Destini: …and it went from there! Because I had created the channel (YouTube channel) back in November…the only reason I created the channel is because I wanted to watch their clips over and over again and they weren’t out there. I started downloading the episode and clipping it for myself and figured oh well what the hell, I’ll throw it up on YouTube that way if anybody else wants to see it. I remember sitting on the BAM board with a couple people and saying should we call it Otalia or Nolivia. Let’s call it Otalia. So I just threw that up there as a fluke and the next thing you know somebody grabbed that name and ran with it.
EM: Which is amazing because now that’s how it’s referred to! You did it, you named it!
Destini: The board just went nuts at that point.
Mel: We never could have expected…we actually NEVER expected that. We just wanted some place we could go and be together.
Destini: Tiffany just so you know, Mel is completely and almost entirely responsible for our fan campaign.
Christi: It’s true. She’s the cheerleader!
Destini: I have no experience. She’s the cheerleader, she’s the one who is able to articulate what these fan campaigns need and how people should write and how they should stay positive. If it wasn’t for Mel, we wouldn’t have the people getting published that get published. It just wouldn’t happen.
It’s true because our backgrounds are so different. Christi’s got the performance background and she can really analyze and take apart these scenes. Mel has a telecommunications background and I’m telling ya, I couldn’t do what she does with the fan campaigns. People ask me what they should do and I say you should talk to Mel because it makes my head hurt. [everybody laughs]
Mel: I just like to boss people around! [everybody agrees and laughs] I’ll say “Desti go recruit more people for the board” and she’s like “ok” [everybody agrees and laughs].
Destini: There in lies my thing. I like to get out there and network and talk and I have a media background both in front of and behind the camera and writing and that’s what I’ve always done so I’m comfortable doing it. And I don’t shut up about the storyline ever. Not in real life, not to my partner (aka Mrs. Desti), not online, not ever!
EM: Well why should you? Tell anyone who will listen. Keep the story going!
It’s refreshing to see that those as the “face” of the Otalia fandom are intelligent and well spoken and yet still can have their fangrrl moments. I’m so proud to be a part of this big, purple dream. I’m excited to see where this true supercouple will go in the future. It is my firm belief that Olivia and Natalia’s love story will be a major part of what saves Guiding Light. Kudos Desti, Christi, and Mel! Thanks to Eclipse Magazine and Tiffany! And many thanks to Crystal Chappell, Jessica Leccia, and everyone involved with this love story for the ages.
Great article. The intelligence, humor and passion with which the BPD team and the whole forum have rallied around Guiding Light must send a powerful message to the soap community. If this was just a “gay” phenomena AMC and ATWT would have experienced a similar frenzy, but it is so clear that this story is so different, and I could not explain it better than Mel, Christi and Desti did here already. SO I will close by thanking you for covering the Otalia craze from this unique angle.
thanks for the great interview tiffany!
not a day goes by that i don’t feel completely blessed to have found the big purple dreams fan forum, the otalia storyline and guiding light. i only wish i had found it all sooner. destini, christi, mel and the other administrators at BPD have created such a welcoming environment- our own little purple living room over at the big purple dreams board. and they each lead through service, which in turn brings out the giver in the rest of us.
i’ve never stood up to be counted in a fan campaign before. i guess i never believed enough in something before to invest the time or the effort to give power to my voice. but i believe in otalia and guiding light. and i believe in what we are creating over at the board. it’s positive and supportive and empowering. the otalia story gives me hope that someday, not too far in the future, every gay love story won’t need special promotion or sensationalization. that we won’t need special privileges. that our love will just be love, without labels. it’s been a long time coming, but thanks to GL, i can see the light at the end of the tunnel.
again, thank you for the closer look at our fearless leaders. now when are we getting some more juicy outtakes?
Great interview, Tiffany. Destini, Christi and Mel make BPD a fun, loving place to be. Even with over 1,800 members, it feels like a family. Even though I just returned to Guiding Light a couple of months ago, I can’t remember that exact turning point moment. Since re-connecting with the show and finding BPD it feels like I’ve always been there.
I appreciate you and Eclipse magazine shining the light on BPD and Guiding Light.
Dear Tiffany,
That was a fantastic interview! Its about time someone wrote about the Big Purple Podcasts, and I’m so glad you fessed up about listening to them – its hard to describe to someone unless they listen, but it really is the most engaging, funny (too many pee in the pants moments) 3 hours of entertainment. In fact, I had to laugh when I saw that there is now a play by play on the podcast itself! Guiding Light is a gift, Otalia is a gift, the writers creating this story is a gift, the actors doing their parts is a gift, and everything about BPD is a gift as well. We need to cherish and recognize them for what they’re giving us. Just like the show, a family has been created unexpectedly, and its a thing of beauty. Kudos to Destini, Christi and Mel for the tremendous work you do every day on behalf of bringing more audiences to this important story. We love Otalia and we love Big Purple Dreams!!!
Christi, I am so proud of you!
Mom2