Student makes good
Nearly a year ago, Jay Russell, a former South Carolina State Trooper took one of our Travel Channel Academy classes in NY.
He ran a private drug dog search company; derived from his years in the k9 corps with the State Troopers.
He also had a bigger than life personality.
Here, I thought, as a TV series.
We told Jay that we though he had the makings for a TV series for cable, and armed with his new skills and understanding of the TV biz, he headed back to S. Carolina where he and his nephew produced a 3-minute ‘taster’ reel. It was pretty good, but needed work so we started to work with him to make it better.
About 6 months ago, we teamed up with Zoo Productions in LA, makers of (among other things), “Are You Smarter Than A Fifth Grader”.
Yesterday, the folks from Zoo emailed me to say that they had closed a deal with TruTV for a series, tentatively called “Call The Cops”.
Well, there you are.
Of course, not everyone who takes the Travel Channel Academy course gets their own cable series.
But Jay sure did.
And if he comes to your house… flush the toilet several times before you let him and the dogs in!
10 Comments
Bill Thornton August 16, 2009
Is that little skeeter Russel from the SCHP? way to go skeeter! We knew you would get it right sooner or later, good luck 8^)
$ July 20, 2009
LOL
Cliff, once again, leaps forward to slather on his cheerleading for something that isn’t happening at all.
Well done Cliff!
This guy is NOT doing VJ work to make a buck.
That’s been pointed out clearly by others here.
Cliff continues to “hold his breath” while remaining unemployed as a full time VJ for all these many years.
To me, this is yet another example of someone getting a reality check and understanding that to get the quality one needs to actually make a living producing a visual product for the masses, can not do it by themselves in the real world.
I’m happy this guy is going to finally be able to do something that will highlight his hard work.
It will also keep others, like myself, who are professionals at shooting and editing video, employed.
Meanwhile, Cliff and the other VJ folk continue their hobby.
Working alone is fine for home movies.
But as Cliff proves, you need a real job to pay the bills.
Back tot he dive shop for you Cliff!
LOL
Rachelle July 19, 2009
Congrats! I think it’s awesome.
pencilgod July 19, 2009
That’s all cool and I’m very pleased for Jay and the professional camera crew that will get paid to make the show.
Just maybe Cliff should wait a bit longer than 10min before declaring “a paradigm shift in this arena of visual content creation and production”
Michael Rosenblum July 19, 2009
Well of course the people who take the Travel Channel Academy are pure amateurs who have never touched a camera or an edit in their lives. I hardly think in 4 days that they are going to produce long form broadcast quality material. Maybe in a year if they keep making stuff for Travel Channel. We’ll have to see. The only thing that is new here is that the Channel is working with the more than 1,000 grads to make them better. The Channel is in for the long haul, and of course, they students have paid for the relationship. For what it is, which is a kind of iReport with a focus and a purpose (and the Channel pays the grads $250 a minute for the pieces they buy), its a pretty good deal. That someone actually went to a cable series is not a projection of the project, but it’s interesting.
pencilgod July 19, 2009
No according to you “It was pretty good, but needed work so we started to work with him to make it better.”
So some guys who have a lot of experience in TV helped someone make a so/so pilot good enough for production company to take it to a cable channel… again what is different here? He still needed help to get past the gatekeepers.
Good on him and good on you for helping but don’t try and kid anyone that this is in any way anything new.
Rosenblum July 19, 2009
I suppose what makes it different is that by shooting and producing his own sizzle reel he was able to break through the clutter and get the deal. That, in itself, is progress, at least to my way of thinking.
pencilgod July 19, 2009
Is he shooting it himself? No.
Is his nephew shooting it? Doubtful.
Its being made by a real production company.
How is this different or new?
I hope it is a success. I hope he does well but move along there is nothing to see here.
Laura Hurcomb July 19, 2009
So wonderful!Yet another reason the Travel Channel Academy classes are such a good value.
Cliff Etzel July 19, 2009
Crickets chirping in silence around the detractors not having a come back – or at least not yet 😉
Congrats Michael on continuing the paradigm shift in this arena of visual content creation and production 🙂