It's a Small World

I apologize for the cliché title to this entry, but hey, it fits. I also apologize for those of you who now have that annoying Disney song stuck in your head.

In coming to New York, I pretty much expected to be a small fish in a very big pond (sorry for that second cliché too), which I am. I am just one person in a city of more than 8.3 million people. However, I’ve recently had some slightly surprising encounters that have left me thinking “It really is a small world.”

First, one of the employees here at the Late Show is actually from Lincoln, Nebraska. She attended UNL for one semester before coming out east to finish her college degree. She then landed an internship and eventually a job with the show. Her father works for Sandhills Publishing out of Lincoln and she even knows some of the people I interned for at Channel 8 KLKN-TV. It’s nice having a fellow Nebraskan on staff.

Second, one of the people I encounter on a daily basis is the same guy who filmed my “Stupid Human Tricks” audition last year over spring break. I was surprised when I came in for my initial interview for the internship and he remembered my first and last name. It’s just kind of weird to think that last spring he was some random guy who was taping an audition for me, now I work with him every day.

Next, last week I was returning from taking something backstage when I saw a man on the sidewalk in front of me wearing a jacket that said “Lincoln, NE Fire Department” on it. I told him I was a student at UNL and we then laughed about how unexpected our encounter was.

But probably the most unusual encounter took place last week when I was again, returning from the stage door heading towards the lobby door. There was a rather sizable crowd lined up behind the barricades waiting for Jamie Foxx to arrive. As I was walking past the crowd I heard someone say “Is that Carson Stokebrand?” I immediately thought, “What the heck? Who here knows my name?” I then heard them shout “Carson!” and looked over to see a girl that I had met only once before. She appeared on a segment of the Today Show with me last spring; we played a sumo-style ring toss game with Kathie Lee Gifford and Hoda Kotbe on their morning program. And I feel bad for admitting this, but I can’t remember her name…oops. I tried to find it on Facebook, but had no luck. Nevertheless, I couldn’t believe our paths crossed again and that she even recognized me. I guess this city might not be quite as big as I thought.