We were at the BET Awards last night and can give you a special peek behind the scenes!
2018-06-25 07:17
Graye Morkel
Nandi Madida (Photo: Channel24)
Los Angeles - Channel24 attended the 2018 BET Awards at the Microsoft Theater in Los Angeles on Monday, and spotted Amber Rose, Boris Kodjoe and the cast from Being Mary Jane - Just to name a few!
Even though the celebs only walked the red carpet for an hour, preparation for the grande affair started much, much earlier.
The media arrived around mid-morning to be escorted to their designated spots and to set up their stations.
The media was then lined up behind a barricade and each allocated a small space marked with our names. The space was really, really small and it got real crowded, real quick.
The celebs then make their way down the line and stop to chat to the media, or pose for a photo. This makes sure that the red carpet runs smoothly.
And, it's not as glamorous as you might think. We spent about 3 hours on our feet in the scorching heat, and after the first hour most of the journalists - including myself - had either swapped our heels for flip-flops or forwent shoes all together. (Luckily we were behind a barricade, so no one can really see).
There was a lot of waiting and standing around, as the celebs trickled in one-by-one and sometimes 20 minutes went by with no one on the carpet.
The heat was the most uncomfortable, but we were supplied with bottled water so we could stay hydrated. We were also encouraged to take small breaks and move to the shaded areas.
What you don't see on TV is that each celebrity is joined by someone from their management team, who walks ahead and pitches their clients to the media. Others walk with printed signs, with the celeb's name and what they are known for - this is for the lesser known stars.
The more famous celebrities are surrounded my security and they just quickly walk past without making eye contact with journalists, despite our desperate cries.
Celebs are also accompanied by an assistant, who make sure they look picture perfect, to wipe the sweat off their face or carry an umbrella to protect them from the sun.
When speaking to celebrities, it happens very fast, and in the moment you forget that these people are actually enormously famous.
But when I got back to my hotel the experience started to sink in, and I could't help but think: "That was pretty epic!"
TAKE A LOOK AT MORE PHOTOS FROM THE RED CARPET PHOTOS HERE: