From Red Carpets to Real Connection: Shelli Stelmak Shares Her Interviewing Secrets

Shelli Stelmak is an on-air host and multimedia entertainment reporter whose work has placed her face-to-face with hundreds of celebrities across film, television, and music. From high-pressure red carpets and press junkets to studio segments and live events, she is known for bringing warmth, sharp preparation, and an instinct for authentic conversation to every interview.

Film Daily spoke with Stelmak about the art of the red-carpet interview: building rapport in seconds, adapting to every personality and unpredictable moment, asking questions that go beyond the expected, and creating shareable content without compromising professionalism, trust, or genuine storytelling.

You have interviewed hundreds of celebrities across red carpets, press junkets, studios, and live events. What is the single most important thing an interviewer should do before approaching a film star on the red carpet?

Absolutely, be prepared. Know who you are interviewing and know their work, because that immediately establishes respect. But I also think the few seconds before the camera starts rolling matter. I like to take that moment to say hello, look them in the eye, and make a genuine human connection. I want them to know that this is a safe space and that I am there to have a conversation with them, not to catch them off guard. When someone feels comfortable and trusts you, that’s when you get the best interview. “Preparation gets you the interview, but trust gets you the answer.” — Shelli Stelmak (one of my favorite quotes to use).

Red carpets move quickly and can be chaotic. How do you establish rapport with a celebrity in just a few seconds while still getting a memorable, substantive answer?

Red carpets are incredibly fast-paced, so you really only have a few seconds to make that connection. The first thing I do is make sure we are positioned correctly; whether there’s an actual mark or an imaginary line, I need the celebrity to meet me at that point so we are both centered properly for the camera. Once we are there, I look them in the eye, say hello, and immediately try to make it feel like a conversation rather than just another stop on the carpet.

I have done my research, so I know where I want the interview to go, but I am also listening carefully to their answer. If they give me something unexpected or interesting, I am willing to abandon my next prepared question and follow that moment. That is often where the memorable answer comes from. Celebrities may be answering variations of the same questions all night, so I want them to know I am genuinely interested in what they have to say, not simply waiting for my turn to speak. You can accomplish a lot in thirty seconds when someone feels that you are actually listening. “You may only get thirty seconds on a red carpet, but it only takes a few seconds to make someone feel seen.” — Shelli Stelmak.

What separates a standard “Who are you wearing?” exchange from a red-carpet interview that feels fresh, personal, and newsworthy?

I think what separates a standard red-carpet exchange from something memorable is being willing to have fun and go wherever the moment takes you. Of course, fashion is a huge part of the red carpet, but “Who are you wearing?” doesn’t have to be the end of the conversation; it can be the beginning of one.

Sometimes a celebrity will compliment what I am wearing, and I’ll say, “Oh, you want to go that way? Okay, let’s do a drip check!” Suddenly, we are laughing, comparing looks, and having a completely different conversation. I recently interviewed a celebrity, and we discovered right there on the carpet that we were wearing the same designer. We looked at each other, realized it, gave each other a high five, and gave a shout-out to the designer. I can’t wait to share that interview because it was such a fun, relatable, and completely unexpected moment.

Those are the moments I am always looking for. I do my research and come prepared, but I never want to be so tied to my questions that I miss what’s happening right in front of me. Sometimes the spontaneous moment becomes the story. The best red-carpet moments aren’t always the ones you plan; they are the ones you are present enough to catch.

How do you research talent and a project in advance while leaving room for spontaneity when an unexpected moment or opportunity arises?

I probably overprepare, but that’s exactly what allows me to be spontaneous. I research the project, the talent, their career, what they have been talking about recently, and I always try to find something beyond the obvious IMDb questions. I want to know enough that if the conversation suddenly takes a left turn, I can happily take the turn with them.

But once the interview starts, the research stays in my head, and the conversation takes over. I always joke that I come armed with enough questions for a two-hour documentary, and then someone gives me an amazing answer in the first thirty seconds and completely ruins my plan in the best possible way. That’s when you have to trust yourself. If something unexpected happens, I’m going there. The next question on my list will survive.

I prepare for the interview I think I am going to have, so I am ready for the interview I never saw coming.

What are some of the biggest mistakes emerging entertainment reporters make on the red carpet, and how can they recover gracefully if an interview is not going as planned?

Practice, practice, practice. Red carpets look glamorous when you are watching them from home. When you are actually standing on one, you are trying to remember questions, listen to the celebrity, hit your camera mark, hold the microphone correctly, watch the publicist who may be telling you to wrap, and somehow look completely relaxed while doing all of it. It’s basically controlled chaos in fabulous clothing.

One of the biggest mistakes emerging reporters make is being so focused on asking the questions they prepared that they stop listening to the answers. Another is trying to memorize everything word for word. The second you forget one word, you can see the panic in their eyes, and trust me, the camera sees it too.

If an interview isn’t going as planned, don’t fight it. Reset. Smile. Listen. Ask something simple and human. Sometimes I will even acknowledge the moment with a little humor. You don’t have to pretend everything is going perfectly. The celebrity may relax because you relaxed, and suddenly the interview comes back to life.

And please know who you are interviewing. Calling someone by the wrong name is a very difficult opening act to recover from. The funny thing is, some of my favorite interviews have included moments that weren’t supposed to happen. The goal isn’t perfection. It’s being prepared enough that when things go sideways, nobody watching realizes they went sideways. On a red carpet, you don’t have to be perfect; you just have to make your mistakes look intentional.

You are known for bringing fun, energy, and ease to your conversations. How do you adapt your interviewing style for different personalities, from a first-time filmmaker to an A-list star or a talent who may be having a difficult evening?

I read the room very quickly. It’s almost like speed dating, except there is a camera, a publicist counting down your remaining seconds, and nobody is getting dinner afterward. Every personality is different. A first-time filmmaker may be nervous and incredibly excited, so I want to give them space to enjoy their moment. An A-list star may have already spoken to forty reporters before they get to me, so my job is to make sure I am not number forty-one asking the same question.

And then occasionally someone arrives who is clearly having… an evening. That’s when I immediately adjust. If they are giving me high energy, I’ll go right there with them. If they are quieter, I bring it down. And if their face is saying, “Shelli, I have answered enough questions for one lifetime,” I am definitely not opening with, “So tell me about your journey.”

I think interviewing is a little like dancing. Someone has to lead, someone has to follow, and occasionally somebody steps on your foot. You just smile and keep dancing because the camera is still rolling. The biggest mistake would be trying to give everyone the same version of yourself. I am still me, but I adjust the temperature.

Sometimes I am having a thoughtful conversation, and sometimes my greatest journalistic achievement is recognizing that this person needs one good question and an immediate escape route. Because ultimately, my job isn’t to make someone match my energy. It’s to find the energy where we can actually connect. I don’t interview the résumé; I interview the person who showed up that night. Read the room. Read the celebrity. And definitely read the publicist waving frantically behind them.

With red-carpet content now expected to work across broadcast, digital, social media, and live platforms, what makes an interview clip truly shareable without sacrificing professionalism or authentic storytelling?

That’s the million-dollar question, isn’t it? If I could predict exactly what was going to go viral every time, I would be answering this interview from a yacht. The truth is, you can’t manufacture a great moment. You can certainly try, and the internet is filled with evidence of people trying very, very hard.

For me, the most shareable clips are usually the moments when everybody forgets they are making content. Someone says something unexpected, we start laughing, there’s a great reaction, or the conversation suddenly becomes more personal than either of us anticipated. That’s the moment people send to a friend and say, “You have to watch this.”

Of course, now while I am interviewing someone, a tiny part of my brain is also thinking: Will this work on television? Is there a reel here? A Short? A headline? Did we shoot it vertically? Horizontally? Do I need to become a trapezoid next? At some point, I am convinced we are going to be filming content in shapes.

But none of those platforms matter if the conversation isn’t good. I never want to create a viral moment at someone else’s expense. I would rather have a celebrity walk away thinking, “That was fun. I felt comfortable with her,” than get millions of views because I embarrassed somebody. You can create something entertaining, funny, and highly shareable without sacrificing trust or professionalism.

And sometimes the clip you are convinced is going to explode gets twelve views, while the completely random moment you almost cut becomes your biggest reel. Social media is very humbling that way. Apparently, the algorithm also has creative notes.

So I concentrate on getting the best conversation I can and capturing a real moment. Then I let the internet decide what it wants to do with it. I don’t chase viral moments. I chase real moments.