I first spoke to The Painted Nail salon owner Katie Cazorla in fall of 2009 when I contacted her to see if she'd like her salon's Ice Cream Sundae Pedicure featured in our Signature Services column. She was super friendly and got the photos and step-by-step to me right away. She says she still remembers how excited she was to hear from NAILS Magazine — she'd been an avid reader since beauty school!

Now, of course, many of you recognize her as the star of the soon-to-launch reality TV show Nail Files. And at a press event yesterday at her Sherman Oaks, Calif., salon I finally got to meet Katie (and see her glamorous purple-hued salon) in person. She's just as friendly as I remembered.

She walked me over to the manicure area, where I went with a layered look that nail tech and salon manager Nichole Keyser recommended. The polish used is The Painted Nail by Nubar. The first layer is Sugar Mama and the second is OMG Gorgeous. In addition to The Painted Nail by Nubar (this is available through consumer outlets like Amazon.com), the salon uses professional Nubar polish, Me! Bath products including the Ice Cream Sandwich Pumice Stone and the Hand Icing line, CND Shellac, Dashing Diva Professional products including the French Wrap, and Artistic Colour Gloss Soak-Off Color Gels.

NAILS editor Hannah Lee did a great interview with Katie that was published in our June issue or you can read it here. At the press event, I also got to speak with SallyAnn Salsano, the show's creator and executive producer. She'd flown in just for the day from Italy, where she's working on the current season of "Jersey Shore." She clued me in on how Katie/The Painted Nail was chosen as the focus of a reality series.

Why did you pick Katie and The Painted Nail? It's her vibe. When you just come across something organically, that's when you know it's good. Don't try to fit something into a weird mold. I found Katie through another producer, then I showed up [without telling Katie I was a producer] and got a mani-pedi. She was just a force. I walked out and knew there was something here.

Can you tell us a little about how the editing process worked? Katie and I hit it off and we attracted each other's energy from the get-go. We shot a LOT more than what wound up in the show. There are hours and days of nothing on the show, then sometimes you can get a whole episode out of one day.

Do you have a favorite episode? I don't have a favorite episode. Some are drama, some are fun, some are a mix of drama and fun. It's really Katie's vibe. And Katie's vibe is what makes the salon a whole experience.

If you missed Katie at Premiere Orlando, you should try to catch her on her nationwide mobile spa tour. You can get the schedule at www.facebook.com/TVGuideNetwork. And make sure to tune in on Tuesday, June 21 at 10 p.m. ET/PT for the launch of the Nail Files, followed by the second episode at 10:30. And most importantly don't forget to check this very blog every Wednesday to hear Katie dish on the week's episodes. The show is scheduled to run through August 2.

— Sree