Murtzcellanious: Murtz Jaffer Talks To Apprentice 3\'s Verna Felton

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It was a pleasure talking to Verna Felton from the Apprentice 3. The interview offered a lot of insight into the woman behind the character that we saw on TV.


Murtz Jaffer: Could you tell me a little bit about your background please?

Verna Felton: My professional background is in marketing and communications. Started out early in sales and realized that sales is beyond just selling somebody a product, but it actually is looking at the total package. I started investigating consultative sales. I wanted to work with the customer and find out what their needs are and from there, putting together total solutions. That led me to marketing communications. I initially started out thinking that I was going to go into broadcasting. I was one of those young girls that says that ‘I love being in front of the camera!’ I wanted to get into broadcasting which led me over to MSNBC on the internet. This was eight years ago, and I thought to myself that the internet was going to lead over to NBC cable. From there, I would get my golden spotlight and get to do correspondence and things like that. Then I thought about the behind-the-scenes of communications, beyond broadcasting, there is so much that you can get a voice and express that you can’t necessarily do in front of the camera. I worked at Microsoft, working with our executive team and managers and our employees and really asking ourselves about how are we marketing our products. How are we communicating the value and then being able to spread that word more broadly.

MJ: Do you think that these marketing skills really helped you on the show and was it your experience with broadcasting that prompted you to try out for it?

VF: It was my marketing and communications skills that made me decide to try out for it. I hadn’t watched the show. My brother told me to try out for it. My favorite pastime is boardgames and doing all types of different competitions and going head-to-head with people. What really prompted me to go out and do this was my passion for business and demonstrating my business skill. I have an even stronger passion for competition and to me, this was a way of bringing both of those skills together.

MJ: What was your initial reaction when you found out that the teams were going to be divided by whether or not you had a college degree?

VF: To me, it didn’t really matter. I was just looking to get started. Whether it was going to be divided by men versus women or the way that they eventually went (which is supposedly book smarts versus street smarts), I thought that they no matter how they divided the teams there was some advantage on both sides. You just needed to learn how to take advantage of what your strength was.

MJ: You seemed a little uncomfortable right out of the gate, was there any reason for this?

VF: I seemed uncomfortable out of the gate?!!!

MJ: Maybe it was the editing, but on the first couple of shows, it didn’t seem like you were into it as much as the other people.

VF: In terms of being there and being ready and willing to go forward and do these tasks and compete, I wasn’t uncomfortable. The question about why I was selected, I have been told that I am a very articulate person. I know how to get my point across. There’s a lot of speaking. They only have so much time to air. There’s a lot of things that I express and that I voice my opinion about moreso than just Danny saying ‘unbelievable!’ I think part of that would be how it was interpreted on the show, but I wasn’t uncomfortable at all.

MJ: I am sure that the question that you get asked the most often is ‘how could you quit?’ There are people that would love to get on the show and I am sure that you have heard all the criticism that ‘I’d love to be there’ and ‘she took my spot!’ How would you answer that kind of criticism?

VF: Yeah, I do get that question all the time. But what I get more is people saying ‘Good for you!’ ‘Way to understand what’s right for you and what isn’t and it’s your place to make that decision.’ So that’s what I am hearing more. But let me tell you this, in terms of did I take somebody else’s spot. That’s absolutely ridiculous. If you feel like you have a spot on that show then you need to go out and I believe they extended the deadline for applications til today… you can go out and you can audition and you can earn your own spot. Don’t try to take mine. Within the contract, it states in there that you have a right to quit if you don’t want to go any further. They wouldn’t put that in there if it wasn’t my right to do so.

MJ: Oh it was definitely your right. I am just asking about how you would respond to those people that would say that you took their spot.

VF: My first answer would be, no, I didn’t take your spot. If you want a spot, you have to go earn it. You obviously didn’t earn it ’cause you didn’t get a spot. I got the spot because of my business skills, I got the spot because of my marketing/communications and speaking abilities. I got the spot because the producers liked me and they found something in me. From the beginning, I stood out a lot and I let my opinion be heard. In terms of me quitting and somebody else not quitting, you have no idea whether you would leave the show or not depending on the terms and the circumstances that you were put in. It just so happens, I am not a quitter without reason. To me, every objective and every goal is not satisfied until I go all the way with making sure that it is successful. That’s how I view business. I went into this thinking that it was pure business and I was going to address like I do everyday with my regular job which is go all the way. Do not stop. Do not fail. Make sure that things happen. In a situation that is completely against what you stand for as a person, I would look down to you if you DIDN’T leave that situation!

MJ: That’s interesting. You’re saying it’s all about business, but did it just not mesh with what you thought it was going to be?

VF: Not at all. Going through this and all the interviews and all the tasks, and all of the different stages to make it on… that was about business. That was about proving yourself and that is something that I have done every single day. That is what I was expecting when I got onto the show. I was expecting that this was going to be about business. This is going to be about me proving my business skills over the next person, I have no problem with demonstrating that. When you get into that environment and it’s more about TV and all of the stuff that goes along with producing a show that goes against my own moral value, I am not just going to sit down and say I am going to go ahead and do this.

MJ: Could you give me an example of where it crossed over your moral values?

VF: I can’t because, and I hate to even go there because I can’t really even talk about it because they consider it to be a production secret and you’re not allowed to talk about that as a result of your NDA (non-disclosure agreement).

MJ: In terms of your family, how did they feel when they saw that you quit. I am sure that you couldn’t tell them what happened on the show until it aired. Were they shocked? Surprised?

VF: They absolutely stood up for me and said that’s exactly what you should have done. My family and the people that work with me, they know that. Somebody that I used to work with a long time ago, wrote me an e-mail and said that the Verna that they knew never would have quit so there must have been something that we didn’t see. My family and the people that I have worked with, they know me. They know that when the going gets tough, I do not step away from it. It’s not about pressure, it’s not about stress. It not about something being too much for me to handle. I could care less about things. I go all the way unless there is something that questions who I am as a person and I am not putting up with that.

MJ: Perhaps viewers didn’t get a chance to see that…

VF: Of course not.

MJ: The way that it looked to the layman watching on TV was just that the pressure got to her and she just couldn’t handle it at the hotel and even after that.

VF: Please. Please. I have dealt with pressure and stress. I have had 80-hour work weeks. It has nothing to do with pressure and stress. If you’re in a situation that you want to quit because it’s too hard, I can somewhat understand the criticism. And that’s what they showed on TV. I can’t get mad at people who are upset at me because I quit because of what they saw on TV. I don’t get mad about that. I look at this as entertainment. If you can sit down and watch TV and be entertained by what they’re showing you, then they are doing their job. If you’re going to get all upset about it, then you need to realize that there is a broader story.

MJ: I completely agree. Obviously there is a broader story. There’s no way that somebody who even gets on the show is not used to stress and is not used to pressure. That’s the reason that you got cast is because you can deal with that. There must be more to the story…

VF: Exactly.

MJ: You mentioned quitting on the hotel task but decided to stay. Why was this and what prompted you to stay?

VF: I did not ever say on there that I decided to stay. When I went back to my team, I had a self-realization and it was an inner finding as far as there are things that I needed to appreciate. I was looking at these people as pure competition. The experience that I had gone through and it was when I was at the hotel that I found out things about the show which made me decide that I didn’t want to participate anymore. What I went through when I went back to the team was that each of these people, they’re individuals. They are people with families. They are people that live their own lives. Yet, they are putting on a certain persona to participate in the show. I am not going to hold that against them. That is what I had bee doing and playing that silly little game the whole time. That’s when I realized that I was no longer playing the game anymore. I can embrace these people as humans without looking at them as the people that they are trying to portray on this TV show.

MJ: Erin’s crticism of you was particularly harsh. Why was she so Anti-Verma?

VF That’s a good TV show and that’s drama. I have no hard feelings whatsoever about Erin. I hope that she is doing well. She’s doing what she needs to do to compete in that game. I have no hard feelings against her. That’s just how she felt that she needed to be. The interactions that I had with her (even though we are different people), I could see behind all that. I could see her eyes and I could tell that she’s a good person.

MJ: It’s kind of hard to read Carolyn. While she seems very opinionated in the boardroom, she was a friend to you. What’s the deal? Is she sweet or was that just an act for the cameras?

VF: I think just like any person that participates in a reality TV show, I see Carolyn almost as one of the hosts of the show. Even the host of the show, you only see one side of him. You only see a part of him that the producers want portrayed during that period of time. With Carolyn, there is a larger package that goes with her personality. She is that cold cool shark that you see in the boardroom, but she also is a mother and is a loving and caring person. That side comes across as well.

MJ: What did you think of Michael? He seemed kind of controlling and egotistical, but was very supportive of you when you left the motel task. What is he really like?

VF: When you’re in this environment, you don’t really get to see what these people are as an individual. As far as Michael is concerned, I wish him much luck. I think that he is acting like he think he has to act in order to get the job. If that’s what he feels needs to happen, then good for him on that.

MJ: You also seemed to really click with Danny. Why do you think that you connected with him so well?

VF: I like Danny! He’s one of those people (from the feedback that I am getting), that you either love him or you hate him. He has his own unique style. Just like in any corporate environment, when you have a style that stands out, you’re out there, you’re taking a risk, hopefully your creative ideas will look above and beyond what some people might hold against you.

MJ: Obviously Danny is one of your better friends from the show, do you still talk to anybody…?

VF: Yeah. We exchange e-mails and phone calls and stuff. This is an experience that we all go through as a group and we all keep in touch that way.

MJ: Who is the person that you liked the most, liked the least, would fire next and would ultimately hire?

VF: Who did I like the most? With the amount of time that I was there, it pretty much is an equal playing ground as far as the people. Like Brian and Kristen, they’re showing you certain parts of their personality but they are such sweet people. There is so much that they have to offer in terms of their personality, and their style. I wouldn’t put one person above another. I think that would answer all four of your questions. I really feel that they all have something unique that they are bringing to the table, and I can appreciate qualities that each one of them have to offer.

MJ: What’s next for you, now that the show is over?

VF: Oh, I have been working since I got back to the office! Working hard everyday. It’s just about staying focused and keeping strong. Holding my head up high. I know what I am about. I have no doubts, whatsoever that only good things are going to come to me as a result of this. Once people talk to me, yeah you saw footage that showed me in a certain way, but once people talk to me they say ‘wow, you’re really different than what I expected.’ When people are able to see me in interviews and on live TV, they will see a side of me that is the real Verna. Verna is a strong person. She has a head on her shoulders. She knows what she is talking about and that she is a convicted person. She’s a person with courage and strength and that’s the side of her that we didn’t necessarily see.

MJ: She’s not just a quitter?

VF: Exactly.

Check out VernaFelton.com for more information!

Murtz Jaffer is the world's foremost reality television expert and was the host of Reality Obsessed which aired on the TVTropolis and Global Reality Channels in Canada. He has professional writing experience at the Toronto Sun, National Post, TV Guide Canada, TOROMagazine.com and was a former producer at Entertainment Tonight Canada. He was also the editor at Weekendtrips.com.