Soren Petersen: Luck as a Competitive Advantage in Design
Getting on a Reality TV Show: 5 Things You Need to Know
Landing a spot on a reality TV show can be great exposure for small businesses. How to find your 15 minutes of fame.
Posted 9/ 9 10 at 4:30 PM | 5 Things You Need to Know, Advertising & Marketing, Sales, Leadership, Starting a Business, Inventions & Innovations
Text Size:
A A A
Reality shows have become a mainstay on TV. Sure, they still feature the occasional insect-eating and usual reality nonsense, but a flip through the channels these days reveals a surprising number of shows that feature small businesses -- providing them 15 minutes of fame and and a valuable marketing platform. Take the proprietors of the Gold & Star Pawn Shop, who star in The History Channel's Pawn Stars. Or Matt Paxton, owner of Clutter Cleaner, who is routinely featured on A&E's Hoarders. And if you're a fan of The Food Network, maybe you like watching Private Chefs of Beverly Hills, which follows six on-call chefs who work for the private chef-placement agency, Big City Chefs.How did they land spots in primetime? And more importantly, how can you get in on the action? Becoming a reality TV star involves a lot of networking and, well, sheer luck. After all, anyone can write a marketing plan, but the reality (pun intended) is that not everyone will get to appear on a TV series. But you can also make your own luck, of course. Think you (and your business) have what it takes to become the next breakout star? Here are five things you need to know.
1
You don't need an agent.
Reality shows are looking for real people -- larger-than-life real people, yes, but authentic ones. And most "real" people don't have agents. So if you don't have formal representation, don't sweat it, says Tyler Barnett, owner of a Beverly Hills, Calif.-based Tyler Barnett Public Relations. Barnett has managed to get himself and his business on two reality television shows so far -- The Millionaire Matchmaker on Bravo and Party Monsters Cabo on E! Surprisingly, Barnett says, "Reality shows are often cast through social networking sites like Facebook and Craigslist."
In other words, as with everything in business, you need to network. Robert Galinsky suggests you check out the website RealityWanted.com. Galinsky, founder of New York Reality TV School (which he claims is "the world's only reality TV school"), says RealityWanted.com has "a growing reputation as the first stop for casting directors and casting producers when seeking reality talent. Once you make it with the casting director, it's all about if you fit into the puzzle they are assembling."
In other words, as with everything in business, you need to network. Robert Galinsky suggests you check out the website RealityWanted.com. Galinsky, founder of New York Reality TV School (which he claims is "the world's only reality TV school"), says RealityWanted.com has "a growing reputation as the first stop for casting directors and casting producers when seeking reality talent. Once you make it with the casting director, it's all about if you fit into the puzzle they are assembling."
2
You need footage.
If you want to get cast, you need to show who you are. Barnett says this is called a sizzle reel. "You need two to three minutes of video and audio, showing exactly what your story is about. So for me, it might be footage of me walking into my PR firm, and then taking a meeting and then driving up and down throughout Beverly Hills on some nice street." And you need to consider the honest truth. Your business may not lend itself well to a reality TV series. If most of your day is comprised of you sitting at your computer, where the only visually interesting thing is you eating a bologna sandwich at lunch or dropping a box of Post-It notes on the floor -- well, you're going to have a problem. Ultimately, it's about the characters, according to Barnett. "The entrepreneur has to have a great personality," he says. "You know how some people are said to have camera presence? Well, that's what they mean. So much of it all comes down to energy. Some people get in front of the camera and freeze up, and others will have this whole new personality."
3
Be authentic.
"The biggest mistake people make is they think they should be something that they are not," says Galinksy, whose clients include Jorge Bendersky, a celebrity dog groomer who has been featured n the Animal Planet's The Groomer Has It. "People think they should be what the audiences want to see, and that's the mistake -- not being honest and authentic. Reality TV makes stars out of nobodies, because those star nobodies were themselves on camera and audiences responded to that. American TV audiences have doctorates in television viewing with decades of eyeballs glued to the screen, and those doctors of viewing can spot a fake or a phony pretty easily."
4
Do your homework.
If you're excited about the prospects of getting your business exposure on TV, keep in mind that you or your business could be on a reality TV show without being the star of it. For instance, Frank Graff, an account executive at 919 Marketing, was able to get his client's product on NBC's The Biggest Loser. "I gathered about 100 e-mail addresses of people at NBC and sent them a pitch," Graff says. "One person replied and gave me the name of a producer at Reveille, the company which produces the show. Multiple e-mails and phone calls later, we arranged a meeting in Los Angeles." The Biggest Loser featured Graff's client's product, Know Your Number, on an episode in January and is expected to appear again in September.
Rodger Roeser, CEO of The Eisen Agency, a Cincinnati-based PR firm, reports similar strategies. He has managed to get one of his bigger clients, Roto-Rooter, featured on a number of reality series. Roto-Rooter's CEO, Rick Arquilla, was featured on the hit CBS series Undercover Boss, and he has frequently landed Roto-Rooter bit parts in series like Ghost Hunters on SyFy and Fox's now-defunct The Simple Life with Paris Hilton. And theoretically, anyone can do what Roeser says he does: Scour the Internet for names of production companies that make reality TV shows and look for phone numbers and contact information, then compile everything onto a spreadsheet and decide which shows seem like a good match for your business.
Rodger Roeser, CEO of The Eisen Agency, a Cincinnati-based PR firm, reports similar strategies. He has managed to get one of his bigger clients, Roto-Rooter, featured on a number of reality series. Roto-Rooter's CEO, Rick Arquilla, was featured on the hit CBS series Undercover Boss, and he has frequently landed Roto-Rooter bit parts in series like Ghost Hunters on SyFy and Fox's now-defunct The Simple Life with Paris Hilton. And theoretically, anyone can do what Roeser says he does: Scour the Internet for names of production companies that make reality TV shows and look for phone numbers and contact information, then compile everything onto a spreadsheet and decide which shows seem like a good match for your business.
5
Be upfront.
If you do reach a producer, whether via e-mail or phone, "Be honest," Roeser advises. "Get to the point. What most people hate when they get a phone call from a stranger is when that person dances around why they've called. I wish there was something more mystical to this, but the God's honest truth is that you should call the show's producer and say something like, 'Hi, my name is Bob Jones, I make cupcakes. They're really good. And we thought it would be interesting for us to bring cupcakes to your crew the next time you're in the city doing a remodeling project.' See what they say."
It all comes down to the old chestnut, Roeser says. "The harder I work, the luckier I get -- there is no substitute for that."
It all comes down to the old chestnut, Roeser says. "The harder I work, the luckier I get -- there is no substitute for that."
Getty Images
- 'Marriage Penalty' Could Make Costly Return - CNNMoney
- Oil Rises on Optimism for Cliff Deal - FOXBusiness
- Dow 2012: The Studs and Duds - InvestorPlace
- Turning the Corner: Why 2012 Wasn't as Bad as You Think - The Motley Fool
- World’s Longest High-Speed Rail Line Unveiled In China - IBTimes
- FORGET THE DEFICIT: Here's The Real Reason Liberals Want To Hike Taxes On The Rich - Business Insider
- CEOs to Fire in 2013 - 24/7 Wall St.
- DailyFinance Market Minute - DailyFinance
Comments (Page 1 of 1)
If you are going to give a business some free advertisement, get the name right. It's the Gold and Silver Pawn shop.
Reality shows are stupid the only one thats good is dancing with the stars because
there real talent on it..... the others are just something cheap to throw at us ..and we pay
a high price for cable for this trash take them away PLEASE
There are actually six ways to get on one. Having a lobotomy is number 6.
Keith: excellent!
Just make a UFO shaped balloon, fill it with helium, and let it go. Then call 911 to report that your kid was abducted by aliens. The hoax 'might' land you on a Reality Show, or at least land you in a 'real jail.'
I am an Air Force and single at present .I need a woman who can love me back ..I also uploaded my hot photos on Uniformedmingle .c om under the name of hoho212..It's the largest and best club for seeking Army, Navy, Marines, Air Force, Police Force, and the admirers of those who wear the uniform.I just hope you don't mind me being a soldier ...Please Check it out!I'm serious.
If you need sizzle reels check out sizzleit.com
There is not now nor has there ever been any such thing as a realitiy show.It is all scripted.
This is in response to the 1st post...stock43852
A few things you said got me to thinking, while the thought of obtaining long lasting wealth is everyone's dream or goal, but to crap on the blue collar average paying job is low . The problem is no one wants to learn a trade, one that is always in demand. While "do it yourself stores" have taken over the single owned businesses and mostpeople trying to save a buck is priority, we have driven the small guys out along with quality of work. Remember the type of classes schools once had
( autoshop, ceramics, horticulture, home Ec, etc. If no one is learning those skills and no one wants those type of jobs because it's beneath them, then don't complain about the illegals . Where is the respect for the working class. No matter if you're a CEO or the guy who's been working on your fuel pump, even the student bagging your groceries, a job is a job , one works and one pays for that work. There is pride in a job well done.
as far as the entertainment biz, it's been going downhill for a while, Reality Tv is a money maker with very little investment, I can't knock the studios or the 1 show wonders, I'm asking the viewer why?
No talent needed just act a fool on set... and cut!
I agree the there is no such thing as a "reality show". The only way you could see a reality show is if you walked down the street with a videocam in your hands and recorded everyday events as they happen, without scripting and without your own comments added. Thing is, that kind of reality is too real for people, as they experience it every day. People want "real fantasy", not reality. I even think that Dr. Phil guests are actually actors and actresses playing the roles of the alleged people with problems. Why? Imagine the liability issues from having a real mentally unstable person on camera - the producers would never go for such incredible legal liability exposure. Better that everything be scripted in advance and controllable personalities be substituted for the real people. Of course, I'm assuming there are actually real people that these characters are acting as - they may be totally fictional for all I know, and that goes for all "reality" shows. They don't want real people because real people are real boring. If they weren't, we wouldn't be watching TV - we'd be living our exciting lives instead!
THE ULTIMATE FIGHTER REALITY SHOW IS NOT SCRIPTED
Television programs were once about comfortable entertainment with some serious, factual ones thrown in. The so called reality shows now swamping our networks employ the basest of humans with one desire; to exploit their oddities and make them as crass as possible. From Gosselin to Kardashian, from obese Americans to Trump, we have tumbled into an abyss of BLAH! To get on one of these shows, surrender your dignity, integrity and honor prior to making yourself look like a total fool. And then grab whatever you can because it will be short lived.
is this article a joke? reality tv is.
Nope. Easy aces. Just send your first or last born up in a homemade balloon. Or, better yet, vow to burn the Koran. There is no such thing as BAD publicity. Your 15 minutes of fame is guaranteed and donations will flow in.
You don`t need talent or ability either.
Even survival isn't reality. The games are picked by the staff, and they edit what they wish and make a story from bits and create drama where they want. Reality would be illegal ince one would not be aware of the cameras. They should just be honest and called it phonie TV since people act for the cameras and the more eveil the better it seems. Horrible role models. People with integrity wouldn't want to participate. They have pride and jobs they want to keep. Exposing people and manipulaing them to act weird, rude, cruel, and all else that belongs in a circus, zoo, puts these phonies in jeoparty of losing their real jobs. Most people who do reality TV are a joke.
I think the best thing would be to hold open auditions all over the world for those people who want to be on Reality TV. Then on the way out you shoot them one by one and cremate the remains.
Jerseylicious, dumbest "reality" show on TV. Normal people do not act like these morons, wouldn't give it the time of day.
THERE IS NO REALITY IN "REALITY" TV