I WAS STILL in San Francisco last July 26th when Carlos Fernandez,
President Shugart's executive assistant, informed me via e-mail that I could meet
with the President within two weeks. I called Carlos and arranged for an interview
at the Miss Universe Organization headquarters in New York City. I returned to
Boston on August 5th, with only a few days to recuperate from a long and tiring
train ride. Then early Friday morning, August 9th, I got up at 6 a.m., took a
shower, had a quick breakfast, dressed up, grabbed my backpack and had my partner
drive me to the bus depot. I made sure I had all the essentials with me -
a notebook, a pen, my digital camera, my cellphone, my wallet, and a new SONY
mini-tape recorder.
MY BUS arrived in New York's Chinatown at around 1:15 p.m. From the depot, I walked several blocks
until I could hail a cab that took me to a reputable vegetarian restaurant where I had the most
delicious curry-flavored seitan with brown rice and spring rolls served with iced green tea.
I thought since I had at least an hour to kill, I might as well enjoy a healthy, vegan meal.
From my table, I could see speeding motorists and passers-by rushing to go places.
This is New York City. Everyone rushes. And so did I. I was savoring my meal too
sluggishly that I almost lost track of the time. I quickly gulped down my last morsel,
drank my tea to its very last drop, paid the bill, and hailed a cab 1370 Avenue of the
Americas. While in the cab, I checked my cellphone for messages, and surely enough,
Carlos had called around twenty minutes earlier to confim the interview and to
advise me that the President's schedule was running very tight.
RRD: Who is the real Paula Shugart?
PS: (Laughs) That's a good question! The one that just brought water in?
It's funny. I can be very serious. Obviously, with this job… I've been in this job for
a year and a half, so I've had a whole different way of looking at things. I was the
vice-president of production, and I had twenty years of production experience.
As far as who I really am is the person who would go from this show to that show,
being responsible, having a good time, but I think that show business is a
profession where you don't necessarily have to grow up, a hundred per cent,
you can have a good time… A few years ago, I started really living by the motto.
RRD: Carpe diem. Seize the day!
PS: Yeah. "Just be" is my own little personal thing when my husband and I first got
together. It has become sort of a joke with us now. He says, "I know, I know.
Don't worry about tomorrow. Just be!" I actually joined Miss Universe in 1998
when I was hired by Hawaii to represent their interests. I was there, went out by
myself, had the best time because I became my own best friend at that point and
really just enjoyed every single day. It was great.
RRD: So you take things one at a time and not worry about your future or not allow yourself
to be stressed out by something that does not exist?
PS: I try! Having your company purchased by a network sometimes gets me stressed out!
Right now, it's insane with our NBC purchase. There are three of us here in the office that
are primarily involved with that, and we've been going and going and working late nights.
We have to keep each other's spirits up since we've been working so hard.
RRD: So you have an excellent teamwork? Everybody gets along well with each other?
PS: Yes. We're not without our problems, but we all try to get along. Sometimes we're like a family;
sometimes dysfunctional. But most of the time we work together well.
RRD: Wonderful! Now how would a good friend describe you?
PS: Loyal. I think once I'm a friend with somebody and you need anything,
I think I'm a pretty loyal person.
RRD: So you think loyalty is important to you?
PS: Uhuh… loyalty is very important.
RRD: So your friends could be totally insincere about their comments regarding your
clothes or whatever so long as they remain loyal to you.
PS: (Laughs) Exactly!!!
RRD: At least they're honest!
PS: My father was an admiral, so we had that military code, I think, somewhere in there.
RRD: Do you have any weaknesses?
PS: Of course!
RRD: Name a few!
PS: (Laughs) See, now if I told you, you could use them against me!
Sometimes…uhhh… sometimes maybe I'm a little too trusting. One thing, going back to
your first question about who I really am… I am an extremely positive person. I operate
very spiritually although I don't practice a particular religion now but I was raised a
Catholic. But ever since I was a little kid I've operated on "faith". It was kind of a
joke in the family. Even when things looked bad, I would say, "I know it's gonna
happen! We're gonna have a miracle! It's gonna happen! I have faith it's gonna work out!"
RRD: So you keep your strength based on that?
PS: Oh, absolutely! Because I'm never alone. I always know, even through the tough times.
"Okay, God… Give me a little extra strength. Sometimes I can be a little too trusting just
because I try to be always upbeat and positive.
RRD: What makes you happy?
PS: My family.
RRD: (pointing to a picture on her desk) Is that your family?
PS: Actually those are my two brothers - one of them got married - and my husband.
RRD: Does he work for the company?
PS: He used to. He was the controller, I was the vice-president of Production.
We were always arguing about money anyway so it seems like a perfect marriage.
(Laughter) Both of my parents have passed away, so that's probably one of
the reasons I enjoy every day and appreciate my brothers, because we were very, very close.
RRD: And you believe that their spirits are guiding you?
PS: Oh, absolutely! I had a couple of friends who took me to a psychic and she said,
"Oh, your dad he's here… I don't see your mom… but you're father is absolutely here!"
And I know it's true… I feel him here. I talk to my dad all the time, especially when
I first took over - that was really stressful because it was a week or two weeks
before the Miss USA pageant a year ago. I definitely called on my dad a lot.
Sometimes I will pull out his old Navy coffee mug that says "Admiral" on it and have
a coffee while I get my thoughts together in the morning. Usually when I'm at home
in Los Angeles and usually just before I call Mr. Trump.
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"What makes you blush?"
OCTOBER 2002
PHOTO CREDIT : Critical Beauty
