Above: Lauren Bacall:
Above: Lauren Bacall: “This is my primetime.” Left: Allison Ochmanek and Lauren Bacall – obviously not in game attire. detroit’s brand ambassador Lauren Bacall shines on Fox Sports By Crystal Kassab Jabiro Lauren Bacall proves that honesty can get you very far in a job interview. Just ask her boss. While auditioning to work for a major sports syndicate, she told him that she did not know much about sports. He hired her anyway. While Detroit made news in the national sports arena this past fall, Bacall could be seen and heard everywhere sparking up the action with her commentaries, live tweets and video blogs. She is a Fox Sports Detroit Girl, one of two brand ambassadors to the franchise that is everything sports. Bacall and her partner, Allison Ochmanek, attend home games and other local events to rev up the spirit of sports in the city. The two were the first representatives of the local Fox affiliate, and five regions have now duplicated Detroit’s success based on the solid foundation the women have laid. “From the moment we interviewed and met with her, we knew she would be an ideal connector with the loyal sports fans in Detroit,” said Greg Hammaren, general manager of Fox Sports Detroit, of Bacall. “She brings a vibrancy and energy that the fans have grown to adore.” Before her Fox Sports Detroit gig, Bacall modeled, Lauren’s Favorites Restaurant | Pegasus Downtown Detroit Sports Arena | Comerica Park Local Charity | Adopt-a-Refugee-Family Detroit Native | Eminem Starbucks Coffee | Two-pump Skinny Vanilla Latte mostly for the auto industry. A couple of years ago, she traveled with the North American Auto Show to introduce the Chrysler concepts to car buffs. She also acted locally, working as a featured extra alongside Patrick Dempsey and Shia Lebeouf in Transformers 3, and most recently with Hugh Jackman in Real Steel. Though she has always loved the entertainment industry, Bacall, 27, contends she would never leave Detroit unless she got an undeniable opportunity. “This is my prime time and I should take advantage of it,” said Bacall, who graduated from Oakland University with a BA in Communications. “But I can’t leave my family. They are my No. 1 fans. And I don’t want to leave my city. I’m content with what I can do in Detroit.” The Fox Detroit Sports Girls Facebook page boasts nearly 20,000 fans, and the women really do try to read and respond to every single commentary. After all, if it was not for the sports lovers, they would not be where they are today. “Our fans are so supportive,” said Bacall, a West Bloomfield resident. “We’re not sports broadcasters, but brand ambassadors for Detroit. We’re here to connect with them and keep the energy going in Detroit.” Detroit fans are truly special because of their loyalty to sports, and in Detroit there is no running away from it, Bacall said. Even the college teams are big. The Sports Girls can be seen lightheartedly touting their favorites — Bacall as a Wolverine and Ochmanek as a Spartan. It is not only their presence on TV that has catapulted them into Fox Sports success, but also their social media power. They are constantly updating their Facebook page and Twitter account and can occasionally be seen on the Fox Sports website with live commentaries and interactions with fans. “It’s how we connect. People want to know we’re real — and we are,” Bacall said. “We’re just like them!” The job is certainly not about looking pretty for the cameras and sitting behind a name on a Twitter account. When Fox Sports is taping, Bacall works 12 hours a day. For game days, she has to educate herself about the players, the opposing teams, their records and up-to-date sports news. The job requires constant learning. “I used to enjoy going to games because I had to — it’s Detroit,” she said. “But now I appreciate it on another level.” Follow the Detroit Sports Girls on FoxSportsDetroit. com, twitter.com/FSDetroit_Girls and on Facebook. 38 CHALDEAN NEWS NOVEMBER 2011
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