It is always a special experience when you get to interview someone you consider a friend.  Such was the case when James Lott Jr. agreed to an interview and was so open and generous with all his answers.

James is a model for all those working to reinvent themselves and establish new goals in their lives.  CarolynTopolTalk.com is grateful to him for sharing his time with us!

Carolyn Topol Talk:  James Lott Jr. is a mover and shaker in web interviewing. He interviews entertainers in all avenues of the performance field. He is also known as the Super Organizer. What do you identify yourself with the most at this point?

James Lott:  That’s always the hardest question on earth for me. In LA, we’re very special out here because we call ourselves “the hyphenated”. No one has just one career out here. We all have several. This is what I always tell people — I’m a professional organizer, certified life coach, and TV and radio producer and host.. I have a dual career. I have a career and reputation in the life coaching world, and I have a career and reputation in the media world. I’m literally both of them.

CTT:  Are you still doing a lot of the organizing, life coaching jobs that you have done before? I know you had a lot of clients.

JL:  I have actually downsized. I am in the middle of repurposing my business. I have my business as an organizer — I’ve had this business for the last 7 1/2 years. I’m rebranding it as an expert services place. So, for example, I went to San Francisco to be a life coach for a week. I was paid by corporate clients to do that. I now have a couple of organizing clients. I have actually let go of a lot of them because of my media stuff has taken over. I’m trying to find a way to merge the two; I’m in the process right now.

CTT:  You’re moving further into your web series shows–you’re producing, and your actual hosting gigs that you have been doing — how did this all start? How did you get involved in this?

JL:  It was all a fluke. It was kind of crazy. I was dating someone who was best friends with Peter Ramos.  I went to his house and we started talking about Days of Our Lives. He said I heard that you love Days of Our Lives, and he said me too. [Laughs] We started talking about it  — but in depth. He said it’s a shame he didn’t know me sooner, that he was actually on a panel at a place called Afterbuzz TV and starting a Days of Our Lives after show. So I asked him what an after show is? I had no clue. [Laughs] He mentioned Maria Menounos and I said, “Oh, I love her and follow all her stuff.” He said, “Why don’t you come on one day as a guest? Since you know Days of Our Lives, I’ll just have you come on; it’s too late for you to be a host”.  I thought — a host, never in my life did I think about being a host!

The show started, and then literally, two weeks in, I got a phone call from Peter asking if I can come on and guest host? I said, “I guess so, what does that mean?” He said he’d come on and introduce me, that their leader, Tony Moore, would be out of town so I would come in and fill-in. Except for a party, I had never hosted anything, especially on television, in my entire life. I’ve been an actor for a little while, but that’s one thing, I had never hosted! But, I said, “Sure.” I’m a fearless person, as you guys probably know by now. Peter asked if I could come in the following Sunday? It was Wednesday. I said okay [hesitation in his voice]. I was already DVRing the show anyway. I was going to watch it [DOOL], and Peter said they’d give me a segment. My whole objective was that I was going to go there and support Peter. Peter was still trying to find his voice between Mark J. Freeman and Tony Moore.  They are two larger-than-life personalities.

CTT:  I can certainly understand that. [All laugh]

JL:  Yes. And Peter had never been on TV himself, either. Tony and Mark both had experience, either on TV or in theater. My idea was to go and support Peter. I was intending to push him up. So I came in on Sunday, and as soon as I walked through the doors, I thought, “Oh my God, I’m home.” I thought it was really amazing. I sat down and watched that first episode [afterward], and I cringed because I didn’t say that much. I talked, but I was a very subdued James Lott Jr. I wasn’t going to unleash all of me because it wasn’t my show. I was there just to fill in one time ever, as far I knew, and I wanted to support Peter. But, I loved the experience! Mark was the lead host that day and we had a great time. I thought, “This is really fun; it’s great!”

CTT:  Was this the first time you met Mark?

JL:  Yes, I knew him peripherally through circles of friends. It turns out, I found out later, he was friends with my brother and I had no idea. They were all part of the scene in LA that I was not a part of. I didn’t know Tony either that time. I met Mark, liked him a lot. We got along and I thought this was great. I said, “If you want me to come back again, I’ll try again.” Then a few weeks later they asked me back, and this time, when I came back, they had guests — Christopher Sean and Hira Ambrosino. Christopher and Hira were the first celebrities from Days who I got to meet. They were so nice; I’m so grateful. I was a little more animated at that time. Then, after that show, I started going into the chat room and watched the show every week. I became the people’s host — I started to talk with all the people. Then every few weeks, maybe even once a month or so, I would come on as a guest host. That began my career there.

CTT:  Ultimately Peter phased out and you came in as a permanent host, correct?

JL:  I was there almost a year. My entire time with Dishin Days was about a year. The first four or five months were once a month, but for the next seven I was on almost every week, when Peter decided to leave. Meanwhile, I came in and spoke to Afterbuzz TV and told them they needed a General Hospital show — I just said it as a whim. Apparently they liked me enough, and told me to find some people, and cast  it. Then, they told me I could pitch it to them and they’d do a test show. So I was focused on General Hospital before I started weekly on Dishin Days. During this time some stuff happened, and Peter left [Dishin Days] and they said, “James, you should just come on; the fans know who you are.”

CTT:  Then it took a little while longer for the General Hospital show to actually see airtime? Was there a complication because you were already doing Dishin Days?

JL:  It’s just that it’s Hollywood. It takes time from conception to air. It was my first time pitching, producing, and putting together a show for the Afterbuzz network. I had to make sure it was good so that when we did a test show, they would like it, and green-light it. It took time. I had to do a casting call, and I had over 40 people apply. I met with every single person. It took time with my busy schedule as I was a life coach and organizer, and I had gained a radio show at that time; that’s a whole other story. Some of the timing was just because my schedule was kind of crazy. I was also on Dishin Days every Sunday.

I also started doing other after shows at Afterbuzz. I started doing Zoo, Impastor, Under the Dome–I was getting into the hosting rotation. It took about seven months to get it together and then in September is when General Hospital came on.

CTT:  As a fan of all your shows I think they’re all terrific. You also have a big group of followers from When Calls the Heart.

JL:  Yes! [Laughs]

CTT:  You have groupies from that group?

JL:  My friends ask me, “who are these Hearties?” I can almost start crying, because when my brother passed recently, they really, really, really came together for me. They sent donations to the American Heart Association in my brother’s name. They sent me flowers at Afterbuzz — beautiful flowers, in a beautiful vase. They rallied and sent me prayers every day. I will never do anything against my Hearties. And that was another one of those on a whim things. Marisa Serafini, my girl at Afterbuzz said, “James, you’ll love this show. It’s like the Waltons and Little House on the Prairie. It’s your kind of show. I want to start a panel on Afterbuzz — let’s do it!” I was busy. And she just told me to watch it. I binge watched the first two seasons and loved it. We didn’t get how big this was going to be. We didn’t understand that the executive producer and creator, Brian Bird, would come on the show and tell us he loves our show. We didn’t understand that Sunday, when the show aired, it was the number one or number two most tweeted for that night. They follow my blogs they follow my other shows. My periscopes are filled with them.[the Hearties] And now we’re doing a Book Circle Online for When Calls the Heart books. We had Janette Oke come on, the writer of this series. She’s in her 80s. She came on our show and it was wonderful. She wrote this book about 30 years ago. This is from our web show on the sister network to Afterbuzz TV — Book Circle Online. The sister network to Afterbuzz TV. We do those once a month. There are six books in the series we’ve done at the first three so far.

CTT:  Who are your cohosts on When Calls the Heart after shows?

JL:  Marissa Serafini and Maria Provenzano. They’re the best.

CTT:  You’ve really taken off in a variety of different directions.

JL:  It’s funny with When Calls the Heart — I love the show so much. It’s this little show on the Hallmark Channel and it’s doing really well for them. It’s a movement. It’s not just a show it’s like a movement. This particular show has no sex, no violence, it’s romance. There is strong story and good actors on it. It’s just a good old-fashioned show that you could watch with your kids and your grandkids. Nobody is wincing because there is a gory scene. It’s just nice. It’s refreshing in today’s world and [the fans] just really support anybody who is a part of that world. I went to a luncheon for them. Marisa and I were invited guests, right here in Long Beach, back in May. I walked in; there were about 40 women and me. [Laughs] It was great. I came in and hugged everybody. I hugged every single person, and there were a lot of them I knew by name because they really do vocalize what kind of fan they are to me. I knew some by their first and last names because they are so wonderful to me. I love the Hearties and will always praise them.

CTT:  So now what, for example, does a day or a week look like for James Lott Junior?

JL:  [Laughs] That is my number one question that I get. I was just interviewed recently on a podcast that came out. It’s called Come Get Some. It’s a two-parter. They said, “James you’re too much; we have to do it in two parts with you.” In Hollywood talk, we did a super-sized episode with me. My number one question is, “James how do you do it?” So here’s my answer: Number one — I’m an organizer, so I know how to do time management, which is key. And it’s also about how I get things done. You can do a million things, get none of them done, and just be screwed. I get things done; I get results. So time management is key. Number two — I get 7 to 8 hours sleep a night. I get my sleep; I need my sleep. That’s very important. I had a mini-stroke two years ago and I will never let that happen again. I will make sure I get my sleep and rest — my body has to shut down. It’s very important. Number three — I always say I make the most of the hours I’m awake.

CTT:  What do you mean by that?

JL:  I live and breathe by my date planner. I’m old-school. I don’t use a calendar on the computer. I get a regular day planner from the $.99 store or a Big Lots; that’s my secret folks. I have a table that is strictly for scheduling and I have everything scheduled to the minute on my day planner. This way I know what I’m doing that week. I know exactly what’s going on every day. My life is different every day. I do love that, but I completely have everything scheduled out. This includes travel times. I made a commitment to myself and I stick with it because this is my life. So when I’m tired, I’m tired. When I need time off, I take time off. Every single day, while I’m awake, is all planned. Occasionally I can throw a wrench in the air. For example, the other day I sat and watched planes land at LAX for half an hour, in the middle of the day. It was beautiful and I just took that half-hour off. There’s wiggle room sometimes, but most of my life is scheduled to the nth degree. I really break things down. For example, there’s two hours that’s set for email time, three hours that’s promotion time, and that’s what I work on then, and only that. An hour in the garden — I schedule that time in. Then I’ll plan in watching TV, for example Bold and the Beautiful so I can get that together. I schedule everything very delicately and to the point.

CTT:  I really respect that because it sounds like you stick to it. Where do you fit in time for James social life?

JL:  That is a challenge. I have to schedule that in. I’ve been working on that the last six months. I have to make sure I get to see my friends and make sure I have time to see my mom. It’s really rough with the kids and grandkids because many of them live far away. I can’t always get to them as often as I’d like. I recently had one of my daughters here in LA. She came to visit me. She was on my journey with me for two days. I got to spend time with her and show her everything I do and introduce her to everybody. But that’s the journey for the last six months. I need to spend time for myself. This passion that I have will burn out and will become a burden if I don’t get away from it. So I’ll schedule it in. For example, on Thursday night I’ll be with my friend Cameron Louis and Friday night with my sister who lives two blocks from me. I try to make sure to leave myself the ability for some spontaneity. I am trying to work on having a better social life. It’s good — but I’m trying to work on it still.

CTT:  I know at one time you had an assistant, do you still have one?

JL:  No, we had to part ways. It was nothing bad. I hope to be able to bring him back later. He was my assistant for the last seven years. At some point hopefully I will be able to bring him and maybe a few others back on.

CTT:  Where do you see yourself going now?

JL:  Well I’ve tried to merge my two careers into one. I want to build an empire. [Laughs] I want to have this organizing empire where I’m an expert — where I have books out. I’m working on some stuff; I can’t really say what it is yet. And in one to five years, hopefully, a TV show or two. I want to continue doing my radio show and podcasts. I want the media and the life coaching to blend together and I want to continue with the soaps. I’m the executive producer and creator of three fourths of the soap block on Afterbuzz TV, so I still want to be involved in that. I want to produce more. I have some other projects I’m working on but I can’t say, yet, what they are either.

I don’t need to be in front of the camera all the time. I want to help other people. I want to help other people realize their goals — that’s part of my branding anyway, as a life coach and organizer. I want other people to realize their potential. And I want to keep doing interviews. I love being an interviewer. I love it more than life itself. I love interviewing on all my different shows. My dream would be to have, like Oprah, [laughs] an organizing show and an interview show on TV, on a larger scale. I’d like to produce some stuff like the soap things and then continue my radio show.

My dream is to have books and CDs come out along with all of this. This is where I see myself — continuing to blend and merge. I also want to make it more streamlined. This is how I’m going to build my empire.

I just know for me, I’m in a unique position because I’m older than just about anyone I work with in this industry, so I feel as if I’m calm in some ways compared to the kids out there who are hungry and always trying to get more and get in. But I also do have a sense of urgency in someways because I am older. Now I’m happy. I found my calling and now I want to accomplish. I hope to have a good 30 to 40 years left in my life, and have all my faculties. There’s a lot I want to accomplish in those 30 to 40 years. Looking at all of these kids who say, “I’ll do it later.” or, “I’ll do it tomorrow,” helps me look at things more clearly. So I say stay calm. Things will happen, but you also have to continue to work towards your goals. You can’t let people tell you you’re too old, or for you to do this, or do that. Just do it — success can come at anytime. That’s what I’m learning.

CTT:  That’s a wonderful message for a lot of people. Something else I’ve noticed about you — when you do your interviews, even with the most well known celebrities, you don’t seem affected by it at all. How do you prepare for something like that; for interviewing someone who is a star.  For example, I know you’ve interviewed Ed Asner and Eric Braeden?

JL:  People tell me my interviews come across as if they’re watching friends talk. Others have told me I seemed really interested in the person. It’s so funny to hear that from people, because I actually am interested in the people I interview. I am so incredibly blessed to be able to talk to anybody for an hour, whether they are famous or not. It’s great that these people want to sit down with me and trust me to make them look good. I don’t take that for granted at all. That’s my number one concern. It’s not about James Lott Jr. in those moments, it’s about that person and, us showing chemistry.

I’ve been very very fortunate; Eric Braeden told me, on camera, that I was the best interviewer since Larry King. It made me want to cry because it was the best compliment I’ve ever had. I’m a big fan of Larry King. Eric Braeden should know because he’s been interviewed probably 1000 times. The Eric Braden interview was the most nervous I’ve ever been in my entire life. I usually don’t get nervous for interviews, but for some reason that one I did. We’re friends now, but I was super nervous and I wanted to make sure I didn’t say the wrong thing. When he came through the door, right before the show, he couldn’t have been nicer. He came right up to me and gave me a handshake and looked me right in the eye. We talked off-camera, and that was great too. He gave me the biggest compliment — he said he wanted me to interview his son who is the filmmaker. I knew that meant he trusted me.

What it goes to show is what I do with every interview — I don’t write down questions. I have my little note cards that I’m famous for, and I research every single guest that I have. I’m going back to scheduling; I schedule the research in. I try to find the most interesting stuff that’s not common. I’m a big pop-culture person so I do know a lot of people and things already in my brain. I write down phrases, words, a quick fact, and that’s where I go. I sit down with them, I stay present, and I sit there and just talk to them. What I find is that some of the best stuff that comes out is from being present in the conversation. I can’t stand when I say see an interview where they’re talking to someone and the [interviewee] gives you a little gem of something and the interviewer skips it because they’re too busy trying to ask their specific questions. Ed Asner said Mary Tyler Moore has great boobs and that was the gem. We know she’s known for her legs, and we ended up talking about that gem for a little bit. [Laughs] We all know his life story already, but that’s a gem that shouldn’t be passed up. You need to stay present and go with it. These interviewees have some great stories and great insight or great philosophy, and I want to hear why they came to their conclusions. I want to know how they prepared for a soap role or how they stay grounded in Hollywood. I want to know all that stuff, so I have my notes, I’ve done my research, and I come fully present. Usually I try to give a hug first. I’ve only had a few people who don’t want a hug. Most everyone has been very nice to me, who I’ve interviewed. I always cater to them, offering them coffee, water, or whatever they need. I also try to make it jovial and relaxing, and tell them we’re going to have a good time. When the camera comes on, I’m all set to go. That’s my little tidbit about how I work. Some of these things won’t work for everybody but they do for me. But being present is very important. Listen to what they’re saying and the next question will come.

CTT:  I agree 100%!  Now talking about being present in the moment, I’d like to ask which moment was your biggest in terms of soap guest moments? I know you mentioned Eric Braeden, who you did a separate Spotlight On interview with, but I’m talking about on one of the soap block shows.

JL:  One of the biggest soap moments of my life was going to Day of Days. That was one of the biggest soap moments of my life. We [the Dishin Days team] realized, leaving our studio and going to Universal Studios, that we had fans. Tony, Mark, and I had no clue we had become that popular. On that day we had fans and celebrities all know us. It was this weird moment when the three of us realized this.

There’re actually two moments I would choose to answer your question. One is Patrika Darbo, who is just one of the loveliest people on earth. I had met her in 1999 at the Soap Opera Digest Awards, and took a picture with her. When I was able to do the Spotlight On with her and Tony Moore I surprised her with the picture. She was so surprised. Then we took a picture together right after the show. When I got to interview her again, recently, right after winning the Primetime Emmy for Short Form Video Actress she said, “Oh my God; it’s my baby,” and we hugged and we talked. I was able to show her the updated photo with the older picture, side to side with the 18 year difference. She told me, on camera, that my picture with her is on her piano.

The second one, who is a good buddy of mine now, is Michelle Stafford. I love Michelle Stafford. She is my girl — my homegirl. I was a fan of hers from Young and the Restless all those years and then, when she came onto General Hospital, it was great. The fact that I can call her my friend completely blows me away.

I would also give a close third to Kassie DePaiva. I was a fan of hers since Guiding Light and now she’s my friend as well. Both Kassie and Michelle, a few months ago, simultaneously sent me messages saying they love me. Michelle has been such a big supporter of the General Hospital show. So those are my three favorite moments — working with Patrika Darbo, Michelle Stafford, and Kassie DePaiva.

They’re all just great people. A close fourth would be Kathleen Gati. Her, and her husband Michael, are wonderful people. And of course there’s my crush on Donnell Turner. [Laughs]

CTT:  With all that we’ve spoken about, what is the very next thing you want to do?

JL:  There’s my new web series, The Really Quick James Lott Jr. Show. It’s great for people who are busy, or have short attention spans. It’s a minute to three minutes long [per episode]. I’ve already released the first few episodes. This has been two years in the making. I actually taped a whole season of it last year, hated it, and shelved it, and started over. It’s every Monday and Thursday — a quick little web series about anything. They’re like little Snap Chat videos but longer, with explanations. It’s just me, anywhere, talking about anything. I’d like to expand that and make it something really big.

Number two, I also really want to expand my new podcast with Cameron Louis called, Cameron and the Lott. We’ve had amazing feedback on our first episodes. Cameron and I are best friends, we are interracial, we’re intergenerational. He’s from the midwest, I’m from LA — we talk about all kinds of stuff. It shows a different side of James Lott Jr. We have a natural chemistry. We’ve done four different shows together. People seem to like our chemistry, and we really like each other. It’s a free space — not us doing therapy, but just talking. I love collaboration. I don’t mind James solo stuff, but I also enjoy strong collaborations.

Then number three, I’m working on a book. I have a book deal where I’m working on organizing and relationships. I’ve always wanted to be a published author. I’ve been writing since I was five years old. I have a couple of books that I’ve written, and after I get this book done and published, I’ll try to get the others published. But I’ve always wanted to be a published author —  that’s my dream of dreams.

I keep a gratitude journal and every single day I write — and I like to write with my hands. I have a journal and a special pen, and everyday I write.

CTT:  I wish you all the best in all three of those areas as well as all the wonderful things you have already accomplished!

(Photos courtesy of James Lott Jr. – pictured with Maria Menounos, Jen Lilley, Anthony Montgomery, Heather Tom, Ed Asner, & Eric Braeden )