Once upon a time, Brit Debbie Travis modeled with celebrity supermodel Gail Elliott. Today, long-term expat Debbie Travis is a household name in Canada, famous for producing and hosting three successful lifestyle television series (Debbie Travis' Facelift, Debbie Travis' Painted House and From The Ground Up with Debbie Travis) that now show worldwide.
Debbie's energy seems endless. She has written nine books, she writes a syndicated newspaper column and she executive produces a variety of other television shows on real estate, cooking, renovations and more. She also owns two television production companies and a self-named branding studio that produces a line of over 1,500 products sold exclusively at Canadian Tire, the biggest retailer in Canada.
Debbie lives with her husband, Hans Rosenstein, and their two sons in Montreal, Quebec, Canada and in Tuscany, Italy.
Expat Women's Interview With Debbie
Expat Women: Debbie, you are a truly inspirational expat success story. Walk us through the journey of how a UK model transformed herself into a paint expert with a television and retail empire in Canada.
Debbie: My story surprises even me. Nothing was planned or anticipated. The core of my success, I think, evolves from my upbringing in the North of England. I am the eldest child of a large family that was always noisy and busy.I guess I craved attention, but life was pretty tough for my mother. I was 12 years old when she was widowed at 33. She relied a great deal on me for help with the younger children and by the time I was into my teens I was desperate to be independent so I set off for London at the young age of 17, like so many other northern girls.I began modeling and in fact my first interview with the agency is where I met Gail Elliott. She later went to New York and became a supermodel, whereas I worked for about seven years modeling for catalogues and young magazines.
I did get to travel, though, and like Gail was one of the first girls shipped off to Tokyo for six months. That experience was the highlight of my early years. The independence and confidence it gave me was immeasurable. I also made a huge amount of money and was able to buy my first flat when I returned to London.I lived in all the main cities in Europe doing print work and commercials but it was the casting calls in London that I think gave me the confidence and strength that I have today.Anyone who stands in a bikini in front of a bunch of advertising guys after they have had a boozy lunch develops the backbone to take on the world.
Television Production
My favorite part of modeling was the television commercials I was in, not because of my so called 'glamorous' role but I was intrigued and fascinated by the women behind the scenes. I remember once standing on the set watching a chic, older woman of at least 27, waving her yellow clip board around and shouting out instructions. I thought, 'Oh how I would like a clip board.'I began to hang around the pubs in Soho in London to try and get a foot in the door of some of the film editing houses. Eventually I was hired on the Julio Iglesias music video and from there worked my way through many different roles, all pretty low down, in the TV business.
At 27, I started my own tiny TV production company and was working on a series about self-made millionaires and took my idea to The Cannes Film Festival where I, on the very first day, met the cutest guy, like you do, and married him a few weeks later. He was a German living in Canada and off I popped across the pond to start a new life with him in Montreal. Then the proverbial 'poop' hit the fan.It was lonely, very cold and I could not speak French and therefore had no chance of working in the TV business here.
Home Decorating
At the time a new home decorating trend in the UK had exploded. It was paint finishes.Everyone was ragging and marbleizing, stone blocking and sponging their walls.This renewed ancient art form was interesting because it enabled the amateur homeowner to play around with their own decor without fancy expensive designers. This was in the early 90's. There were no decorating shows, never mind entire channels or magazines and home shows that we have today.People went mad in the UK. There was barely a wall untouched. It was relatively unheard of in North America. I followed the trend and transformed every room in my new home and soon I was being asked by my new Canadian friends to bring my "talent" intotheir homes.Within months I had a flourishing paint finishing and design business. I painted restaurants, homes, synagogues and hotels. I lugged paint cans and ladders up and down the highways.The kids were babies and I often had them tucked in among the wallpaper books and boxes of brushes and heaven knows what the paint fumes did to them!
This was also the time of the how-to video and one day after being asked yet again how I created these techniques I thought 'well, why don't I produce my own how-to video' and demonstrate to everyone how they can transform their own home. With the smallest budget, laughable today, I managed to film Decorative Paint Finishes Made Easy. It was a runaway success. Sold through gift stores and even The Home Shopping Network, I sold hundreds of thousands and eventually produced a whole series. The notoriety of these videos secured me publicity across Canada and soon I was being interviewed on American chat shows. Go figure. It was also the beginning of the cable and specialty channels and I guess it was inevitable that I would be approached about turning this video into a television show.
I pitched a few ideas and all were rejected until one of the newest networks with nothing to lose commissioned 13 episodes of what was to become the Painted House. I had an initial budget of $10,000 but something hit a core with this new kind of audience. The show aired and viewers grew every week.The show was then distributed at the same festival in Cannes that I had met my husband and it sold around the world. We were now in business and I filmed this first series for seven years, followed by the hugely successful Facelift and then my first network show From The Ground Up.
Business Expansion
In the meantime, our production company grew and we opened a second branch in Toronto.We now produce lifestyle programming for the American and Canadian networks. Our shows are glossy and have a particular look and edge to them. We specialize in everything from cooking shows for the Food Network, fashion for the Style Network and property and renovation for HGTV. We have an amazing team of young people who grow through the ranks. I am most proud that some of my producers and editors have been with me for over 10 years, an accomplishment in this cut-throat business.
My shows have spawned a series of books, a syndicated, weekly newspaper column across North America and my home product line which has reached 1,500 items from paint to furniture, table top to flooring.I have a team at my branding studio who develop this growing brand and who inspire me daily.
Tuscan Getaways
I have a thrilling new project that has come out of my years of speaking to crowds of women. I have two passions: (1) working with women; and (2) Italy. Last year I put the two together and have started the Debbie Travis Tuscan Getaways. I take 12-14 women from all walks of life and ages for a week of inspirational forums held at a beautiful villa under the Tuscan sun. We drink local wine, eat amazing food and have the best massages ever. We spend the week sharing stories and brainstorming ideas. They discover my hidden back roads of this gorgeous area, meet celebrities who have homes there and interesting expats who have followed their dreams and started businesses and a new life in this foreign land. We even have a holistic doctor who spends time with each woman. There is yoga, hiking and biking or you can just lie by the pool and relax with a glass of chilled Prosecco.It has been a life-changing adventure for everyone who has been so far, but especially for me.
Expat Women: Along the way, which hurdles have been the toughest and how have you overcome them?
Debbie:The first challenges thrown at me are not unusual for anyone starting their own venture - the doubters and naysayers. If you believe in your idea or your product you have to be bullish and just forge forward. I use everyone I know to bounce ideas off them. When I started my idea for the Tuscan Getaway, several people laughed at me and said I was mad. Of course, they were the first ones who wanted to come. But the reaction from most was invigorating and we have had several retreats now and all have been a massive success.
The biggest hurdle of all, however, is juggling home and career. I wrote my book Not Guilty about my journey growing the business and trying to raise a family at the same time. I was on a book tour last year and it was wonderful to be able to get the message across to so many women out there that they are not alone. My two boys are my pride and joy but I think that all women have terrible guilt when we are in the thick of it that we are not the perfect mother.
Expat Women:Which professional achievements are you the most proud?
Debbie: I am extremely proud of being one of the pioneers of producing good quality cable television. When I first began there was an enormous gap between network television and the specialty cable networks. Cable has grown and grown due to the shows just getting better and hitting the right audience.
I am also proud of the design work that I do that inspires the ordinary person at home to just have a go. Home Design was an extremely elitist and snooty business when I began and I think I was one of several who helped make it fun and to turn renovation into a hobby rather than a chore.
Expat Women:What was it like being on the Oprah show and what after-effect did your guest appearance have for your businesses?
Debbie:
Oh, wow. I was lucky enough to be on the Oprah Show several times but it was the first visit that was so thrilling. Like having your first baby, it is something you just never forget. From the first call from 'her people' to the trip to Chicago, meeting her team and then eventually sitting next to her on those oh-so-famous chairs. I am not a nervous person but at one point my knees were shaking so much she clamped them together with her hands. She really is a remarkable person, someone who inspires us all. I think if she had been around centuries ago she would have become a saint.
Business wise, it was fantastic. My decorating book at the time shot up to about number 5 on Amazon and I think I outsold Harry Potter for a few minutes. But you know if my career had stopped afterwards it would not have mattered. It was a privilege and I liked her. She is someone you would love to just have a cup of tea with. She is very real.
Expat Women: What tips or advice would you give to someone who has a bright idea for a new television series?
Debbie: First and foremost, you must protect your idea. Put it down on paper and ask production companies or the network to sign off on it before they even look at it. There are few original ideas around and it will be stolen unless you secure it. It has happened to us all. The best route is to take it into a production company that actually produces the type of programming you are working on. If they think it has possibilities they will work with you to develop a concept and then help you pitch it to the right television network.
ExpatWomen: Finally, please share with us more about your role as an official spokesperson for The CURE Foundation and your fundraising hike in Peru, which raised nearly a million dollars for The Arthritis Society.
Debbie: I am now in the third year as the spokesperson for The CURE Foundation for Breast Cancer. The national charity is sponsored by the infamous company, Aldo shoes. We create a print, radio and TV commercial campaign and enormous billboards that go across the country to get the message across. We raise funds in a very simple way that is easy for everyone to do, via National Denim Day, which is held here on the Tuesday after Mothers' Day in May of each year. Everyone wears denim for the day, wears a pink ribbon and gives a suggested donation of at least $5. Simple, but successful.
I also love the British charity treks, which are slowly becoming a new way to raise funds for charities. The way they work is the charity organizes a trek in a third world country. You raise a minimum of about $5,000, which goes to getting you there and once you arrive it is relatively cheap to house and feed everyone. About 75% of the funds go to the actual charity. You have about six months to raise the money and the charities give you ideas on how to do this. You get an amazing adventure out of it and the charity gets the funds. It is much more fun than a charity ball. I walked across Vietnam several years ago with 50 Brits for colon cancer. We slept in tents and had elephants as Sherpas. A trip of a lifetime and you are doing something wonderful. Then two years ago I lead a team of 100 to Machu Picchu, again, camping and hiking. It was tough, but a real achievement for us all.
Expat Women: Debbie, you are one incredible expat woman and we wish you all the very best with your current and future (ad)ventures!
