Here’s a little peek into how The Top Shelf sausage gets made: It usually starts out with an email to a possible subject, and then a back-and-forth of possible shoot dates, locations, and other logistics begin. Because it's our biggest series and the most labor-intensive to produce, Top Shelves are shot in waves—we’ll bang out a handful or two in a few weeks, work on those, and then before we know it we’re ramping up for the next wave. As a matter of fact, the next wave was just days away when the WHO declared COVID-19 to be a global pandemic. Well, that certainly changed things around here.

Now the ITG team is working remotely, and in an effort to practice responsible social distancing, all shoots have been put on pause. For how long, we don’t know, but what we do know is that we are likely to run out of Top Shelves before we’re able to return to business as normal. You’re probably bummed...we’re definitely bummed...so we’re pulling some tricks out from under our sleeve. We’re going to publish more Top Shelfies—the digital-first, community-oriented sister to The Top Shelf—than ever now. It’s a win for us because we get to devote more resources to bringing our community into the fold, and it can be a win for you too, should you want to get your routine on ITG! We’re scrolling through #ITGTopShelfie on Instagram all day long now (honestly, we have the time…), and my sent folder is filled with more emails to possible Top Shelfie candidates than ever before.

Of course we’re not stopping at Top Shelfies. ITG also has more fun content planned because let’s face it, you need it, and so do we. So hang tight with us and we’ll get through this very weird time together. And tag #ITGTopShelfie and @intothegloss to your shelfie pics if you’re interested in participating in the series on here. OK that’s it for now. Talk soon and stay safe out there.

—Ashley Weatherford
Photo via ITG.