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While working on TLC’s "A Wedding Story," Alicia Nathanson decided every woman should get the chance to have her story told. After a hiatus from the show, Nathanson resolved she was the woman to do it and launched her own production company specializing in custom wedding documentaries. There was just one thing missing — a name.
Walking around her Queen Village neighborhood last spring, the 34-year-old happened upon several cherry trees coming into bloom.
"You can kind of equate that to a new relationship," she said of the flower that inspired her company’s moniker. "It almost seemed like it made so much sense to name it something like that."
Last month, Blossom Productions officially launched after what could be described as one very diverse career.
A lifelong native of the Philadelphia area — with the exception of seven years in the Big Apple and on the West Coast — Nathanson started her professional life in New York City as a producer for "The Howard Stern Show" on E! Entertainment Television. More than a decade later, the resident of Fifth and Catharine Streets is still in the world of production, but it couldn’t be more different from her former occupation.
Starting her own business after working for basic cable outlets like E!, TLC and the Discovery Channel, Nathanson said she did so "very thoughtfully." Although anyone who’s ever caught "A Wedding Story" — of which Nathanson was a producer — would agree the move was natural.
"I love dealing with couples in love. I’m really able to identify with them," she said. "I’m kind of captivated by people’s love and respect and admiration and it coming through in video is absolutely essential with me."
Still, moving from the raunchy antics of Stern to blissful "I do’s" is quite the contrast, but not one Nathanson had trouble with. "I’m a pretty versatile person," she said. "I’m really able to blend into any kind of production environment and I think that comes down to me being a people person. Yes, Howard appeals to a certain type of audience, I know that. I know the audience I’m working for now and it’s certainly on such different ends of the spectrum. That’s just the nature of production — being able to work with anybody comfortably."
Graduating with a degree in arts and communications from Muhlenberg College in 1995, Nathanson moved to New York to start her career. She contacted a former sorority sister, who helped her get her foot in the door at E!, where Nathanson started in advertising sales. After awhile she asked to move into production, but all that was open in New York was Stern’s show. Nathanson took the job supervising interns, coordinating associate producers and going on odd errands like buying lingerie for Stern’s guests, who were often models.
After five years, Nathanson packed up and moved to L.A. to continue a whirlwind career for E! that afforded her the opportunity to interview A-listers like Julianne Moore and Cate Blanchett or to travel for the show "Wild On …"
"There’s a special care and handling and understanding in dealing with these types of people," she said of Hollywood personalities, adding she was always treated with respect by celebrities and many, like Tim Burton and George Clooney, were very down-to-earth. "I’ve taken that experience and translated it over to dealing with couples — understanding the sensitivity and care that goes into their [wedding] weekend."
Nathanson meets with couples before the big day to get a better idea of what kind of people they are and what will work best for their video’s details, like music, locations and theme — with footage coming in at an average of eight hours before editing — and also lets them meet the woman behind the camera. The encounter creates the intimacy needed to chronicle such personal moments.
Similar to the format of the 30-minute "Wedding Story," Nathanson likes to capture couples pre-ceremony in an environment unique to them — where the proposal took place, a frequent spot they visit or where they take part in some activity — to get the history of their relationship. A portion of this footage is in one section of the video, and some of the dialogue is used throughout, to create a flow of storytelling. And Nathanson is careful to keep her presence unknown.
Cameras are alongside the bride and groom throughout their rehearsal, rehearsal dinner and the day-of, from lacing up the dress and buttoning the tuxedos to the cake-cutting and last dance. She’s always equipped with at least two cameras to get multiple angles of every moment, and works with a small crew — varying in size depending on the affair — that helps to shoot as she directs.
Afterwards, Nathanson takes the footage to her Queen Village home office and begins editing, taking the video down to about two hours for the DVD. Turnaround time varies, but it usually takes several weeks only because Nathanson strives for perfection.
"I’m weaving a story; it’s not just a bunch of pretty images from the wedding set to music," she said. "I look at it as a story arc with a beginning, middle and end."
Nathanson said working for herself — a decision she made to devote more time to her growing family with Gabe, her husband of five years — has its perks. "In some ways it has almost been easier," she said. "At the end of the day, I am making all the decisions. Even though ‘A Wedding Story’ was only a half-hour, there were many people who had a say in how it was produced. Now, I have everything in front of me, and I know the couples so well, I can make more efficient, creative decisions."
Before the official launch, Nathanson worked with some couples who live in Philly and beyond, many who heard about her company through word-of-mouth. One had a long-distance relationship, splitting their time between Massachusetts and New York, places Nathanson traveled to for their filming.
No South Philly couples have approached her yet, but Nathanson is eager to work with local folks. "There’s so much pride in South Philly, such a sense of community," she said. "It would be a great audience and demographic to work for."
No matter where the weddings take her, Nathanson’s bubbly persona and determination to create something that will become an heirloom shines through.
"One might ask, ‘How is that possible?’" she said of her love of working with weddings. "Every wedding is different. Every couple is different, unique and special in their own way. If I look at it that way, I just don’t get sick of it."
