Speaker 1: Hello, and good morning. How are you doing today? Good?
Speaker 2: I'm great, how are you?
Speaker 1: Absolutely fantastic and very excited to celebrate with you. And
I'm telling you, this is coming out out at a
time where we need celebration. And look who's here. Hallmark
always showing up like a true true hero.
Speaker 2: Don't they.
Speaker 3: I mean, Hallmark is just the network that really cares,
you know, they really do.
Speaker 2: They do a great job of finding joy.
Speaker 3: And happiness and love and hope and all the things
that are the bedrock of the network. They do a
great job of keeping their messaging on brand, so that
way when these shows come out, like Christmas at Sea,
they're right on brand, right there to scoop people up
and make them feel good.
Speaker 1: I got to tell you, I did some research on
the subject of Christmas in July and found out that
it was actually created here in North Carolina, Brovard, North Carolina,
in nineteen thirty three. And look how Hallmark has really
brought it forward with that celebration they were looking for
in thirty three.
Speaker 3: I'm I'm telling you, And do you know who invented
wrapping paper?
Speaker 1: No? Who's it? Are you kidding?
Speaker 3: Don I might get my facts wrong, but I don't
think I am, because I listened very carefully.
Speaker 2: When I was on the tour of Hallmark Channel.
Speaker 3: Don hall went was in France and got the like
paper that's on the inner side of envelopes, you know,
like the fancy like Parisian paper that when you open
up an envelope there's like a really.
Speaker 2: Nice floral design. Yeah, inside the envelope.
Speaker 3: He had the idea, what if we took that paper
and wrapped gifts that we wanted to give people to
make them extra special, And hence wrapping paper was born.
Speaker 1: Wow, And all of a sudden that starts affectings.
Speaker 2: Wrapping paper we know today. Yeah, the wrapping paper that
we know of today.
Speaker 1: Wow. And then you take that wrapping paper and you
create the emotional stories that Hallmark shares with us each
and every You know, I would watch it twenty four
to seven to have these Christmas movies on all the time.
I really would.
Speaker 3: Well you should, because we would love your ratings and
we would love you to watch our movies, so turn
it on.
Speaker 1: I was, in all honesty, I was really shocked to
see the number of people that are a part of this,
this celebration on the cruise it's like, Wow, this isn't
just a small little click. Everybody is having a ton
a great time together.
Speaker 2: Yeah, it was a really surreal experience.
Speaker 3: They put one crew one of Basically, there's a cruise
called the Hallmark Christmas Cruise and it's a fan experience
that's immersive where thousands of fans go on a cruise
ship to the Bahamas that's completely chartered for just Hallmark
and all the Hallmark stars go on the cruise with
them and they have this amazing interactive experience where they
get to hang.
Speaker 2: Out with the stars. The stars get to meet the fans,
they get to play.
Speaker 3: Games together, there's contests, like it's just this really crazy, cool,
immersive experience. And so they decided to document that into
a docu series called Christmas at Seat And so we're
following five of the biggest Hallmark super fans that come
from all different walks of life. We're following their journey
as they go on this Hallmark Cruise experience.
Speaker 1: But you know what's really cool about this is that
it's authentic conversations when they're talking to them. It's not
like you know, groupy kind of thing. I mean, they
really are They love love, love everything about Hallmark and
Christmas in July.
Speaker 2: Yeah, because Hallmark is hope.
Speaker 3: Right, That's what the network does so well is there's
a reason all of our movies end the same way, Right,
There's a reason, Like we're not gonna sit and deny
it and act like it's not true. We know that
at the end of the movie, everything's going to be okay.
And that's why people tune in because they no matter
what you're dealing with, they need to be given stories
and be able to watch stories where in the end
everything's okay because we're all dealing with stuff in our
life and that's the one place you can turn to
where you know that, hey, it's all gonna be okay
in the end. And I think that's a lot of
hope that people need.
Speaker 1: Please do not move. There's more with Jonathan Bennett coming
up next. Hey, thanks for coming back to my conversation
with actor Jonathan Bennett. She give us the opportunity to
want to get dressed up, because they sure do on
this cruise. Oh my god, Oh.
Speaker 2: My gosh, the outfits.
Speaker 3: There were ugly Christmas sweater parties, there were pajama parties there.
I mean the fans. We have the best fans in
the world. Like, they're absolutely the best, most loyal fans
out there. And you know, when they get to go
on these cruises, they get to really just let it
all fly and just show up in.
Speaker 2: All their glory, of all their Christmas glory, and it's
hilarious and so fun to watch.
Speaker 1: What is it like for you to be a part
of a Christmas legacy? Because I mean this, really, this
is something that's going to be you know, last well
beyond where we are on this planet.
Speaker 2: You know, I never thought that I would be part of.
Speaker 3: A Christmas legacy, but here we are, and I'm so
glad to be a part of it.
Speaker 2: Like it is, it's.
Speaker 3: Not something that I expected, but it's something that I'm
so happy to be a part of. Just getting to
tell stories at Christmas time to people that need to
see them is It's a very rewarding club to be in.
Speaker 2: It's very rewarding.
Speaker 1: So do you find yourself wanting to get into the
director's shoes or even into the writing, or even or
just get deeper into the process.
Speaker 3: No, I storywright for some of the movies that I've created,
Meaning I come up with a story and then a
writer writes them.
Speaker 2: But yeah, I definitely want to direct.
Speaker 3: My next goal is to direct some of these movies
if the network will let me. So let's say fingers crossed,
the network will let me direct one of.
Speaker 2: These Christmas movies.
Speaker 3: I would love to direct an LGBTQ Christmas movie for homework, So.
Speaker 2: That's kind of my next I think. I think no
one knows.
Speaker 3: No one knows as much about it as I do,
and so I think i'd be a great director in
that sense.
Speaker 1: Would you add music to turned it into a musical?
Speaker 2: I cannot comment on that, Okay.
Speaker 1: Okay, okay, only only because I love music in my
love stories. I really do. I find you it just
brings everything in.
Speaker 2: I hope that happens. Let's just say that, Wow, I
didn't say it.
Speaker 1: You did. You're absolutely right. Where can people go to
find out about the next cruise? Because I'm sure you
have to book this thing a year in advance, or
even two years in advance.
Speaker 2: It's so funny. The next cruise is actually already sold
out for this year.
Speaker 3: So if you go to Hallmark dot com, if you
go to Hallmark's website, I'm sure there's information on how
to book, get on a mailing list so you can
be like perched and ready, because as soon as these
cruises go on sale, you have to book it within
like the first like three minutes or it'll be sold out.
Speaker 1: Wow.
Speaker 3: So so I'm sure head over to Hallmark and or
their social media.
Speaker 2: They'll give you information Hallmark Christmas Cruise dot Com.
Speaker 3: You can go there Hallmark Christmas Cruise dot Com to
get more information.
Speaker 1: Well, congratulations on another season of Christmas, because I love Christmas.
You'd be brilliant.
Speaker 2: Thank you, awesome, thank you so much.
Speaker 3: I hope everyone enjoys Christmas at Sea Monday night's at
eight o'clock on Hallmark, streaming the next day on Hallmark
for LUs