5Takes Lat Am Takes Off

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video cameras… laptops… upload instructions… and one change of underwear.

Now in our fourth season, the 5Takes team gathered in Silver Spring, Discovery Communications headquarters to prep for their trip to Latin America.

After an extensive online search for candidates, we selected 5 people to spend the next 8 weeks travelling across Latin America. Tomorrow night they depart from here to Buenos Aires, and then on to Brazil, Chile, Peru, Easter Island, Colombia, Costa Rica and Mexico. All on $50 a day all in.

What makes the show interesting is that it is Web Driven.

For most TV shows, the Internet is for after thought. “If you want to find out more about ‘What’s My Sign Design’ (or other such banalities), go to the website….

But for 5Takes, the web drives the show.

The TJs (travel journalists) are online as the show is being made. They are blogging and vlogging every day and in touch with their friends and families in the USA. (We’ve been running a bootcamp here to teach them to shoot, cut and upload – Sony HDV cams and iMovie).

We turn the show in 6 days, so what happened on Tuesday airs the following week.. and all the comments and suggestions for the TJs on the road appear on the air and drive the show!

It’s a unique experiment, and part of the User Generated Path we are creating for Citizen Journalists – Travel Channel Academy lead to What’s Your Trip with Anthony Bourdain leads to Not Your Average Travel Guide leads to 5Takes.

And if you’re good on 5Takes, it can lead to a career. 5Takes Pacific Rim TJ Tiffany Burnett is now a full time employee of Travel Channel, off to travel across America with a video camera. 5Takes Europe TJ Ronnie Miller just starred in the pilot of 40 Degrees North.

It’s all vertically integrated television/webcasting.

We think it’s pretty cool.

Michael Rosenblum

For more than 30 years, Michael Rosenblum has been on the cutting edge of the digital video journalism revolution. During this time, he has lead a drive for video literacy, and the complete rethinking of how television is made and controlled. His work has included: The complete transitioning of The BBC's national network (UK) to a VJ-driven model, starting in 2002. The complete conversion of The Voice of America, the United State's Government's broadcasting agency, (and the largest broadcaster in the world), from short wave radio to television broadcasting and webcasting using the VJ paradigm (1998-present). The construction of NYT Television, a New York Times Company, and the largest producer of non-fiction television in the US. Rosenblum was both the founder and President of NYT TV, (all based on this paradigm (1996-1998). The President and Founder of Video News International, a global VJ-driven newsgathering company, with more than 100 journalists around the world. (1993-1996). Other clients include Spectrum News, Verizon and CBS News.

2 Comments
  • Cliff Etzel May 17, 2007

    The lame attempts at using bogus names and web addresses is evident of people who are afraid of change.

    Adapt or perish…

  • Ben May 16, 2007

    I was browsing the site of my indirect employers, Turner Broadcasting, when I saw that CNN was offering recent college grads opportunities as “VJs”.

    “Wow,” I thought, “CNN is finally catching up.”

    Then I read closer.

    “…primary duties for VJs include floor directing, teleprompting, and script distribution for live broadcasts, as well as production support for Media Operations….”

    Hmmm. I don’t quite think they get it. Alternatively, a PA by any other name…