CoolMom.com and Daphne Brogdon Interview

I recently had the opportunity to interview comic and TV host Daphne Brogdon. Daphne is the founder of CoolMom.com, a daily video break for moms. She contributes to CNN Headline’s Showbiz Tonight and Pregnancy Magazine, hosts FOX’s web show 24 Inside, and can also be seen hosting TV Guide Channel’s weekly series, The Fashion Team. Her family life is busy and includes a son who will soon be 10 months old and a 4 year-old daughter, as well as three step-sons – the youngest being 15. Her husband, Mark Peel, appeared on Top Chef Masters and owns Campanile Restaurant in Los Angeles.

I asked Daphne to tell me a little about Coolmom.com. She said that she often visits other mom and baby sites and found them very informational, but dry. She was looking for something that offered more of a community, a connection to other moms. She knew she wanted to develop something that got to the point quickly, that wouldn’t involve two hands, and could hold the attention of new moms who have very little spare time. She started the website in the spring of 2008 and worked with Deca to make it what it is today. She states “without the help of Deca, the site would have looked like a ransom note.”

I asked why she chose the video format instead of writing a typical blog. Daphne said it was never her intention to do a blog. She felt the video format could help to lessen the isolation new moms feel. She also believes people are very visually orientated and the videos would allow her to connect more effectively with viewers rather than readers. Daphne also made it a goal to keep the clips short to allow viewers to pop in and out whenever they have a spare minute, rather than finding themselves trapped by an entire blog post just trying to get to the point. She said the videos are mostly comedic, sometimes poignant. Deca did insist that she blog a bit, so there are some posts on her site about which she said, “I’m surprised to find that people actually read.”

Her favorite videos on CoolMom.com include the most recent, Runaway Mom, because it’s so relatable and what mom doesn’t want to escape every now and then? She also felt she made an impact with the video about what not to say when someone has a miscarriage. It was one of the most popular videos on her site. And she, of course, enjoys any that get her kids involved including this one starring her son, Rex.

As a part of TV Guide’s Fashion Team she hosts “Fashion Mommy Must Haves.” Daphne said one of her favorite “Must Have” segments was about how to shop with children. Since she just figured it out herself, she thought she’d offer advice to others. She said one of her most obvious suggestions is to shop online, especially through Upromise. Daphne believes Upromise is “a no-brainer” and an incredibly easy way to earn money for your children’s college funds. She says it’s great because “if my daughter wants a hunk of plastic that she’ll play with for four hours and never look at again, I won’t feel so bad buying it, if I know at least a percentage of the purchase went to her college fund.” She also said that the Upromise World MasterCard credit card from Bank of America automatically gives you 1% back from all purchases and if you use it while shopping through the Upromise site you are getting even more.

You can find Daphne at Coolmom.com and also, on Thursday, December 17 she will host a live Q&A at 1:00 p.m. est. on the Upromise Facebook page discussing all things parenting, and tips on how to plan and save for your child’s future. For every participant, MasterCard will donate $100 to the Upromise Scholarship fund.