Ex-ShopNBC Host Charla Rines Does Stint On Australia’s TVSN For Isomers

Former ShopNBC host Charla Rines, who did duty at EmVee TV a few months ago, has another new gig.

On her Facebook page Tuesday Rines wrote, “Getting ready for my first show on TVSN in Australia as the Isomers spokesperson! Tune in at 8:30 eastern — www.tvsn.com.au.”

Isomers is an anti-aging line that Rines often did presentations on when she was on financially ailing ShopNBC, which unceremoniously canned her early this year.

By the way, Rines had told us that she auditioned for this season’s “The Apprentice,” which features professionals who got laid off as part of the recession (we should have auditioned for that show, too). We think she would have been great.

IndieShop Lands A Wall Street Journal Puff Piece, Written By Christie Brinkley (Not), Who Is Coming To QVC

Christie Brinkley isn't writing for The Journal, but she is coming to QVC

IndieShop, the new home shopping network that will feature independent designers, got a big plug in The Wall Street Journal Thursday. Kudos to Trylon Communications, IndieShop’s PR firm.

The network, which will be cobbled together with paid programming purchased on cable networks across the country, was featured in the lead story of The Journal’s “Style” section, in a feature headlined “Crafts, Clothes and Clout.”

We misread the byline when we first read it, and thought times were so tough for model/divorcee Christie Brinkley that she was now freelancing for The Journal. But the writer was actually Christina Binkley. We need our contact lens cleaned.

Brinkley, however, does have a home shopping connection: She is bringing her jewelry line, already sold on Ross-Simons, to QVC.

Anyway, The Journal credits Melissa Perrucci, 42, a former Time Warner executive, with being the founder of IndieShop.

Former ShopNBC host Charla Rines said on Facebook that she’s about to land a job on a start-up network that sells luxury items. If it’s not EmVee TV, as we believe it is, maybe it’s IndieShop.

IndieShop, New Home Shopping Channel Featuring Independent Designers, Debuted Monday

IndieShop, which describes itself as “a new and radically different TV, lifestyle, entertainment and shopping network” — now there’s a mouthful — premiered nationally on Monday.

Claiming it will offer a revolutionary blend of “t‑commerce” and “e-commerce,” the network will feature independent designers and small manufacturers sharing their stories while showcasing unique, limited-edition products, which can then be purchased through a corresponding online boutique at IndieShop.com.

“Our goal is to provide Americans access to unique and artistic products created by designers who pour their heart and souls into each piece, as an alternative to mass-produced goods that dominate the retail world,” Melissa Perrucci, IndieShop’s vice president and executive producer, said in a canned statement.

IndieShop’s programming will combine retail with real stories, with what it describes as its “happening hosts” going on location to show how the artists live and work, including visits to villages in developing countries where jewelry, scarves and bags are made by fair-trade artisans.

IndieShop will also go behind the scenes with the hosts themselves “for inspiration, education and fun,” we are told.

“This unique and creative shopping concept will appeal to independent-minded consumers who want to have their own original look, and the unique multi-platform marketing opportunity will attract entrepreneurs from around the world,” Larry Rubin, chief operating officer of Cross MediaWorks, the network’s parent, said in his canned statement. “We expect the network will attract an entirely new audience of TV shoppers.”

At launch, IndieShop will air several times per day on more than 150 channels nationwide, reaching 40 million homes part-time. Content can also be viewed on IndieShop.com and YouTube, and the IndieShop community will receive information and special offers via Facebook and Twitter.

Orders will be processed via the IndieShop.com website and mobile applications, and vendors will interface with customers and fulfill orders directly. Ultimately, IndieShop will be extended into a full-time shopping and lifestyle entertainment network.

“When people go on vacation, they love to purchase special, personally crafted items from local artisan markets and boutiques,” Cross MediaWorks CEO Marc Krigsman said. “Now they can enjoy this experience every day on IndieShop, without even having to pay for a plane ticket,”

Cross MediaWorks is a strategic holding company that manages an array of media across diverse platforms on both a targeted and measured basis. Ita companies do strategic media buying, advertising, full-service creative, marketing and digital/interactive services for both top-tier brand and direct response clients.