Posted in today's Charlotte Oberserver. It is a great article, Vanessa.
VOICES
A new lens on immigrant professionals
VANESSA WILLIS
Renata Coker fell in love with Ballantyne Village on her first visit to Charlotte.
"I didn't know if this was a good part of Charlotte, how far the airport was, or anything really," Coker says. "I just saw people out walking, sitting outside cafes, and it made me think of home."
Coker, 42, grew up in a small city 300 miles east of Prague in the Czech Republic.
She moved to the United States in 2004, and last year left Augusta, Ga., for her townhome at the Village.
Her Charlotte experiences inspired her to create a TV show for other international newcomers. "Renata in the City" will begin airing in October on Time Warner Cable channel 9.
Coker says the goal of the show is to help newcomers learn about the Charlotte area, but also to help viewers learn about the professional class of immigrants.
Coker is working with executive producer Susan Milner, who lives in Piper Glen with her English husband. They moved to Charlotte two years ago.
The 30-minute show will air once a week with segments on topics such as international business, profiles on movers and shakers, family life, dining and recreation.
Coker and Milner feel the professional class of international newcomers has largely been overlooked in the Charlotte area.
They say they've interviewed doctors, lawyers, bankers and other white collar workers who feel their contributions to the local economy and community are undervalued.
Milner says the show also will have a spotlight on the philanthropic work international newcomers are doing in the community. Many are not able to work immediately because of visa contingencies, and spend their time volunteering while they wait for clearance, she says.
They've started looking for sponsors and advertisers for the show, and shooting begins Monday.
Many careers
Coker's background is varied and interesting. She taught school for 10 years, modeled professionally and toured Eastern Europe as a swing band singer, skiing by day and singing at night.She also became a television personality in the early 1990s after the Czech government loosened ties on the airwaves there. For years she hosted a lifestyle show for women.
She also works for the Mary Kay cosmetic company. She says she was its first sales director in her country, and was thankful to have been part of the revolution that brought business opportunities to women.
"Until the government changed, women weren't really allowed to drive and most didn't even have bank accounts," she says. "It was amazing to watch the culture change and be part of it."
In 2004 she moved her Mary Kay business to Augusta, Ga. She came to Charlotte last summer at the suggestion of a Mary Kay senior official who lives near Lake Norman.
She communicates with her family on the Internet, using the free Skype program and a Webcam. She also talks with old friends who have families of their own there.
Since she settled here Coker has become a master networker. She's joined several clubs and women's groups and got two part-time jobs to help her meet people. She's the Saturday evening hostess at Gallery Restaurant at the Ballantyne Resort and a salesperson at I.C. London at the Village.
Everywhere she goes she listens for foreign accents. She likes to ask newcomers what brought them to Charlotte and what would make them happier about living here.
Hopefully, she says with a broad smile, the TV show will help them feel appreciated and welcome.
Voices
Where They're From
About 12 percent of Mecklenburg County residents were born outside of the United States. Of that group:
• 69 percent entered the U.S. later than 1990.
• 54 percent are from Latin America.
• 23 percent are from Asia.
• 11 percent are from Africa.
• 10 percent are from Europe.
• About 14 percent of the population (or more than 90,000 people) in Mecklenburg County speak a language other than English at home.
SOURCE: Charlotte-Mecklenburg Chamber of Commerce
Got a Show Idea?
Send ideas for the "Renata in the City" show to deliciamedia@bellsouth.net.