In the Moment   -  About the Episode

For many, becoming a country star is just a dream that never comes true. But for Julie Roberts, not only are her dreams playing out in real life, they are being documented for the CMT original special, In the Moment: Julie Roberts. Unpolished, uncensored and refreshingly unworldly, the 25-year-old South Carolina native, whose debut single, "Break Down Here" is currently climbing the charts, is living the proverbial Cinderella story. Last fall she was answering phones at Nashville's Mercury Records. Today, Mercury's staff is betting the farm that Roberts is the next big thing. For several months, CMT cameras followed Roberts' every move as she made the transformation from secretary to country star -- with an undeniable voice and a record that is getting people talking. Star-making is a high-stakes, long-shot gamble often filled with extreme moments of happiness and tearful disappointment, which few outsiders have the opportunity to witness. Here, viewers are given unfettered access to the life of Roberts, whose ambition, talent, and drive have led her to the career she always dreamed about. The special paints a funny, fascinating and poignant portrait of a young woman happily chasing her dream in an otherwise jaded world. For what seemed like an eternity, Roberts sat just a few feet away from the man who could make all of her dreams come true. But she never uttered a word to him about it. After graduating from Nashville's Belmont University, she took a job at Mercury to support herself while pursuing her goal of becoming a country singer. Unbeknownst to her co-workers, she spent her free time honing her songwriting skills and performing at various clubs. She spent her days as the assistant to Luke Lewis, Chairman of Universal Music Group Nashville, and her nights as a protégé of renowned producer Brent Rowan. She was always careful the two worlds never collided. In 2003, Rowan met with Lewis to play some new songs from several artists in whom Lewis had expressed an interest. At the end of the session, Rowan played a few demos he had recorded with Roberts. Lewis said, "I want to know who this is. I want to meet this girl." Rowan said, "It's the girl right down the hall. It's your assistant." So after an often-difficult journey that spanned several states and many years, Roberts was able to take those seemingly insurmountable final steps -- from her assistant desk to Lewis' office -- to ink a record deal that would turn her fantasy into an immediate reality. And yes, she quit her day job in August 2003.