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Liz Kay
Welcome to the Providence College podcast. I'm your host, Liz Kay, and I'm joined by producer Chris Judge of the class of 2005 here on the Providence College podcast. We bring you interesting stories from the fire family. This week, we're talking with Christy Moran, a member of the class of 2004. Moran is an expert in marketing, direct sales, brand building and strategic business development as an executive vice president of Product Development and strategy for a division of the Home Shopping Network.

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Liz Kay
Marianne led a team that designed and marketed products in many categories. Label partners such as Simon, Serena Williams and Keith Urban. In 2019, she co-founded the Joy Company with family members, including her mother, Joy Mangano, entrepreneur and inventor of products such as the Miracle Mop Plan is one of seven alumni speaking at Providence College's women like the Way Conference, part of the college's celebration of 50 years of women.

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Liz Kay
Christine, thank you so much for joining us.

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Christie Miranne '04
Thank you so much, Liz. I'm very excited.

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Liz Kay
So many of us are familiar with the miracle mop and huggable hangers and other products, especially after watching the major motion picture, Joy, starring Jennifer Lawrence and Robert DeNiro. And now there's also a sequel in the works.

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Liz Kay
So the film was inspired by your funny story, but it deviates in some major roles. Can you help us separate so much from fiction?

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Christie Miranne '04
Yes. Well, first of all, yes, I am the daughter, the oldest daughter of Joy Mangano. So I'm blessed to be in that role first and foremost. And I now I've worked with her for 18 years and I co-founded The Joy Company with her most recently. And actually my brother and also my husband works with us, too. And my sister doesn't directly work with us, but we try to keep her in the mix as much as possible.

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Christie Miranne '04
She she does her own thing with Amazon Live and a few other things, but we try to keep her in the mix of what we do too, because she's amazing. But I will tell you that the movie was quite an amazing period of time in all of our lives. I mean, when you look at the journey of a family member, especially a mother who's so inspirational as your mother and have that be brought to life on the big screen by people such as Jennifer Lawrence and David O.

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Christie Miranne '04
Russell and Bradley Cooper and Robert DeNiro, I mean, the list goes on. And as she always says, you know, to have a Hollywood family with all the likes of those names is quite incredible. So to sit there on opening night was I mean, I'll just be honest, which I, I don't say this often, but I, I think I cried from the second it started to the second and ended because it was so surreal and so powerful and I was so happy that, you know, they honored her in such a way.

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Christie Miranne '04
And the story actually was quite spot on, like the overarching arc of the story. And all of the details were pretty close to the real thing. You know, you take a little liberty here and there, I think, when you're in the creative space. But for the most part, it really captured the intense journey of where she got to today and how she got there.

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Christie Miranne '04
And I'll tell you, it was kind of just the tip of the iceberg, because when you really see and are in the moments and especially when I really started to work for her growing up, you kind of see a little here and there. But, you know, as a child, you don't really absorb it the same way you do when you're in it.

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Christie Miranne '04
And so when you get into that moment and being a part of the business world with her, I mean, it really changed my perspective on how she had to climb mountains and get to where she is today. So I think if they made a sequel, they probably have to make a part to a part three, a part for maybe even a part five, because that's how much we've accomplished since that piece of time in her life.

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Christie Miranne '04
So and I'm glad to be a part of it with her now and, you know, carving my own path as well. So it's a very big piece of my life. So.

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Liz Kay
So you're so young. When your mother launched the company How much of your struggle of her struggle did you witness? And and how does that shape your approach to work and parenting?

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Christie Miranne '04
Well, that's a very good question. I mean, when you think about it, you know, a lot of people think when you look at her today, oh, she's successful, she's always been successful. And if you don't really know the story, you don't really know the struggle. And so I think that, you know, as a part of that journey with her as the oldest child, I definitely felt it probably the most out of the three of us.

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Christie Miranne '04
I think her and I, you know, they call me the second mother of the family. And I think it's because her and I try to keep everybody, you know, moving and going and, you know, together. And and I think that's a very important piece of why we all get along so well. But you know, when you look at that piece of the struggle and you learn from that, it wasn't it was never an easy road.

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Christie Miranne '04
And nothing's ever an easy road, quite frankly, even when you have success in certain forms, and there's all different levels of success, you know, doesn't mean things get easier. Sometimes they're harder in different ways, or sometimes the struggle becomes a different struggle. And so, you know, I think as you look at that, you know, for me in particular, you know, I was a part of it.

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Christie Miranne '04
I felt those pieces of what she went through. And now today we go through different pieces of struggles on all different levels, especially even pivoting. And what we did I mean, it was a very brave decision for us to exit a corporation and start a corporation of our own and a company of our own and do it in a way that we knew could be bigger, better, broader, for specific reasons.

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Christie Miranne '04
And that's a whole other you know, you start from here again. And so, you know, you take what you've learned, you do it in a different way, and you want it to be different for people at home and the consumers and the way we function as a group. And, you know, now we're sitting here today in a whole new arena and we love it.

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Christie Miranne '04
So you know, you have to be okay with shifting your skis and not having everything go as planned because life is not, you know, a specific universal blueprint and everybody's journey is different and everybody's going to go through things. And it's always she's the one thing she's always said, which I think is very important for people who listen to this or people who are going through even transitions in their life, especially when you think about college and exiting college and entering that next chapter, you know, is when you think about what you're doing you know, don't be afraid about the next piece of it.

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Christie Miranne '04
Don't also feel like you have to follow a specific step. You know, there's there's so many different ways to get to where you want to go in business and in life. And, you know, to balance that work and life, you know, there's so much that goes into that. I mean, there's books and, you know, there's all these podcasts on it.

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Christie Miranne '04
And, you know, as a mother of three and as an executive, I feel like the one thing you have to kind of remind yourself is that you just you don't have to do everything. You know, your kids will love you if you're happy and you're being happy with them and being present with them when you're with them. You know, I mean, that's the one thing is, you know, I get very wrapped up in what we do in the work space.

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Christie Miranne '04
And I have to make sure when I come home that I do put my phone down or I do take that moment or, you know, those are the things that we have to do as mothers as well. So. So she showed me a lot of that, and I feel very fortunate to have that inspiration from her.

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Liz Kay
So let's talk a lot about your company. Let's talk a little bit more since the Joy Company is very much a family business. You mentioned your mother, your brother and your husband are our co-founders. Yes. So this is not an amazing time for everybody. How members make this success or what do you think? Like, are there characteristics or things that you do to make this this work?

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Christie Miranne '04
Well, you know, I think it's interesting in her book, my mother had always written that you don't want to separate your family in your work life, that you can blend them in a way. And so, look, not everybody's very close with their family members. And I mean, that by blood relatives. Right? But when you're in the workspace and when you're going through life, people do become part of your circle.

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Christie Miranne '04
And so it doesn't necessarily have to be blood related. People who are part of that world. Right. It's people who are close to you. And so when you create that familial atmosphere and you bring people into that circle, it's a nice thing to be able to do a lot with them. And so for us to blend home and work life, you know, I mean, I consistently try to convince my brother and sister to move directly down the block.

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Christie Miranne '04
For me, I haven't been successful yet. But I'm working on that. So the fact that we do get to work together is at least a bonus. But, you know, I think that the fact that we mesh all the worlds, you know, I think we all think very differently, but we complement one another and we're okay with that. And I think that that creates that success.

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Christie Miranne '04
And I will tell you one big thing that you know, going through her career, my mother had a lot of people who started out with her at Ground Zero. Right. They were the people who really were a part of building her up from the start that, you know, because you don't do anything alone. Right. You have a group.

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Christie Miranne '04
And whether it's one person or if it's two people or if it's 100 people, there are people who help you along the way. And create that path with you. So I think what was very interesting about what she did is she kept a lot of those people with her for the entire journey and made sure that she kept that secret sauce, you know, so that she could continue to create that balloon of success.

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Christie Miranne '04
And I think with us, you know, we really worked so well together and we keep people in our circle who help build and have that same passion for what we do. So we do have an even more extended family now with everything we do with the people who do work around us. And I think it's such a great thing because we just keep adding on people as we go.

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Christie Miranne '04
So it's a really nice network. And our group in our company is set up in such a way where, you know, we're just trying to make a difference with what we build on the product side and what we build on the brand side. And when you're facing the consumer space and the consumer is judging you as a brand and, you know, thinking about what they do with their choices today, you have to make sure that as a brand and even as a personality attach to a brand that you're living that same life and you're following those same morals.

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Christie Miranne '04
And I think that's a very big point for a lot of the consumers today. They realize and can see through what companies or what personalities are really bringing them the real right. And I think that that that point of differential Asian, you know, they're very smart. They're the smartest consumers. We are the smartest consumers. You know, we know what we want to buy and what we want to be a part of, you know, in the way of service.

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Christie Miranne '04
Industries and things like that. And we choose wisely. And I think that that's a very big piece of today, how you brand something or how you create a consumer facing business. It really has to be very true to what you stand for.

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Liz Kay
So let's shift gears a bit and go back in time. So what brought you to Providence College?

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Christie Miranne '04
Oh, my gosh. Well, first of all, I have to tell you to be talking about Providence College today and sitting here, and I never thought I'd be in the space I'm in today. I never thought I'd have, you know, a family three kids be working, be doing all this. You know, you just don't know where your life is going to lead you, you know?

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Christie Miranne '04
And I actually didn't even think I'd be working with my family ever because one of my big things that I left college was I said, I am going to be an event planner. That's all I want to do is be an event planner. And that was my dream. And I said, I just want to do weddings and wonderful events and make people happy.

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Christie Miranne '04
And, you know, now I plan events in a different way. And I think I try to make people happy through product and consumer stuff. So, you know, it's just funny how life takes you on a journey. But Providence College was such a big piece of shaping me, and I am very thankful for my experience there. I am very excited for all of the people who are part of Providence College today and the students who are learning and have all these resources now.

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Christie Miranne '04
I mean, it's amazing the things that students have today that we didn't have when I graduated in 2004, which I don't even want to say the. No, but anyway, I guess there are others who graduated before me, but it does seem like a long time ago, and my choice to go to Providence College stemmed from actually a teacher when I was in high school.

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Christie Miranne '04
I love school I was a very big part of my school system when I was growing up. And this teacher, his name was Mr. Semansky, he actually went to Providence when it was an all boys school I believe. Right. And so he, you know, for him, he used to tell us these stories and mind you, to the entire class, multiple grades, he'd sit everybody down in the library and he would tell these stories.

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Christie Miranne '04
It was an annual story and they'd be revolving around his experiences at PC. So of course when I was looking at where I was going to go after high school, I had to put PC on my list because I was very curious about this magical place, right? So I said, Okay, I'm going to go to it and I'm going to see I mean, I had everything on my list from Dartmouth to Boston College to Loyola.

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Christie Miranne '04
I mean, you name it, it was like a whole gamut of places. I wanted to look at and go. And when I walked on to the campus at Providence College, I mean, I have to tell you, from the energy to the culture to the entire moment to even the way the city is set up, I mean, I have to tell you the the lighting on Harkins Hall, I mean, I have everything about what I felt when I was going through that campus just drew me there and, you know, hearing and what a great experience he had had among other people who had gone there after him.

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Christie Miranne '04
You know, really just kind of led me down the lane of I really think this is the right place for me. I'm a big one on energy. I love to have everything feel like a community. I'm a very big one for family. So, you know, going there was probably the best decision I made. I had great four years.

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Christie Miranne '04
I almost wish I went longer. But then I guess I want to be where I am today. So so that's that's my piece, this story.

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Liz Kay
Which is a great one. I think a lot of people relate to that feeling of stepping on to campus and feeling at home and knowing it's the right place for them. Yeah. So you were a management major at Chelsea. Are there any classes or experiences from your days that on campus that you feel like you still use in your your time with the toy company in your career?

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Christie Miranne '04
Oh, well, I mean, I can name a thousand maybe more, but I will tell you that I think when you think about the classes and the curriculum and the professors, I mean, everything about P.C. is so well orchestrated and everything is top notch, right? So that's point number one. But really specific classes, you know, there was always I'll never forget this one marketing and advertising class.

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Christie Miranne '04
I was in it with my roommate and I was very close with my roommates and we had to do a lot of presentations in particular, we had to really pitch. And in my head I'm thinking, how can I like this? You know? And I'm like, I really maybe this is what the kind of world I want to be in, you know, it kind of turned me a little more on to the branding marketing side of things.

00;14;18;13 - 00;14;34;23
Christie Miranne '04
And I didn't think I was actually going to go that route. I was I said I wanted to start my own company and be an event planner, so I was on a road, but I will also tell you that the one thing and I say this, you know, and I'll say it again, is to utilize your resources. I got an internship while I was there.

00;14;35;00 - 00;14;55;28
Christie Miranne '04
I happened to work with first night Providence through Deandra Driscoll, who is part of the community there at Providence College today. And I was able to learn from her be a part of that and see what it was like to be in the workings of an event and doing all the things that go into rolling up your sleeves, you know, putting in the legwork I mean, nothing.

00;14;56;03 - 00;15;13;19
Christie Miranne '04
You don't get an easy pass, you know, to get to the path of success rate. You look at what all these people do and how much goes into something. And so for me, I think that having an internship while you're actually in the college experience is a very big piece of putting in perspective where you think you're going to go next.

00;15;13;26 - 00;15;31;03
Christie Miranne '04
Because I do think that even if that ends up being your path and you do an internship that's right in your wheelhouse, great. At least it confirms that for you. But also if you do it and you realize, okay, maybe I like this piece of it, or maybe I like that piece of it, it kind of helps you figure out in the real world, where do you want to go?

00;15;31;08 - 00;15;53;07
Christie Miranne '04
I actually left college and my first job out of college was working for the wife of the president of MTV. She ran a PR agency and a licensing firm, and I worked with her thinking, I'm going to do all this event planning and PR. So I did that, but I ended up falling into the path of liking the licensing and the enforcement part.

00;15;53;07 - 00;16;20;06
Christie Miranne '04
A lot better. And so I feel like that actually helped me navigate the lane of getting into the consumer space in the branding world better today. And that's really, I think, why I kind of shifted my skis and ended up working for a corporation like HSN and QVC and then working now with my family business of creating brand wonderful, powerful brands and game changing products.

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Christie Miranne '04
And I think that that is such an important piece of, you know, being a part of the college experience is to be able to try to get that experience in the real world at the same time. And I think it's very important to do it while you're there because it also can help shape you select your college curriculum.

00;16;36;19 - 00;16;40;09
Christie Miranne '04
And I think it's a good piece of, you know, that part of the growth as a, as a student.

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Liz Kay
So so being able to have those internships and like test the waters a little bit, you know, see, see what it's like to really be in those those companies and spaces.

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Christie Miranne '04
Yes. And also, I actually because I was so interested in events and things like that, I ended up becoming a part of the board of programmers. I will tell you, that was is and was such a phenomenal group. I to be able to learn the art of negotiation. I mean, we were negotiating to have talent come for our concerts and we were negotiating to have talent come to host, you know, the Mr. Event.

00;17;12;19 - 00;17;44;06
Christie Miranne '04
I mean, there were so many things at the time that we did that. Now, in what I do today, it just has helped me get into the zone of being good at that specific trait. And, you know, the board of programmers in particular, the things that they put on and the things that we used to do. You know, now today I'm sure you do even more, but I have to say that groups like that really help and getting involved and that really help you, I think, broaden, you know, and sharpen the pencil on some of those great traits that you can have going into the workspace.

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Liz Kay
Just like the celebration of the 50 years of women, BRP is also celebrating its 50th anniversary this year.

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Christie Miranne '04
I know I can't even believe that. Thank goodness it's not my 50th since I left. But that's okay. Yeah. One day I will be hopefully.

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Liz Kay
Saying that you can you can think back to that experience with that with that club, which has such an impact, as you mentioned, on PC's campus and the student experience. But like to be able to take that experience and be able to, to draw upon it, you know, get your feet wet with negotiating.

00;18;18;02 - 00;18;42;10
Christie Miranne '04
And it's funny because throwing those events, it's kind of what we do now, right? We you, you don't realize at the time how much of a trickle effect it has on the campus because all the events you think, okay, some are going to come, some are not going to come but even the choice of what type of event or who's the main act or you know, when you're doing it day of the week, all of that affects the experience of others on the campus.

00;18;42;17 - 00;19;02;15
Christie Miranne '04
And I think that when I look at what I do today in the workspace, I know that what the things I do and the choices we make in our environment professionally are affecting consumers and who are we touching and what's that trickle effect? And if it makes someone's life easier, does it make them have a little more time with their family so that that kind of, you know, chain effect in life?

00;19;02;20 - 00;19;12;21
Christie Miranne '04
You know, it really starting from an early age is a really nice thing. And having it be such a piece of what I did at Providence College, I think really helped and today what I do is so very, very exciting.

00;19;12;21 - 00;19;30;12
Liz Kay
So as we have mentioned several times at this point in Virginia, the college is celebrating its 50th anniversary of enrolling women as undergrads. In honor of that university. We're asking and curious, are there any five women, you know, faculty or staff or alumni who stood out as role models for you? During your peace and time?

00;19;31;06 - 00;19;53;29
Christie Miranne '04
Well, I mentioned your digital skull. And she first of all, what an incredible human. But she really helped me view what I wanted to do and view my college experience as as probably one of the best times in my life. She was able to again, I worked with her through my internship. We worked on a lot of things together.

00;19;53;29 - 00;20;12;23
Christie Miranne '04
I watched her navigate these amazing events for the campus. But she also, you know, she really took the time to give me other tidbits, right? Other amazing pieces of nuggets that I took along with me in my career path. She probably doesn't even realize her impact on me, but I do talk about her often since I've left there.

00;20;13;15 - 00;20;34;08
Christie Miranne '04
And I'll never forget at my graduation, she said some nice words to my parents about me and I that really stuck with me. And I think that, you know, it's kind of the same piece of kindness that you hope that people operate with today, especially in today's world. You know, there's a lot going on. And I think that to always remember, to operate with that piece of heart and kindness for others is a very important thing.

00;20;35;01 - 00;20;53;02
Christie Miranne '04
And I will say that not only, you know, the professors and even I was a cheerleader actually when I first got there. And so being a professional athlete, if you will, you know that that's that's hard. You know, when you're a collegiate athlete and do it trying to do that schedule, do your courses. I mean, I give all of them tons of credit.

00;20;53;02 - 00;21;12;21
Christie Miranne '04
I did not continue after my freshman year with cheering, but I look at all the female athletes and what they do and even the male athlete is so such a rigorous thing to go through with college and have to do that imbalance and then I will say, though, the one piece that I think sometimes we all forget is our roommates.

00;21;12;21 - 00;21;32;19
Christie Miranne '04
And, you know, you have to think about this. I always say this to people you go to a campus. If you're going to live there and be on a campus for college and you get thrown in a room with people you've never met from anywhere, in the country, and you're like, Okay, is this a reality TV show waiting to happen?

00;21;32;23 - 00;21;53;06
Christie Miranne '04
I mean, it's literally the recipe for reality TV, but you go through it and you do it and everybody does it. And so you get, you know, in a room with people you don't know. Think about even the things you learn just from having to navigate that piece of the experience, right? I had many roommates, a few, I should say, going through the college years.

00;21;53;11 - 00;22;11;27
Christie Miranne '04
I started with a few. I actually one of them, we stayed roommates all the way through the end. And then we had a few others kind of come into the mix that were part of my hall, you know, and we ended up being roommates officially in the later years. And I will tell you that those ladies today even were friends, and one of them is my neighbor.

00;22;11;27 - 00;22;28;27
Christie Miranne '04
And we worked together for a while, you know, and I love her to death. And it's like it's an amazing thing that you almost overlook the impact that who you are with and who you are with on a daily basis and who you get to know and learn from. You know, you really learn from the people around you.

00;22;28;27 - 00;22;42;18
Christie Miranne '04
So so anyway, so I think that that's always something that's always been a funny piece in my brain of how, you know, everybody gets thrown in a room. It's like, okay, go ahead, be friends. That is a lot of learning that goes on there. So, you know.

00;22;42;23 - 00;22;57;12
Liz Kay
And for I think a lot of students, especially now, many of them have probably never had to share a room. And so that the whole experience. Right. Just negotiating, you know, what it's like to share a space which wasn't lost. Did you live in while you were here?

00;22;58;05 - 00;23;26;22
Christie Miranne '04
So I started in Raymond Hall and then I went to a kindness and I was so happy to get my room in a kindness and look over, you know, the beautiful middle of campus. I was so happy. And then we had a home actually, we all got a home off campus on Pembroke. And I remember I think one of my I want to say when I was working, one of our team projects became name Team Pembroke or Central Project Pembroke.

00;23;26;22 - 00;23;50;03
Christie Miranne '04
And I started to laugh. I was like, Oh my gosh. I said, that was my where my house was when I was at Providence College. So anyway, so yes, I had a wonderful experience there. I loved, you know, everybody who I mean, even to be, you know, in the, in the halls and be one of the arias. I mean, that's a that's a job, you know, and I give everyone who does that a lot of credit, too, because, you know, there's a lot that goes into running a campus.

00;23;50;03 - 00;23;59;25
Christie Miranne '04
And, you know, I think about all the things that everybody does to make it a great experience for the students and until you really leave, you know? So anyway, it's very exciting.

00;23;59;27 - 00;24;02;05
Liz Kay
It's hard to appreciate until January 1st. Yes.

00;24;02;06 - 00;24;03;21
Christie Miranne '04
Yeah, you're right. You're right.

00;24;03;21 - 00;24;33;18
Liz Kay
So I have to thank you for your shout out to Deirdre, because I think a lot of people in the PC community get to appreciate the work she does from everything from, you know, you know, the very first mass when students arrive for orientation all the way all to, you know, the culmination at commencement. So those are all events that she and her partners in college events work very hard to make go well and make sure you, you know, work to make into meaningful events for the people here on campus.

00;24;33;18 - 00;24;33;27
Liz Kay
So.

00;24;34;24 - 00;24;59;25
Christie Miranne '04
Well, she and all of you should know that all the events, at least while I was there, and I'm sure even more so now, are beyond meaningful and they're put on so well. And I think that, you know, as a student, you really want to get the best out of your college experience and to have every event be so carefully thought through an orchestrated so that you just show up and get to enjoy it is really a beautiful thing.

00;24;59;25 - 00;25;19;06
Christie Miranne '04
So again, why I wanted to be an event planner to have everybody have a fun time at all of my events. Instead, I just plan a lot of family parties now and a lot of work events. So I do it in some way, shape or form. I mean, we do things from TV, you know, we do TV live events and we do amazing broadcasts and we're working with a lot of, you know, musical talent now.

00;25;19;06 - 00;25;31;29
Christie Miranne '04
And so we're doing some really exciting things in that space. I mean, we even do some stuff in the entertainment world with the television show and a musical, like you said, is on the way. So the good news is, I guess, to be a part of a lot of amazing events. So that's a very fun thing.

00;25;32;13 - 00;25;37;20
Liz Kay
So let's let's talk about this next project. Can we talk a little bit about America's next deal? How did this come about?

00;25;38;07 - 00;26;10;19
Christie Miranne '04
Yes, so America's Big Deal is a show that my mother had created. We have an amazing team and it just premiered last year. It is all about lifting up small businesses and entrepreneurs in the time and space. That's really unprecedented. And so when you think about it, it's the first live shoppable competition series in essence, and these wonderful entrepreneurs came on with their products and were able to pitch to America, get real time sales, and whoever got the most sales from America would face a panel of amazing retailers.

00;26;10;26 - 00;26;35;26
Christie Miranne '04
So there was Lowe's on the panel, Macy's on the panel, and QVC, HSN, which of course, Joy my mother represented. And so you have these judges, you know, this panel members, and they then were able to give them and offer them a big deal. So exciting, so amazing. It was a groundbreaking format for NBCUniversal. It was on a USA network and I can't say much, but let's just say there's so much being dialed up there.

00;26;35;26 - 00;27;07;18
Christie Miranne '04
So there's a lot in the works that's to come. So next time on our podcast, round two will have to get into those details. But I will tell you, the lives that it touched in just season one alone was amazing. And everybody who participated said, this is such a great message to send to the entrepreneurial community. So many people were hurt with businesses where they were sitting on product or they got weren't able to ship into a store or things came late because of the environment and the supply chain issues and delays, and they were caught with all this product.

00;27;08;02 - 00;27;37;04
Christie Miranne '04
And it really was a tough time for a lot of people. And so to be able to tell their story to the world and express why they're so passionate about their products, I mean, that's really the art of what got my mother her big break in her career, if you will, is the second she stepped on stage herself to sell her own product on QVC with the lights on, because the first time when it wasn't her telling her own story, it didn't work, which was a huge, huge step back in her life and scary time.

00;27;37;04 - 00;27;58;11
Christie Miranne '04
I mean, you can imagine sitting there thinking, oh, my God, what am I going to do with all this product? So she really can put herself in those shoes. We all put ourselves in her shoes. And, you know, we worked on this amazing project together. And actually the group we worked on talking about life coming full circle and making sure that you always have wonderful relationships with everybody you encounter in business and in life.

00;27;58;22 - 00;28;18;09
Christie Miranne '04
When I had my first job out of college for the woman who I said was ran her Coburn Communications, which was her communications agency who I love to death, her husband was the president of MTV, and he then went on to start his own production company. And that is who we partnered with on the show all these years later.

00;28;18;09 - 00;28;29;28
Christie Miranne '04
So it goes to show that life comes full circle. We've been friends all these years, and we finally did something together with our new business model. So we are so thrilled about what's to come next so very exciting.

00;28;30;07 - 00;28;36;15
Liz Kay
It's funny, and you never know when people from your network will come, will come full circle and you'll you'll be able to reconnect.

00;28;36;18 - 00;28;56;20
Christie Miranne '04
Oh, yes. I mean, I was going to call the other day with an executive at one of the top retailers. I won't name names, but the person goes, Oh, do you remember when you did such and such project and you worked with this person? And blah, blah, blah? And we're like, yes. And they're like, Well, I ran that project and I don't think we even met, but I'm really glad to meet you officially today.

00;28;56;20 - 00;29;06;23
Christie Miranne '04
And I said, There you go. Yet again, something every day, you know, comes up where you're like, it's an amazing thing. How many people come full circle in your life and you don't even realize it.

00;29;06;23 - 00;29;19;24
Liz Kay
So absolutely Well, so is there anything else we haven't talked about that you'd like to add? We talked a little bit about recycling. We talked a little bit about America's Next Big Meal and the other projects in the works what's on the horizon for you and your family?

00;29;20;23 - 00;29;40;17
Christie Miranne '04
I mean, I don't even really know how to answer that question because we're constantly doing new things, which is great by the way. So I feel very fortunate to be part of an umbrella where, you know, we are driving huge brands, we're driving really big business opportunities, and we're really bringing a lot of entertainment now to the world, which is a good thing, too.

00;29;41;08 - 00;30;01;29
Christie Miranne '04
But I will say that, you know, I think when we talk about new opportunities, you know, we're always searching for something and trying to work on something that makes a difference. And so that's what we do. And, you know, even our products and what we create, we try to make sure that they're answering as a need and making people's lives better and doing things the right way.

00;30;02;05 - 00;30;24;01
Christie Miranne '04
And so that that to me is a big deal. I think that when we think about projects in the works, there's a lot to come. So all I will simply say is to keep your eyes and ears open. And next time we talk, I can maybe give you more insight as to what's actually coming. But, you know, I think the musical in particular will definitely be a fun one.

00;30;24;12 - 00;30;49;05
Christie Miranne '04
And that is, I think next year, you know, is the Time Timeline now after post COVID. So we're very excited about that. All original music. I mean, the cast is amazing. I will just personally say the little girl and she's not even little anymore, but the girl who's playing the role of, if you will, Kristie, is amazing. You know, and obviously the whole thing is centered around Joy's journey and what goes on there.

00;30;49;05 - 00;31;11;22
Christie Miranne '04
But, you know, you have to think about it, right? You grow up, you go through life and you really want to look at those role models around you. And even if it isn't your specifically your parents or maybe it's your grandparents, or maybe it's people you come encounter, you know, you encounter with school or, you know, at college like a PC, whoever it is that gives you that light and inspiration and fire to do what you want to do.

00;31;11;28 - 00;31;32;13
Christie Miranne '04
You really want to zone in on those people and make sure that they're the ones who surround you and bring out the best of you. And I think that that's the biggest point is for people to walk away knowing that when they take their next step, you know, if they're taking a risk in something in business, you know, do it in a smart way and keep the people around you who really help bring out the best to you.

00;31;32;17 - 00;31;42;00
Christie Miranne '04
And this way together, you can get yourself to a great spot it's a very important thing in the world we live in today. And I think it's very important to have a good network around you as best you can.

00;31;42;22 - 00;31;55;20
Liz Kay
I feel like that's kind of definitely a lesson we can all take from the story of your mother and your family. You know, as a scientist icon, a single mother turned entrepreneur, you know, watching the careers of many, it's just it's so inspiring.

00;31;56;20 - 00;31;57;11
Christie Miranne '04
Thank you.

00;31;57;26 - 00;32;03;13
Liz Kay
Christine, thank you so much for chatting with us today. It's been wonderful to talk to you and learn more about your experience.

00;32;04;11 - 00;32;14;27
Christie Miranne '04
Thank you so much and I appreciate everything. It's so nice to see you. Tell Chris. Thank you, too. And I hope that I can see you when I come there for this weekend's About So.

00;32;15;08 - 00;32;27;19
Liz Kay
Absolutely. So subscribe to the Providence College podcast and all the usual places, including iTunes, SoundCloud, Stitcher, Google Play and Spotify, as well as your smart speaker if you like. What you hear, please review and share with others. Thanks for listening and go Friars.