Jared Orlin aka Gossip Guy has been writing about celebrities since 2004. As the former sub-editor of People magazine and entertainment editor of YOU magazine he's become something of a celebrity expert, a passion he translated into his blog www.gossipguy.co.za. He recently made the move out of print media (although he still freelances when he gets the time) into PR (he's the PR Specialist of the major national radio station, 5FM.)
Follow Jared on Twitter: @The_Gossip_Guy
On a personal note:
Jared is a dear friend of mine who has been an incredible support along my journey as both a blogger and within the social media sphere. Some of the best advice and kicks in the butt have come from this dear soul. Beyond that, so have some of my greatest introductions and I will always be eternally grateful for his faith in me and instilling the important rule of always demanding a stage to stand on when addressing a crowd.
Here is Jared's project me story:
What is your definition of happiness?
It?s the feeling of goals attained, of being successful in what you do. It?s the company of close friends ? quality time is so important in our fast-paced world. It?s flirting with a complete stranger and them flirting back. It?s spontaneous hugs. It?s a book you can get lost in. Lots of little things add up to creating that happy feeling.
If you could have everyone say one thing to themselves every day, what would it be?
?You are loved?. I think everyone on this planet suffers to some degree or another from a lack of self love. We disrespect ourselves all too easily and often let others disrespect us too. I?m guilty of it myself. I am utterly convinced that we are all here to learn, grow and experience and that one of humanity?s biggest lessons is to love unconditionally. There?s too much of love?s opposite ? hate ? out there. Like I?m forever saying ?make love, not war?.
We all need someone to believe in us. Who is that person for you and why?
My grandmother and my late great grandmother. I was lucky enough to know and be very close to my great gran and she was fond of telling me ?The sky?s the limit?. I remember this! My grandmother is an amazing woman. We are very close and she?s my #1 champion. She always tunes in to my radio show and whenever I?m being interviewed on TV or radio she makes a plan to watch or listen. That support is amazing and I?m grateful for it.
What quality do you believe we can never be taught because it is our birth right?
How to juggle?kidding! Be serious here Jared. I think we?re all born with big hearts that we should wear on our sleeves . I think society socialises us into holding emotions back because hey, we don?t want to be seen as rocking the boat or being different. Also, I think babies are born with a keen emotional intuition that we lose a bit of as adults. When you?re upset, they pick that up. The reverse is true too, which is why babies smile back when you smile at them. I think we?re all a bit psychic; we just often don?t trust our gut instincts, our 6th sense. But your intuition is the most important thing you should listen to ? much more important than listening to your partner J
Describe the moment when you realised that you could achieve anything?
If I had truly reached that moment I think I?d be Ghandi, or Buddha or [insert name of other enlightened souls here]. Believing something, thinking it and knowing it are not, alas, the same thing. I believe we can achieve our goals. Within limits of course. Turning water into wine is probably out of the limits of my capabilities no matter how intently I stare at that glass?.but I do believe we have the ability to shape our destinies. I believe that we are the creators of our journeys here on earth. Which is why I have a vision board and on it I put my goals, dreams and aspirations. I believe in writing down my goals, putting a plan into concrete action. If you sit back and bemoan your lack of success, money, a romantic partner etc, the Universe will just keep giving you more of that lack. Celebrate what you have and write down and visualise what you?d like.?
What have you always dreamed of being or doing and have you reached that dream?
Mmmmmmmm, I suppose I have and don?t always realise it. Thanks for reminding me that about two or three years ago I got a taste of radio when I was interviewed by Jeremy Mansfield and Sam Cowen on 94.7 Highveld Stereo?s morning show. I was nervous as all hell but I loved it. The experience left me feeling that radio is my future (at that point I was working for a weekly magazine) and my gut was screaming ?go for it?. Well, I?m now doing PR for one of the biggest radio stations in the country and have my own show, called The A-List with Jared Orlin on another station. Dreamed it! Living it! And yes, there has been a picture of a radio microphone on my vision board for some time now. It?s still there. No point in taking it down as my radio journey is far from over!
When life gets in the way, what do you always remind yourself of?
Well it?s a bit of a clich? but I remind myself that everything happens for a reason. Like I said earlier I believe we?re here to learn and you learn via experience. The biggest learning curves are those experiences we choose to call ?bad? or ?negative? like being hijacked or if a sale falls through. But how often do we stop and ask ourselves ?What did I gain from this experience? What have I learnt from it?? We?re often so busy having a pity party that we don?t see silver linings. They?re there. I?ll give you an example. When a now-ex dumped me unexpectedly there were plenty lessons I learned: I learned what I am prepared to put up with in a relationship. I learned that it?s okay to speak my mind. I learned what true intimacy feels like. And I learnt how amazing my friends are when I need them there.
We all have something unique to offer the world, what is yours?
To be honest I hate this question. I?m not convinced I?m offering the world anything but there?s a little Jodene angel on my shoulder going ?Yes you do? so I?ll tell you what someone said to me recently: ?you don?t realise how many people respect your work and the way you approach the celebrity scene with such integrity.? I am paraphrasing here but the gist of this mini wake-up call was that I might be The Gossip Guy but I?m also spiritual and I believe in chakras, energy fields, intuition etc. Many people think the two are mutually exclusive ? what could possibly be spiritual about gossip? It?s all in HOW you talk about celebrities. If you choose to ne negative and cut people down, that?s your indaba, but I maintain a sense of (non-bitchy) humour plus the ability to see the ?they?re-just-humans-too? side of celebrity makes all the difference. Plus I love what I do. That?s pretty spiritual don?t you think? Living a passion, when so many people out there don?t, is proof of that.
How do you deal with the fears that could potentially hold you back?
Sometimes you just have to plunder forward. Just do it! Ask yourself ?What?s the worst that could happen??. Think about it. So you maybe made a fool of yourself but did anyone die? Are you in permanent physical pain? Did you lose a limb? If not, well then have a little giggle at yourself and choose ? yes choose ? to move on. Because moving on is just that ? a choice. You can stay and wallow. That?s your choice. You can also get up, get going and move on. Also your choice. It?s up to you. And if all else fails I remind myself that what happens could make for an interesting blogpost or Tweet.
What do you believe we have lost sight of in the world as a whole?
Loving each other. We focus too much on what we can get out of people. It?s all money, money, money, greed, greed, greed. Fine and dandy to have that mansion but does it make your soul sing with joy? The relentless pursuit of financial wealth worries me. Remember, it costs money to maintain money. You think it?s cheap being a millionaire? Wrong! You?ve got to work extra super hard to maintain that lifestyle. So what?s the point of being wealthy if you just have to work harder and can?t enjoy it?
A personal note from Jared about his support for Hospice:
This blog post is in honour of Hospice, who were beyond incredible when my grandfather was ill a few years ago. They do amazing work and allow the terminally ill to pass on in dignity.
Hospice's mission statement:
To Promote quality in life, dignity in death and support in bereavement for all living with a life-threatening illness by supporting member hospices and partner organisations.
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