The Insider:
Hi Andrea. Right after our interview about physical therapy and Covid in The Insider, you taped your first TV appearance, right? How exciting!
Andrea Kwok:
Hi! Yes, I did. It was exciting, I’ve never done anything like that before!
The Insider:
Which program will you be on?
Andrea Kwok:
Good Morning America on ABC.
The Insider:
Wow! That is the big time! How did this come about?
Andrea Kwok:
One of my patients is a producer for the show, and she approached me about participating in a taped segment.
The Insider:
What is the segment about?
Andrea Kwok:
Foot pain. In my portion I go into how you can avoid foot pain as well as a few exercises you can do if you start to notice foot pain.
The Insider:
That’s great! Before we start talking about the shoot, want to give Insider readers a tip or two about that?
Andrea Kwok:
Sure! The best advice I can give to avoid foot issues is to make sure you are wearing proper footwear. Shoes should be secure on your feet, support the arches of your feet, and have some amount of cushioning, especially at the heel. Making sure that the muscles in your foot and ankle are strong will also help prevent injury.
The Insider:
Does doing a lot of walking strengthen your foot and ankle muscles?
Andrea Kwok:
It can! However, if you walk too much in very flat shoes, or if you have any underlying weakness or poor gait mechanics, walking might end up causing some pain.
The Insider:
Do podiatrists give good advice about that?
Andrea Kwok:
Podiatrists can help, as can physical therapy.
The Insider:
We’ll all be tuning in, to find out the details! Where did you do the shoot?
Andrea Kwok:
At the Spear Physical Therapy clinic on W. 92nd St., on the upper west side in Manhattan.
The Insider:
Since we’re a pandemic publication, I should ask you whether there were special precautions taken before and at the shoot. One of our readers works at NBC and has told us about the huge efforts taken there to avoid Covid.
Andrea Kwok:
Yes. This was actually the producer’s first on-location shoot since the start of the pandemic. We needed to provide the dimensions of the space, as well as number of people expected to be in the space at the time of filming. We were also asked if everyone is required to wear a mask in the clinic (they are!).
The Insider:
How many ABC people came to the shoot?
Andrea Kwok:
Four.
The Insider:
With what jobs at the shoot?
Andrea Kwok:
The producer, the camera operator and an assistant. I am not sure what the official role of the fourth person was. He seemed to be a director of sorts.
The Insider:
How much preparation was there before they actually came there? Had you been conferring with them?
Andrea Kwok:
Yes, by email for about a week leading up to the shoot.
The Insider:
Did they come out to look at the location beforehand?
Andrea Kwok:
Yes.
The Insider:
Did you know the exact topic that was going to be discussed?
Andrea Kwok:
I knew that the topic was foot pain and how the general population can manage it at home. That was all I knew prior to the shoot. Most of the email beforehand was about the space and logistics.
The Insider:
How long did the shoot itself take?
Andrea Kwok:
I was there for about an hour, maybe a little less. Everything was set up when I arrived.
The Insider:
What was it like? Were you nervous?
Andrea Kwok:
Only a little. It helped that I was familiar with the producer and we had one of our own marketing team members on site too, whom I am friendly with. Also, this is a topic that I discuss with patients all the time. Just not usually with lights and cameras on me!
The Insider:
Do they just shoot the segment from beginning to end, or did you have to do multiple takes?
Andrea Kwok:
It was filmed in parts, first the interview in a closer shot. Then we filmed the exercises from a wider angle. They filmed a few takes of each exercise.
The Insider:
Were you demonstrating various foot and ankle exercises?
Andrea Kwok:
Yes, we did one take where I explained and demonstrated the exercises myself, and another where our marketing associate volunteered to be the model. She did great!
The Insider:
I was going to ask you who the patient was! That’s a good solution! I’m curious whether you needed to brief them so they could ask the right questions.
Andrea Kwok:
I think they had an idea of what type of information they wanted explained in the interview, and asked me questions based on that.
The Insider:
So they did their homework. That’s impressive!
Andrea Kwok:
They definitely knew what they were doing! Everything was efficient from start to finish.
The Insider:
As a TV newbie, what was most surprising to you about the shoot?
Andrea Kwok:
I found it interesting that they had multiple cameras set up for each shot, I imagine so that they can cut to closer frames or different angles both for clarity and interest. But I think I was most surprised at how relaxed the whole process felt, actually.
The Insider:
So, did you catch the TV bug?
Andrea Kwok:
Haha. It was definitely an interesting experience, and more fun than I thought it would be. I’d be willing to do something like this again, but I don’t have any interest in becoming an on-screen regular.
The Insider:
That may change when you hear from everyone you know after the segment airs! How long will your part of the segment be? Have you seen it yet?
Andrea Kwok:
I think my part will be fairly short, about 2 minutes. I have not seen the final cut, I imagine the editing process takes a while.
The Insider:
So much time and work go into preparing those two minutes!
Andrea Kwok:
That’s for sure!
The Insider:
I saved the most important question until the end. What did you wear?
Andrea Kwok:
Haha! I was asked to wear a bright colored top. Unfortunately, my wardrobe is black, white, and gray–the New York uniform. But I do have one red top, so that was it! With black slacks and loafers.
The Insider:
Did they put makeup on you?
Andrea Kwok:
I was responsible for my own makeup, but I was given recommendations and tips to make it camera-friendly.
The Insider:
Do share!
Andrea Kwok:
The main message was don’t overdo it. Which was easy for me because I have a very minimal makeup selection.
The Insider:
It sounds like a lot of fun! When will this be airing? We want to see it soonest!
Andrea Kwok:
The week of September, 19th but I don’t know the exact date yet. I can let you know when I find out!
The Insider:
We’ll definitely trumpet the date to our readers! Congratulations, Andrea, and thanks for sharing your story. A star is born!
Andrea Kwok:
Haha! Thank you, happy to talk about my 15 seconds of fame!
Andrea Kwok is the Clinical Director of SPEAR’s West 67th Street location. Andrea earned her Doctorate in Physical Therapy from the University of Delaware. During her time there, she completed a graduate assistantship in the Physical Therapy administrative office and served as class secretary. Prior to her graduate studies, Andrea graduated summa cum laude from Rutgers University with a major in exercise science and a minor in Spanish. Andrea was a founding member of the Rutgers club gymnastics team, where she served as team treasurer.
In her professional career, Andrea has experience working with a wide range of orthopedic conditions, inclusive of sports injuries, mechanical pain, neurological pain, and post-operative rehabilitation. She pursues continuing education with a manual focus, intent on refining her ability to address joint, neurodynamic, and soft tissue dysfunction. Andrea is a large proponent of injury prevention and has participated in movement screenings for high school athletes, active adults, and local residents in the community. She is committed to restoring patient strength and function through targeted exercise and movement training.