Kelly Smith Beaty has had a rollercoaster of a year. From a job at the top of her industry, to unemployment and finally to primetime television on “The Apprentice,” the AU alumna is on a career path that shows no signs of stopping.
This current season of “The Apprentice,” the 10th in the series, is the first non-celebrity version in three years. Besides returning to its original formula, the show has added a special twist, as all of its contestants have been directly impacted by the recession. Smith Beaty, as an impacted American, will be one of 16 contestants competing for a job in Donald Trump’s empire.
“I can assure you, you have never seen an ‘Apprentice’ like this before,” Smith Beaty said. “It’s crazy from the very first episode and it’s not going to stop until the very end. These [contestants] are people who are fighting for their lives, fighting for their dreams and fighting for their families.”
Given the high stakes of the show, the pressure was on for Smith Beaty.
“When you put 16 people in a room and say ‘There’s one job. Go,’ what you have is a wild ride and an exhibition of some of America’s brightest, most creative, innovative and strategic minds,” she said. “From a business standpoint, from an entertainment standpoint, you will not go wrong with this season of the Apprentice.”
The contestants on the show are made to live together, filmed during nearly all of their waking hours and are given high-stress challenges to complete as groups. On top of all of this they meet the man, the myth — Donald Trump himself.
Fortunately for Smith Beaty, her background in public relations had prepared her well.
“As amazing as it was being before someone as important and iconic as Mr. Trump, it wasn’t as intimidating for me as it was for some of the others,” she said.
Highlights of her illustrious résumé include working for both boutique and international public relations firms, counseling CEOs of Fortune 500 Companies, working in celebrity PR and meeting with leaders of various African countries.
“The time restraints were incredible, but working in public relations, the media cycle is 24 hours, and so careers in PR are 24 hours, too,” Smith Beaty said. “I’m used to the long nights and early mornings.”
Despite the show’s focus on the business world, it is still reality television, meaning that there will be no shortage of drama. One of the most difficult things for Smith Beaty to handle on the show was “really trying to adjust to the different personality types and people who are truly willing to fight tooth and nail because their lives are on the line,” she said.
In the face of so many stresses and obstacles, Smith Beaty said she was still able to retain composure and to keep her eye on the ultimate goal for the duration of shooting.
“As long as you remember who you are and why you’re there, some of the other distractions become less important,” she said. “That’s not to say I won’t have moments that I’ll probably have to close my eyes for when they come onto the screen. But I think overall I tried to maintain my professionalism.”
The debut of the show marks another accomplishment for Smith Beaty who received her master’s degree from AU’s School of Communication in 2005. A quick ascent in the PR field followed and took her from D.C. to New York and back to her home state of Georgia. Five years later, she found herself at the Atlanta office of a top international firm and named as one of the city’s “Power 30 Under 30.” Despite all her success, Smith Beaty felt something was missing.
“I was in a position I was very unfulfilled in,” she said. “There I was, working literally around the clock, on the weekends, having to commit my entire life to my career. When you spend that much time doing something that you don’t really love, it really takes a toll on you.”
Looking back, Smith Beaty has been able to take away important lessons she hopes to apply to her life in the future.
“I think the biggest lesson that I have learned going through this so early in my career, and if anything I would want to impart to other students — don’t chase money, chase your happiness,” she said. “Going forward I will never again chase the salary or the lifestyle. I’m going to go after what makes me happy, a career that makes me happy.”
thescene@theeagleonline.com
