What The Travel Channel Could Be… but isn’t


A novel look at life inside China today…..

The Travel Channel, which has been in decline since Scripps took it over a few years ago has now reached what I hope is the ‘bottom of the barrel’, but one never knows.

Last night we flipped to it only to watch ‘Extreme Restaurants”.

I would say ‘this has to be one of the dumbest shows I have ever seen’, except I also saw their short-lived NYC Bike Messenger series. “WIll the package make it to 42nd Street???”

On this dumber than dumb episode we were ‘treated’ to a restaurant where everyone ‘eats in the dark’  – shot in that green night vision thing.  Most Haunted Hamburger.

Reeling off this assault on my brain, I came across the loverly short film I have embedded above.

Sunshine.

This was shot by TV commercial directror/cinematographer/editor Doug Nichol while he was in China actually shooting a McDonald’s ad.

He shot it with a Canon 5D and cut it himself, but take a look.

Now THIS is a ‘travel story’ I can get into.

It’s smart, well made, interesting and with a point. And it’s also great travel stuff.

It probably cost about 1% of what The Travel Channel is shelling out for the crap they are currently putting on the air, and to me, it’s about 100% (or maybe even 100 times) better.

I don’t run the network, but if I did, I would start commissioning this kind of stuff right away.  I can’t believe that their ratings (or their content) could get any worse. I suppose it could, but I find it hard to believe that there are actually people who would want to see ‘most haunted restaurant’.  Or are there?

Travel as a topic has huge potential – potential the The Travel Channel clearly doesn’t get or want to take a shot at.

Come on!

Have some courage!

Try something new and different.

Clearly, the content is out there – and it’s in search of a home.  Doug Nichol has been showing this at Film Festivals.

If I were you I would pick up the phone and commission a few pilots from this guy right away.

If I were you….

 

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.

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