I AmA former cast member of the PBS kid's show ZOOM, AMA!

Were there any back-stage sex scandals?

......we were 11

but no haha

Will Ubbi Dubbii forever be embedded in your mind?

yubes, subometubimes ubit trubickubles buback ubin tubo muby vubocubabubulubaruby

Ubi lubove yuboo fubor rubespubondubing :) hubave uba grubeat dubay!

hubope yubours ubis grubeat tuboo! stubay wubarm! (uif yubou're ubin thube nuborthubeast, thubat ubis..)

What, the actual fuck, did I just read.

Ubi rubead ubit jubust fubine. Mubayube yubou ubare jubust hubavubing uba struboke.

Thubat's prubobubably whubat's hubappubenuing.

Did I do it right?

yup

Did you ever meet Zoe? That girl seemed like she was allergic to nearly everything.

I never got to meet her, no. She was on one of the verrrry early seasons.

Hey! I had a massive crush on you when I was 11! (which was back in 2005!)

Just.

Just thought you should know.

You're a very gorgeous woman now, btw.

And now this is getting a tad creepy; it was meant to be an enduring, cute thing, from an old fan of the show. But reading this back through, I'm... yeah. I'm coming off with massive creeper vibes right now.

Yeah.

Just going to.

^{SlowlyDisappearnow.}

i am flattered and totally not creeped out at all hahaha...

^security

:0

Why this AMA hasn't exploded is beyond me.

First, though not really a question for you, am I the only one who thought that the black offstage area was emptiness and the kids would fall off should they venture off the stage?

About Zoom: Did you ever get paid anything, or was being on zoom payment on it's own?

You were my favorite on Fetch with Ruff Ruffman because you were on zoom right before it vanish from the airwaves forever. How heavily scripted was that show? I remember how baffled I was by the fact that the animators could so quickly animate Ruff to answer your questions and hold a conversation until I later realized that I was an idiot. Were the challenges and stuff scripted too?

Thank you for being a part of my childhood.

Edit for spelling

Fetch! was totally unscripted...but the producers let us know specific things that we had to mention in order to keep the episode's plot moving (if we didn't figure them out naturally). when we were talking to Ruff on the screen, we were actually talking to a live feed of the actor who played Ruff in his trailer outside the studio. so we were actually interacting and the conversation was for real, it's just the animation that was put in after!

You have no idea how happy it just made me finding out that my childhood isn't a lie.

If its any consultation, I thought the kids in zoom were trapped in said black room... I was stupid, so so stupid

*consolation.

**cubonsubolubatubion.

have an upvote

i knew nick's older sister. she used to talk shit about shing ying. is she a bitch or not?

i liked her!

How did you get to be on Zoom? I freaking LOVED that show as a kid!

I was watching the show and, during the credits, a woman in a voiceover announced that an open audition would be held for a new cast. You had to call a number and make an appointment to try out. I begged my dad to bring me to Boston so I could try out and, against my mother's wishes, he brought me. I tried out on this exact day in 2003, and I made it through 6 callbacks before being told I wasn't selected for the show.

The next year, the same thing happened. Heard the announcement, begged my dad, tried out. The second time, though, they cast me. Huge deal for a 6th grader! haha

RIP Jared.

way too young..

What happened to him?

he was killed by a drunk driver when he was 21

Wow that's so sad. :(
P.s. Off topic but I think I have the same top as you aha.

you must have great taste!

hey everyone, goin to sleep for zee evening...i'll answer all your questions tomorrow! sleep tight

Taylor, I miss your morning announcements at the highschool D: .

goooooooood morning!! haha...who are you!!

Do you go to UMass?

yep! do you?

I go to umass! (amherst)

we should party

pahty*

Will you marry me?

i don't believe in marriage

so yes

The Weezie Foundation. Lil Wayne subliminal advertising

weezie f baby, don't forget the baby

Do you live in 02134? (yes, i was just singing it when i typed it)

I do not haha...close, though!

Favorite cast member?

I really liked everyone I got to work with during season 7, but my favorite is probably Kyle. We used to carpool to the set together and still remain in touch...he's a silly man.

[deleted]

yeah, when i was younger i got recognized all of the time. now that i'm older (and have a few more piercings than i did when i was 11), it happens waaaay less often. but sometimes people who've known me for awhile find out about it and freak out haha

you look like 2 Rosario Dawsons had a baby

I actually get Rosario Dawson alllllll the time...I'm not even Latina! haha

but i'm flattered cuz she's a hottie

HOLY SHIT! ZOOM!!

i never actually watched the show, but I saw the intro a few times. I was thinking about it the other day, actually.

One question that always lingered with me was:

Yes, I realize the show is trying to inspire creativity in kids and get them doing other stuff, but how is, "If you like what you see, turn off the TV and DO IT!" supposed to keep people watching the show and keep ratings up and thus not cancel the show?

I always thought about that, too! haha....I guess PBS cared more about education and less about ratings, which I think is totally rad.

What was your favorite fun trick, fact or activity that you had the opportunity to share with the world?

I really loved doing the little science experiments. Most of them were pretty much science phenomena (or, as I like to call them, life shoops).

But, the recipes were hands down my favorite. Specifically, we made this kiwi sorbet one time and it was crazy good.

That sounds awesome, any chance you remember the recipe or have a recording of that episode?

the recipe may or may not be on the zoom website, but no, i don't have a recording

Did you get paid for your appearance on the show? Did the castmates have any creative control over the content of the show or did the producers pretty much tell you what to do? What's your favorite memory from your time there?

1. yes, i did get paid

2. we had some creative control over the content in that we could submit our own ideas to the content producers and, if they liked it, they would use it on the show. otherwise, all of our content was fan-submitted!

3. We had this area that we called "the beach"...it was the loading dock for the studio, but we decked it out with towels, beach chairs, umbrellas, the whole shebang, and we'd hang there when we weren't needed on set. Anything that happened out there I could call my favorite memory, we had so much fun haha

I believe this is from one of your auditions?

yessir!

Did you get a chance to meet any of the older/"original" Zoomers?

yeah, we had a huge wrap party when the series ended and most of the zoomers from all of the seasons came

Do you still act?

i did another PBS show after ZOOM called Fetch! with Ruff Ruffman, and I did plays all through middle/high school, but other than that i'm not on the acting scene. might try out for a play at my college this semester, what do you think?

What season were you on Fetch? My 6 year old is a huge fan of that show.

EDIT: Ha! I asked my daughter what season Taylor was on Fetch and she says "Season 1, dad!"

haha, yeah, season 1...let her know i said hey! :)

Have you heard about the possible spinoff of Fetch?

i have not! elaborate?

OH MY GOD YOU WERE ALSO ON FETCH

I must ask, what was it like talking to absolutely nothing? More or less a dog.

Also, what would you say was the best experience/challenge on FETCH? And did you ever get to go on that river rafting adventure with Anna at the end? :D

I really loved training a sea lion at the New England aquarium, and obviously going to space camp was tiiiiight

and yes, we all went!

Omg!! I haven't heard the name of that show in so many years!! I used to watch in on a daily basis. So what have you been up since then?

let's see...middle school, high school, and 3/4 of college, making a few student films, drinking numerous bottles of ginger ale, eating all the burritos i can, and lurking hard on reddit!

Sounds fun! What are you studying?

double majoring in Communication and Comparative Literature, with a minor in Film

Vernors or Canada Dry?

schweppes or boylan's....dat good shit

That was such a great show!

i agree! haha

If it makes you feel better I still remember. "Boston Mass 02134!"

send it to Zoom!

hows life?

life's great! living the college kid dream

how's yours?

To this day when people ask me, " watcha doing? " I reply with "Sitting on a red bench" and nobody gets me. Thank you for making me an outcast among my friends.

I wish they still made that show.

i have to fight that urge whenever someone asks me what i'm doing, too! haha

Do you still keep in touch with anyone from ZOOM? Are you still friends with any of them?

we're all still friends! sometimes, one of us will find an old pic from the show and post it on Facebook...we all have a good laugh

Why was the show cancelled? Did you ever get interesting mail sent in?

I think the show got canceled to make room for other shows (ex:Fetch!)

we didn't get to read the viewers' mail, that was up to the producers

Wow, you turned out hot.

aw, thanks! if I could blush, I would....(but I'm black)

What happened to the other cast members of ZOOM?

they're all doing their own thing--school, jobs, etc.

I remembered watching that show everyday after school with my cousins. I have to say it looked like the best job ever to have when i was younger, what did you dislike about the show?

it was awesome! hm...i think my least favorite part was having to be on set at 7 AM. my poor dad had to drive me to boston at 6 AM, drive back to my hometown and go to work until 4 PM, and then drive back and pick me up for 5 PM...it was a big strain on both of us, but he maintains that it was worth it!

Super late for this, but oh well. I'm wondering what you did as far as schooling while being a cast member on the show? Did you only film in the summer, or was there tutoring on set, or what? I absolutely loved Zoom when I was little, haven't thought about it in ages. Thanks!!!!

we only filmed during the summer, so tutors weren't necessary and we didn't miss any school at all!

Did you or any of the other kids think they were "the shit" for being on the show and develop an attitude?

i actually avoided talking about it for a long time because i thought that if i did, people would think i was bragging...but yeah, i'd say it did go to a few kids' heads!

Were zoom t-shirts ever mass-produced? I got one second-hand from a sale at my school and wonder if it may have found its way to me from a cast member. Unfortunately it stopped fitting a long time ago!

they sold the t shirts at events, and they gave all of the cast members one...yours very well may have been authentic, ZOOMer-worn! hehehe

What was the coolest part about being on Zoom?

Ahhhh, I can't decide! I'll think about it and then respond

Its been 10 hours, I don't think she's going to respond man.

there were just so many cool things about it!

Did you ever get to meet Kenny Yates or Caroline Bothelo?

both, actually!

So what do you plan to do in the future? Any more acting?

I would love to do some more acting, it's honestly one of my true passions. My secret dream is to be on SNL (don't you judge me!)

but until then, I'll be making shorts and hoping to get my foot in the door of DIY filmmaking

[deleted]

thanks so much! I wish you the best of luck as well!

Were you ever apart of the Ubbi Dubbi Farytale Play?

i don't believe so? it's hard to remember that far back sometimes haha

OH MY GOD. I loved ZOOM as a kid! That show was the absolute shit.

My question: How was it like starring on a TV show at such a young age? Did it affect you socially?

It warranted/gave me a huge sense of responsibility, so that was interesting to deal with at 11..but otherwise, no, I was/am just a regular ol' gal

Are you Kristian's sister? The sister of girl I go to school with used to do Zoom.

I am not

Ah damn, well you were great and you're so pretty now, I'm jealous! Love the nose ring.

d'aw, shucks. thanks, yo!

How do you get picked for something like that? is it like right off the street or is there an applicant process? Considering you were 11, Im assuming your parents had something to do with it.

actually, my parents were pretty against it at first...it took a ton of convincing on my part to even get them to be okay with me trying out for the show! but yeah, it was really an open audition, so I just tried out and got lucky

how were the other cast like? are they rude?

no, they were all really awesome. of course, everyone has their days, but i don't think PBS would've hired a grumpy kid haha

Just reading your replies on this AMA and I can tell your an awesome person already. I loved Zoom as a kid and you just brought a little of my childhood back. Thank you for being so awesome and I hope the best for you.

thanks so much! funny how someone you don't even know can make your whole day..

Do you actually celebrate Kwanzaa every year?

not this past year, but yeah every other year

never anything fancy, just food and family and i get a book haha

There's a good chance I masturbated to you when I was a young lad.

I'm.......flattered?