Having come to New York from Germany at the age of 19 with only $800 in her pocket, Marianne Hettinger had to learn how to make it on her own and follow her dreams in The Big Apple. Being a filmmaker, actress, and dancer, Hettinger has had the chance to meet some interesting people, both famous and not so famous, and while working for the National Board of Review, had the privilege to interview actors like Dustin Hoffman, Ben Affleck, and Jodi Foster. Now all of those experiences have led her to start up a new video talk show, “Hallo New York”, that pays tribute to both her home country and the city she now calls home.
The host, Marianne Hettinger, in traditional “Dirndl” garb.
“Hallo New York” follows the intimate style of the successful show “Talk Stoop” but trades in the front stoop for an even more relaxed setting inside her Manhattan apartment. The one-on-one interviews featured in each episode touch on topics of life in New York and being a German immigrant. It is truly a one of a kind show filled with fascinating stories, and from the moment her show’s intro video starts up, you’ll be drawn in.
One of the driving forces behind Marianne Hettinger’s drive to produce “Hallo New York” comes from some of her not so perfect experiences of being a German immigrant when she first moved to the United States. She told us “at first I still encountered hostility towards my being German because of our past. Even recently, when I was married to Norbert Schramm and we would talk in German on the streets of Manhattan, we got a few anti-German remarks. So I felt it was time to do a talk show where I do let my being German be part of the immigrants’ experience.”
Since December, “Hallo New York” has filmed about 14 interviews and published several of them to the show’s YouTube channel in recent weeks. Some of the initial interviews include German singer/actress Ute Lemper, and former CEO of CDV Software, Germany’s biggest computer and videogame company, Wolfgang Gaebler.
World cabaret star Ute Lemper (left) with host Marianne Hettinger (right)
Staying true to her German-American identity, Hettinger interviews some of her guests in German and others in English. Part of that decision also has to do with her plans to get “Hallo New York” aired on more than YouTube. She is currently shopping the first set of episodes to German and English language TV channels.
Until then, you can still find many of the fascinating stories on the show’s YouTube channel and stay up to date with the show’s progress on the official Facebook page. Despite being based in New York, “Hallo New York” offers something anyone throughout the US and Germany can thoroughly enjoy. We recommend checking it out and have embedded the latest episode featuring Ute Lemper below…
Sources: Hallo New York [Facebook] [YouTube]
Photos: Facebook
