, Orange County News and KOCE, while the channel has been covered in Multi Channel News, Cablevision, DCI, Broadcasting & Cable, The Hollywood Reporter, and many other well known publications. In May 2000 Erika and The Beauty Channel will be interviewed on television by Los Angeles ABC news and Sacramento UPN News in their "Cyber" segments. Erika's original monthly BeautiFAX- while sent to the top one hundred magazine beauty editors in the country- is also published monthly in Female FYI magazine in Los Angeles, where Erika serves as the beauty editor. She recently produced two, thirty-second promos for a shopping channel on location in Bologna, Italy and at The Cannes Film Festival in 1998. She produced a "Beauty Bus" for at-risk women with the Alterna hair company and celebrity stylist Cristophe in 1999. Erika is the WEB editor of The Beauty Industry Report and is the exclusive American representative for Japan's YUKO Hair Straightening System. Erika recently made a deal to be the "Cyberbabe" for UPN Sacramento news, offering Hollywood bytes via webcam from Los Angeles. Erika is a member of Cosmetic Executive Women, Women in Film and The Humane Society.
Beauty Channel founder Erika Somerfeld has been busy co-producing and hosting on-air segments on Los Angeles television. Most recently, a story on KCBS FOR SURVIVOR: AMAZON, THE PRE-SHOW. Client YUKO SYSTEM was recently seen on KCOP-TV. Some clients involved in her company have included Prescriptives, Fudge Hair, SALLY Beauty, Paramount Pictures, and Universal Home Video. She has co-produced and hosted on-air segments on KCBS, KTTV, KTLA and KCOP. She also wrote "The Beauty Channel Minute" for radio. Somerfeld has produced promos for a national shopping channel on location in Europe, and, in an effort to market the "Beauty Channel" name, designed annual "Days of Beauty" for cancer patients, combining pampering with corporate donations. The company's new website, beauty-channel, hosts celebrity Q&A's, beauty recipes, ethic beauty and free monthly giveaways. The site receives over 50,000 users a month. Erika has written for OK!, STAR, Beverly Hills Times, Women's Health & Fitness, Femme Fatales and Ms. Fitness magazines.
Erika's early love of the cosmetics world prompted her to seek employment with Estee Lauders' Prescriptives Cosmetics, obtaining highest annual sales for the Western division. Erika began her writing career soon after, penning KNX Newsradio's "Drama Hour" synopses for The Los Angeles Times. She was soon promoted to Research Director at sister company CBS-TV. While working as a writer's assistant on Paramount's animated series, "Duckman," she wrote a female-action script "Running on Faith," which later drew the attention of Canadian director Lloyd Simandl. He asked Somerfeld to write "Heaven's Tears," a pre-war love story set in Europe, which was filmed in Prague in 1995 and sold internationally.
After working as an independent publicist, Ms. Somerfeld became the Director of Publicity for the Corporate division of the famous "Improvisation Comedy Club." She designed their corporate logo, and placed comics like Tim Allen in corporate-show settings. Furthering her knowledge of the entertainment business, Erika worked as a sales agent for international film and television distribution, escorting clients to film festivals in Los Angeles, Cannes and Milan. She was soon invited to Tokyo to research the television and video markets, and it was here where she began to see the demand for beauty programming.
This eclectic background helped inspire THE BEAUTY CHANNEL and the pilot for the channel's first show, Belle-TV. Belle-TV is a fast-paced "woman's magazine on television," which Somerfeld wrote and produced for national public television. The colorful segments drew the support of companies such as Clinique, ESPRIT, The Body Shop, Turner Pictures, Vogue, Bazaar, Cosmopolitan, New Woman, SELF, Mademoiselle and Glamour magazines. While writing and producing a sponsored radio show for Cable Radio Network, Erika was asked by Conde Nast Publishing to create a radio vehicle for Allure magazine. The result was "The Beauty Channel Minute," hosted by supermodel Carol Alt. This radio project lead to the television syndication deal for the innovative one-minute show, now acting as the network's launch project. The Beauty Channel Minute will act as an entertainment segment on local news stations across the country. In an effort to market the "Beauty Channel" name, Somerfeld also produces annual "Days of Beauty" for cancer patients, combining complimentary pampering with corporate donations from companies such as: AVON, Polygram Records, ORLY, Hallmark and Barneys New York among others. Along with beauty, her interest in motion pictures allowed her to segue into theatrical and DVD publicity for top movie studios such as Paramount and Universal.
Erika Somerfeld has been a guest on Fox News, Money Radio AM1600, Orange County News and KOCE, while the channel has been covered in Multi Channel News, Cablevision, DCI, Broadcasting & Cable, The Hollywood Reporter, and many other well known publications. In May 2000 Erika and The Beauty Channel will be interviewed on television by Los Angeles ABC news and Sacramento UPN News in their "Cyber" segments. Erika's original monthly BeautiFAX- while sent to the top one hundred magazine beauty editors in the country- is also published monthly in Female FYI magazine in Los Angeles, where Erika serves as the beauty editor. She recently produced two, thirty-second promos for a shopping channel on location in Bologna, Italy and at The Cannes Film Festival in 1998. She produced a "Beauty Bus" for at-risk women with the Alterna hair company and celebrity stylist Cristophe in 1999. Erika is the WEB editor of The Beauty Industry Report and is the exclusive American representative for Japan's YUKO Hair Straightening System. Erika recently made a deal to be the "Cyberbabe" for UPN Sacramento news, offering Hollywood bytes via webcam from Los Angeles. Erika is a member of Cosmetic Executive Women, Women in Film and The Humane Society.
Beauty Channel founder Erika Somerfeld has been busy co-producing and hosting on-air segments on Los Angeles television. Most recently, a story on KCBS FOR SURVIVOR: AMAZON, THE PRE-SHOW. Client YUKO SYSTEM was recently seen on KCOP-TV. Some clients involved in her company have included Prescriptives, Fudge Hair, SALLY Beauty, Paramount Pictures, and Universal Home Video. She has co-produced and hosted on-air segments on KCBS, KTTV, KTLA and KCOP. She also wrote "The Beauty Channel Minute" for radio. Somerfeld has produced promos for a national shopping channel on location in Europe, and, in an effort to market the "Beauty Channel" name, designed annual "Days of Beauty" for cancer patients, combining pampering with corporate donations. The company's new website, beauty-channel, hosts celebrity Q&A's, beauty recipes, ethic beauty and free monthly giveaways. The site receives over 50,000 users a month. Erika has written for OK!, STAR, Beverly Hills Times, Women's Health & Fitness, Femme Fatales and Ms. Fitness magazines.