Meet POPSUGAR Reporter & Producer Brandi Milloy

Have you heard of Brandi Milloy? If not, you’re in for a treat since she’s on our business blog today!  Brandi is the Lifestyle Host and Food Reporter and Producer at POPSUGAR!  Not only is she beautiful but she’s smart, talented, and has a heart of gold!  Brandi has one of those types of jobs that people dream about; but that doesn’t mean she doesn’t have to put in the long hours to make it happen!

We caught up with Brandi to hear what it’s like to walk in her (fabulous) shoes for a day and how she got to where she is at POPSUGAR!

We’re huge fans of POPSUGAR!  Tell us a little bit about your position with them!

As POPSUGAR’s Lifestyle Host and Food Reporter/Producer I do everything from researching trends and curating content to writing scripts and hosting/reporting. Currently I am the Host/Producer for five shows. From tempting your sweet tooth with the most decadent desserts on Just Add Sugar, to re-creating the latest food crazes on “Eat the Trend“, to cooking with some of the world’s greatest chefs including Curtis Stone, Fabio Viviani and Iron Chef Cat Cora on Get the Dish, to mixing insanely delicious cocktails on the Happiest Hour and creating memorable meals and events on Theme My Party, I like to say, if it’s delicious I’ll report on it!

What does your day to day look like as a Reporter and Producer?

Most days start the night before when I am prepping ingredients for a shoot. If I’m showing how to make a cake, I’m usually baking the cake or finishing steps in a recipe so we can make “TV magic” happen! I’m in the hair & makeup chair by 7 am and we will shoot 3-4 segments a day a couple times a week. I typically work 12 hour days and if I’m covering an event that night, my day won’t end until well past 10pm. Everyday is different. One moment I’ll be at Scarpetta in Beverly Hills with Chef Scott Conant learning how to make his signature gnudi and then I’ll be doing a lifestyle segment featuring my ultimate tailgating party ideas on our TV show, POPSUGAR NOW on TVGN at 4/3c and then I’ll end my day by re-creating a crazy culinary food mash up like waffle donuts on my show, Eat the Trend.  I’m so lucky to work with a great team of people who help to make some of the best original, creative content I’ve seen in the digital food space and beyond.

What has been your favorite event to be a part of with POPSUGAR?

Making ramen crusted chicken wings on the Today Show with Carson Daly was absolutely a career high for me. My mom flew from Arizona, (where I’m from) and came with me to NYC to be a part of it. Everyone loved all of the dishes I made and then on national television Carson said the wings were the best thing he had ever ate!

How did you get to the position you are today?  Did you have internships, work your way up through POPSUGAR, etc?

I truly believe that every decision, every answered and unanswered prayer led me to where I am today. I knew from when I was a little girl I wanted to be a journalist. I was Editor-in-Chief of my college paper and majored in English and Journalism at the University of Arizona (Go Cats!). In college I interned at NBC running the teleprompter, writing scripts and taking coffee orders. After graduation, I moved to Chicago and had the opportunity of a lifetime to be on Oprah’s Big Give on ABC where I traveled the nation rallying communities together for great causes, surprising people with random acts of kindness-pretty much pretending I was Santa Claus for three months. It was a dream. Then I moved to Los Angeles as a freelance host and worked for everyone from E! News Now covering celebrity entertainment to PJTV where I covered illegal immigration issues before becoming the permanent Host/Producer at POPSUGAR.

What was the best piece of business advice you’ve ever received?

The best advice I’ve ever received was from the most hard working, selfless man I know, my Dad: stay humble. You’re never too good for anything. No job is too small and no one is better than anyone.

Now knowing what you know and experiencing what you have, what would be your one piece of business advice that you would pass on to people wanting your position?

Always say yes to an opportunity. Paid or unpaid, if you are getting experience, exposure or doing something you’ve never done before-take advantage of the opportunity. Everything is a lesson learned and sometimes you have to do things you don’t like to do to get where you want to be. I camera tested for POPSUGAR for three months and was freelance host for them for a year before they offered me the position to be the permanent Host/Producer. Tenacity is one of the best qualities you can possess in this business.

Not only are you a successful business woman, but a fashionista! How would you describe your style?

My style is definitely All-American girl next door. I’m most comfortable in distressed denim and a white t-shirt or plaid top.  I love to dress up so usually I will mix and match looks so I have something casual with a more elevated piece. Right now I’m really into jumpsuits and high tops with skater skirts.

First Job: At 12 I was an entrepreneur mixing nail polish colors and selling them door to door. I would bake cookies and brownies and sell them at school. I couldn’t wait to make my own money. My first real job though was working drive through at Wendy’s!

Beauty Secret: Being a former beauty queen, I have so many! The higher the hair, the closer to God. If you can’t tone it, tan it! I use my Clarisonic everyday and I swear by Goldfaden MD Doctor’s Scrub but my best beauty tip is to smile. Smiling is really the secret to being beautiful.

Dream Job: To be the female Anthony Bourdain. Growing up my Dad was in the US Army so we moved around every 2-3 years. It was truly a blessing to live all over the world and experience places and cultures most people might never be able to be experience.  What is so extraordinary about food is it connects all of us. It can represent our heritage, a tradition, trigger a memory- my dream is to host a travel show where I explore amazing foods and the people who create them all over the world.

Food Obsession: How many can I list? I’m such a meat and potatoes kind of girl. I love steak and I could eat potatoes everyday. I also have a love affair with Dr. Pepper, Funfetti cake, Oreo’s and all Mexican cuisine. One of my favorite dishes is the steak sandwich at Ricardo’s Mexican Restaurant in my hometown of Sierra Vista, AZ.

Little Known Fact About Me:  One of my proudest accomplishments is traveling to Uganda, Africa last year for three weeks by myself to volunteer with the Palliative Care Association of Uganda where I shadowed palliative care and hospice care teams and helped develop their communications strategy. It was one of the hardest things I’ve ever done but also the most fulfilling experiences of my life.

Photography: Chelsea Elizabeth Photography
Dress: Rebecca Taylor
Shoes: Stuart Weitzman