Being Kendra_ Cribs, Cocktails, and Getting My Sexy Back - Kendra Wilkinson [73]
It was good to get back to my life after DWTS. I had a couple of weeks of “free time” before filming for Kendra started up again. At this point, we were moving into our new house in Calabasas, doing preproduction meetings, and getting ready for season number four. I didn’t realize how much I loved my little cable show until I saw how much effort and stress went into making a big blockbuster network show. Luckily for me, my skills of being a mom and housewife score me 10s across the board on Kendra. It was nice to be back in my “normal” home life with my Hanks.
Chapter 15
Kendra the Show
Before I got my own show, I had to surround myself with the right team to get me on the right path. As far as anyone else was concerned, I was just this bimbo with big boobs who liked to dance on top of bars and take tequila shots. I was known for being the backup girlfriend to Hugh Hefner. I was supposed to smile, show some cleavage, and kiss him on one of his cheeks (the other cheek was usually reserved for Holly or Bridget). But what I knew was that was just me trying to be what everyone expected. I was slowly outgrowing that and plotting my next move. What they never expected is what came next.
When I started to realize at the Playboy Mansion that I could make my own business out of me, I also realized that Playboy was only worried about Playboy. Especially during the third and fourth seasons of The Girls Next Door. If I wanted to appear on a show like The Tonight Show with Jay Leno, the Playboy publicist would call me and they would tell me what I could and could not say. “Kendra, you know that doesn’t look good for the Playboy brand,” or “Don’t talk about yourself so much.” No one but me was concerned about my future. It was always Playboy, Playboy, Playboy. That’s when I woke up and I hired people for me. The “me” factor is really important. We are taught to be selfless, and share, and be considerate of others, and I totally get and respect that. But when you are your own business and you make money off of yourself, you have to forget about selflessness and sharing and instead put your “me” mode into high gear. You can be all about yourself and still be nice.
I was searching for a manager or someone who could guide me and build me. The big-time legitimate agents weren’t knocking down my door; at this point I was just a girl who had been on the cover of Playboy and lived with Hugh Hefner. But I did finally meet someone who promised he’d get me some deals. He ended up being a worthless nobody who used me. He just hung on my coattails, and I don’t know why I let him. I just didn’t know any better. I wasn’t the least bit business savvy back then. It was an Entourage type of thing. He had never represented anybody before me but he was a smooth talker and I thought he could swing some deals for me. Instead I felt that my money had been mismanaged and I ended up almost suing him. I’m sure that happens every day in Hollywood, but I didn’t know any better. I was young and had no experience, and I was desperate to break out on my own. We did a lot of cash deals and I wasn’t sure what moneys were coming in and what percentage I actually was supposed to get. Now I don’t even talk about a deal without some form of written communication.
It took a while to form my team. I went through a couple different publicists and associates who didn’t understand how to help me make it happen, and I had to learn what I was looking for and how to represent myself before I could actually build my dream team. I had to go through the bad to get the good. But I was always aware that I needed to find people who could help look after me as a brand and my career. I just couldn’t always do anything about it.
From there I went to different agencies trying to find new people. They tried to wow me with their big