How An Ohio Girl Became The Hollywood Beauty Detective

Holly Fulger and the cast of Ellen.

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I am an Ohio girl, born and raised; specifically Cleveland, more specifically Lakewood. While some may think of Ohio as the place where the river caught fire and call it names like “The Mistake on the Lake,” to me it has always been “home.”

I went to Emerson Junior High School, graduated from LHS, was a Rangerette, dated a football player (he will remain nameless), knew Mike Summers (he was in my sister’s class, 2 years ahead of me, and yes, I’m name dropping), hung out at Malley’s with my best friend Barb, then later (and older) at Around the Corner with my other best friend, Liz. I interned at the Great Lakes Shakespeare Festival with Tom Hanks (name dropping again), and used to love going to Hixsons at Christmastime (I still do and will be making a stop there). I loved Lakewood. It’s what I knew.

And being from a small town is what fueled me to go out into the world and make something of myself. To prove that a girl from Lakewood, Ohio could have an acting career, be on TV, and overcome those days of being teased for being not cool (I was oh so not cool).

So by way of Lakewood and The Great Lakes Shakespeare Festival, to Chicago and the Chicago theatre scene, I finally landed in Los Angeles. And I worked in television. I worked a lot with some remarkable and talented people: Jamie Lee Curtis, Ellen DeGeneres, Valerie Bertinelli, John Laroquette, Rene Russo, Ashley Simpson…to name (drop) a few. I was going to include Stanley Tucci, but it was one scene on thirtysomething and he would never remember me.

As I built a career and a life in Los Angeles, the Ohio girl was always present. In small ways like being a diehard Browns fan (to this day), to big ways like wanting my hometown to be the first place I really began to speak about my new show, The Hollywood Beauty Detective.

Coming back to Cleveland to do PR for my new project, The Hollywood Beauty Detective is such a great Christmas gift. Being able to share what I’m doing with the place where my ideas of beauty first began is quite something.

I truly believe it was the “Ohio girl” who pushed me to create The Hollywood Beauty Detective. It was that part of me that wanted to change something that I have always felt was limiting: the way we look at beauty. That honest part of me…that incredibly idealistic part that still believes that the Browns will have a chance someday…that girl from Ohio…who really believes that it is our purity of self that makes us beautiful. And it is that essence and belief that I bring to The Hollywood Beauty Detective.

It is a show that I created, wrote, raised money for, produced, directed, hosted, and now, am showing to the world. It is a show that I believe can make a difference. The episodes are available to view on our website, thehollywoodbeautydetective.com, along with blogs, products, and a very new way to approach self-expression through makeup.

It is my way to make a difference. I have big dreams with this. I want you to be part of them. Happy Holidays to each and every one of you.