Building A Brand: How The Hills Created its Own Superstars by Nadya Vlassoff
It started with Laguna Beach in Orange County and then went to Hollywood in The Hills. Kristen Cavellari and Stephen Colleti, who gained fame on Laguna Beach, became known as some of the most famous high school students in all of the United States. With Cavellari and Colleti came their pack of friends, Jessica Smith, Lauren Conrad, “Lo” Bosworth, Alex H, Alex M and so on. In The Hills spin-off, Lauren “LC” Conrad moved to Los Angeles to attend the Fashion Institute of Design and Merchandising and start a new life. Over the past four seasons it has been a roller coaster of drama filled with highs and lows, tears and tussles, fights, and friendship. It was LC, Audrina Partidge, Heidi Montag and Whitney Port who faced the challenges of everyday life with school and work to make it in their respective industries.
However, The Hills has faced a lot of criticism and adversity, with many branding it a scripted reality show that does not follow the template of a real reality series. There have been many specific instances where The Hills girls have been photographed or filmed in a way that interferes with the continuity of the show, leading many to believe that it really is scripted. Despite the criticism and the speculation, The Hills has launched the careers of its respective stars. In our own unscripted reality it may seem a little too far-fetched in some respect. But with the massive following that MTV’s hit show has produced, it looks like the easiest way to launch the careers of LC and her co-stars.
Thrust into the limelight as a teenager, Lauren Conrad was not the main star of Laguna Beach but it helped pave the way to gain notoriety within the ranks of her fellow cast mates as she went on to star in her own successful spin-off. Studying at the famous FIDM in Los Angeles, her interest in fashion was apparent. A career in the glamorous industry would be a no-brainer to those peering in from the outside. With a large fan base and even larger aspirations, LC launched her own fashion line, the Lauren Conrad Collection, in 2007. While her clothing may not be designer-chic or runway-wear, there was a push for the line to carve its own niche in the fashion industry.
Self-promotion aside, her fashion label was criticized by many for being over-priced and under-achieving. With the current economic crisis in the United States, Lauren Conrad has decided to put her label on hiatus and has pulled plans to launch her spring/summer line. Can this be the kiss of death for LC, who has also stated that Season 5 of The Hills will be her last? It’s too soon to tell. MTV is adamant that they have not decided whether the show will continue with or without their big name star. Although this may be considered a blow to the fun loving, friend-oriented LC, Conrad has proven that adversity doesn’t stop her from getting what she wants. Time will only tell what LC’s future holds.
After LC, you have Heidi Montag. Former best friends and current “frenemies,” Heidi wasn’t about to be left behind, as she also went ahead and launched her own fashion label, Heidiwood, in April of 2008. If it wasn’t enough to see her boyfriend, Spencer Pratt, acting like a prat throughout all four seasons of The Hills, Heidi went on to launch a singing career with Spencer directing her first music video for the song “Higher.” Despite the criticism and the jokes at her expense, Heidi still has the last laugh since she was able to create two different careers for herself thanks to her stint on The Hills.
Audrina Patridge, the only brunette on the show, much like Jessica on Laguna Beach, has gone on to shop her own reality TV series after leaving The Hills, which helped her gain notoriety for doing basically nothing. Following in the footsteps of Whitney Port, who has her own successful MTV spin-off “The City,” Audrina has been quoted as saying, “I wanted to collaborate with the best possible team for my first big project after 'The Hills.' Mark Burnett really understands my vision and I’m excited about the concepts we've developed that will show people a different side of my life." While no one is really sure what Audrina’s job with Epic Records actually entails, and whether her so-called relationship with Justin Bobby will continue to fluctuate more than a pregnant woman’s hormones, MTV’s penchant for scripted reality has so far proven to be a winning formula. Patridge has also been known to command $5000 an hour to appear at clubs. Fair? Not really. But for a girl who was cast on MTV”s highest-rated show of 2008 simply by getting noticed as she sunbathed near the production site of The Hills, it doesn’t seem like a bad trade-off.
Finally, there is Whitney Port, perhaps the most intelligent of the four and the only one who appears to have an actual job where she actually does - for lack of a better term - stuff. Port, along with LC, worked at People’s Revolution while she was on The Hills, which led to a job opportunity with fashion icon Diane Von Furstenberg. After Season 4, Whitney left Los Angeles for a new job in New York City, where she had previously been flying to due to her job with People’s Revolution. Port’s spin-off “The City” chronicles her professional and personal life as she meanders her way through a new city and role as the star of her own show. It’s a big step for LC’s confidant and former co-worker but Whitney hasn’t had a problem stirring up drama as New York City welcomes some new blood.
Despite the various punch-lines and jokes, and the many brilliant parodies by Mad TV at their expense, The Hills has gone far beyond simply introducing another brand of rich kids into society. For the girls of The Hills, and a few boys as well, their business opportunities have expanded by leaps and bounds thanks in large part to a show that was supposed to chronicle their everyday lives and not their business transactions. Say what you will about The Hills but these young stars are savvier than they appear. At the very least, they’ve accomplished what most would have deemed laughable only four years ago; they have created and branded themselves. From a branding perspective, their careers are just beginning thanks to The Hills, timing, and their own tenacity.
Audrina Patridge is pretty pretty pretty, We LOVE Her....OC CA
Lydia
April 16, 2009 - 01:19
Subject: Audrina deserves way better.. I am a huge fan..
Audrina is a Rocking New Super star in my eyes, I love her on the hills and everyother show and movie shes been involved with. She works her axx off to get where she is, SAD so WRONG how this site and article trashes her, Who are you people, real or not... people who do matter- care/ people that dont know and see a sucess story as Audrina Patridge, Need to STFU Audrina rules baby
Jiyoung – vancouver
March 26, 2009 - 02:03
Subject:
This show is not realistic at all, but I love to watch them. It's good for entertaining.
Alice – Toowoomba
March 25, 2009 - 23:20
Subject: I love you
heyhey again i love your show i love it so much that if i miss it i could faint and i woudnt wake up untill i can get to reweiw that episoide soooooo............. can all u people get back to me yay!
Alice – Toowoomba
March 25, 2009 - 23:18
Subject: Hey
hey hey i love your show it is like the best ever i love it!!!
It started with Laguna Beach in Orange County and then went to Hollywood in The Hills. Kristen Cavellari and Stephen Colleti, who gained fame on Laguna Beach, became known as some of the most famous high school students in all of the United States. With Cavellari and Colleti came their pack of friends, Jessica Smith, Lauren Conrad, “Lo” Bosworth, Alex H, Alex M and so on. In The Hills spin-off, Lauren “LC” Conrad moved to Los Angeles to attend the Fashion Institute of Design and Merchandising and start a new life. Over the past four seasons it has been a roller coaster of drama filled with highs and lows, tears and tussles, fights, and friendship. It was LC, Audrina Partidge, Heidi Montag and Whitney Port who faced the challenges of everyday life with school and work to make it in their respective industries.
Thrust into the limelight as a teenager, Lauren Conrad was not the main star of Laguna Beach but it helped pave the way to gain notoriety within the ranks of her fellow cast mates as she went on to star in her own successful spin-off. Studying at the famous FIDM in Los Angeles, her interest in fashion was apparent. A career in the glamorous industry would be a no-brainer to those peering in from the outside. With a large fan base and even larger aspirations, LC launched her own fashion line, the Lauren Conrad Collection, in 2007. While her clothing may not be designer-chic or runway-wear, there was a push for the line to carve its own niche in the fashion industry.
Audrina Patridge, the only brunette on the show, much like Jessica on Laguna Beach, has gone on to shop her own reality TV series after leaving The Hills, which helped her gain notoriety for doing basically nothing. Following in the footsteps of Whitney Port, who has her own successful MTV spin-off “The City,” Audrina has been quoted as saying, “I wanted to collaborate with the best possible team for my first big project after 'The Hills.' Mark Burnett really understands my vision and I’m excited about the concepts we've developed that will show people a different side of my life." While no one is really sure what Audrina’s job with Epic Records actually entails, and whether her so-called relationship with Justin Bobby will continue to fluctuate more than a pregnant woman’s hormones, MTV’s penchant for scripted reality has so far proven to be a winning formula. Patridge has also been known to command $5000 an hour to appear at clubs. Fair? Not really. But for a girl who was cast on MTV”s highest-rated show of 2008 simply by getting noticed as she sunbathed near the production site of The Hills, it doesn’t seem like a bad trade-off.
Finally, there is Whitney Port, perhaps the most intelligent of the four and the only one who appears to have an actual job where she actually does - for lack of a better term - stuff. Port, along with LC, worked at People’s Revolution while she was on The Hills, which led to a job opportunity with fashion icon Diane Von Furstenberg. After Season 4, Whitney left Los Angeles for a new job in New York City, where she had previously been flying to due to her job with People’s Revolution. Port’s spin-off “The City” chronicles her professional and personal life as she meanders her way through a new city and role as the star of her own show. It’s a big step for LC’s confidant and former co-worker but Whitney hasn’t had a problem stirring up drama as New York City welcomes some new blood.