All that exposure? (It reaches 80 million homes.) All those shows? (Over 1200 hours annually of original programs on design, remodeling, etc.) All that fame and fortune if you get on the air?

Business by Design this month tunes into one HGTV program –- Designers Challenge -- and shows you how to get on it.

THIS MONTH:
+ The “Stars”
+ The Show
+ Getting on the Show
+ Facing the Camera

THE “STARS”
Meet Darla Blake.

She’s a Toluca Lake, CA. designer who appeared about a year ago on Designers Challenge. Her assignment: to design a child’s bedroom. The outcome: she received nearly 300 emails – and nearly $300,000 in business.

Then there’s Wolfgang Schaber.

He's a Knoxville, TN. designer and drapery specialist chosen to appear on the show to work on the new home of Tina Wesson, the winner of the CBS TV show Survivor II. Schaber’s business has boomed ever since. He traces half of his current clients and income to the show that aired in October, 2001.

There are plenty of other success stories about the more than 300 designers who have appeared on Designers Challenge.

Many have been hired by viewers across the country to do their homes. One received 50 orders for the rose pedal bedside lamp she used on the show for a bedroom makeover. Another was so well received he was invited to host a regular HGTV show.

THE SHOW
Design trade professionals regularly appear on HGTV programs like Design on a Dime and Designing for the Sexes, but Designers Challenge offers them the most opportunities.

"We’re constantly looking for designers to be on the program," says Tara Sandler, an executive at Pietown Productions, the company that produces the show for HGTV.

Each week three designers appear on the show to pitch a proposal to renovate a homeowner’s selected room. The show then features highlights of the room renovation by the designer who is chosen.

"Even the designers who don't get selected get bombarded by calls and emails," Stacy Schneider, the show’s supervising producer, points out. "Designers tell us that appearing on the show revolutionizes their business."

The instant credibility and name recognition that Designer’s Challenge offers come with a price.

Designers don’t get paid for the projects, which range in length from less than 12 weeks for simply decorating a room to more than nine months for creating a new kitchen.

Though the show goes on the road periodically(2003 locations include Tampa, Baltimore, Detroit and Phoenix), it’s usually produced in Los Angeles. That means that designers from elsewhere are responsible for roundtrip transportation and accommodations in the city.

Participants see it as an investment in their future.

"You give away lots of time," admits Heidi Toll, a Southern California designer who has appeared twice on the show with her partner, Velvet Hammerschmidt. "But we’ve gotten six major projects from it. And it’s a great way to get before and after shots."

GETTING ON THE SHOW
Feel like you’re up to the Designers Challenge?

You can get on the show by sending an e-mail with your fax and phone numbers to designers_challenge @ pietown.tv. The producers will then contact you seeking information about your background and the kinds of projects that you are interested in.

"We look for designers who are experienced, have a good portfolio and who we think will be good on TV," Pietown’s Sandler says.

If you're chosen, the producers find a project they think would interest you, and then call you with information about it. Then you decide if you want to take it on.

FACING THE CAMERA
OK, maybe an appearance on HGTV isn't on your agenda. But a local TV interview may be.

Some things to consider before the cameras roll:

+ Dress the part. Medium shades of gray, blues and browns look best on screen. Avoid wearing anything too dark or too light.
+ Keep it simple. Avoid fancy words and designer jargon.
+ Keep it brief. Speak succinctly and stay to the point.
+ Be honest. If you don’t know the answer to a question, say so.
+ Use humor. It breaks the ice -- and captures your audience's attention.
+ Get personal. Stories and anecdotes help get across your ideas.
+ The eyes have it. Focus yours on the person asking the questions.
+ Loosen up. Gestures, facial expressions, vocal variety and body language add pizzazz to your presentation.