Feature: Get Reality
From November 2006
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Lights, Camera
Seventeen seasons after MTV’s “Real World” gave cable viewers their first taste of voyeuristic programming, and six years after “Survivor” took it mainstream, it’s clear that reality TV is here to stay. America’s latest guilty pleasure has done more than push the limits of good taste, it’s also shifted the epicenter of the industry beyond Hollywood — and the region’s residents are getting in on the act.
Sisters Kelly and Karly Urata were recently featured on a cable special called “Daddy’s Spoiled Little Girl,” which showcases young women being lavishly doted upon by wealthy fathers. Among other escapades, the Urata sisters are shown taking an expensive birthday trip to Las Vegas and enjoying a $15,000 shopping spree.
For Kelly, who is chief financial officer for Rancho Cordova-based Urata Construction, appearing on reality TV wasn’t what she thought it would be. “You think since it’s reality TV, it will be accurate, but it’s not,” she says. “They made us look like we’re totally spoiled and unappreciative. But it’s totally the opposite … it’s pretty staged.”
That’s not to say the Uratas don’t live a charmed life. In a recent Sacramento Business Journal profile, Karly detailed a round of private limos and frequent trips to Cabo San Lucas on her father’s jet. Nevertheless, the Uratas feel they didn’t get a fair shake in their small-screen debut.
“We didn’t know what we were getting into,” explains Kelly. “They changed the name to ‘Daddy’s Spoiled Little Girl’ after we applied, and they faked the amount of money that we spent in Vegas. They just edit it however they want, to give it more drama.”
Disillusionment and disappointment are common side effects of starring in reality shows, and many a participant has been burned by creative editing. Still, producers defend the process, noting they merely sift through hours of film to find footage that fits with the plot.
The Real Deal
“These shows have to compete with scripted comedies and dramas, and the audience still wants a storyline,” says Dave Rupel, the former executive producer of the Bravo Network’s “Real Housewives of Orange County.” Rupel has recently located to Sacramento, hoping to delve into the world of political media. “As a producer, you have to whittle people down to their most basic facet,” he says. “You choose to focus on the elements that make the most compelling drama.”
But for every frustrated participant, there is a long list of hopefuls willing to try their luck. While psychologists and pop-culture experts have a laundry list of reasons why people are willing to step into the spotlight and absorb the scrutiny, Rupel offers a simple explanation: “People want to be famous; they think it will bring something wonderful to their lives. Mostly, people think they can outsmart the producer. But I’ve never been outsmarted.”
That’s a sentiment to which Becca Ballon, a former Davis resident, can definitely relate. Ballon’s sorority, Sigma Alpha Epsilon Pi, was the focus of the premier season of MTV’s “Sorority Life.” While initially skeptical because of MTV’s reputation, the ladies were hopeful that the exposure would help promote and establish the newly founded Jewish sorority. But rather than a girl-power documentary, “Sorority Life” ended up being typical MTV fare, heavy on drunken bar-hopping scenes and roommate catfights.
“At first I was definitely disappointed. It clearly wasn’t about sisterhood or the values that we hold so dear in our sorority,” recalls Ballon. “It ended up being positive in the end. We now have Sigma Alpha Epsilon Pi chapters around the country.”
Despite its reputation for creative editing, interest in reality TV hasn’t waned. For networks, it has proven to be a gold mine; production costs are often drastically lower, thanks to stars who don’t collect paychecks and crews who aren’t covered by film unions. For small businesses, the opportunities are huge, as the push to constantly produce new shows has led to an outsourcing of filming, editing and even casting.
Producer Peter Holmes and director Bill Swan started the successful Sacramento production house, The Idea Factory, 10 years ago. Working with their core staff in Sacramento and a team of freelance artists across the United States, The Idea Factory produces and packages reality TV specials for such networks as Home and Garden Television, the DIY Network and Discovery Health.
“You’re starting to find more boutique companies like us,” says Holmes. “As long there’s a Fed Ex and an airport within 20 minutes, we can do anything the big boys in Hollywood can, and we can probably do it cheaper. The technology has become so inexpensive … you can just go down to the Apple store, spend $10,000 and get started.”
The World’s a Set
Holmes also points out the mobile nature of reality TV, where all the world is a set, and pressure from network executives to cut production costs has helped small companies such as his compete in an industry typically dominated by Hollywood studios.
“Networks are getting more creative with how money is spent and budgeted,” Holmes notes. “They’re running a tight ship, and that caters to small companies that are nimble and can be flexible.”
They’re also searching for efficiency in the midst of a chaotic genre. Streamlining the cattle-call casting process is a niche that Sacramento’s Brian Ostrovsky thinks he can fill. Ostrovsky has founded Rtvstar.com, an online matchmaking service for people looking to star in reality TV and casting executives looking to find them. The site allows users to create a profile and complete a generic application that can be searched by networks according to categories, such as age and sex.
Since its debut in August 2005, Rtvstar.com has placed only one of its thousands of subscribers on a show. But Ostrovsky remains hopeful, noting that he’s received renewed buy-in on the idea from several TV producers.
“We’re going to be adding new technologies to the website that will improve it,” says Ostrovsky. “Right now, I’m constantly being asked for profiles. As the site grows, the networks can do it themselves … my goal is to have 100,000 participants.”
One of those technologies is his latest project, a software program called Cast Builder. The program uses Ajax technology, a web development technique that creates interactive web applications. Ajax’s strength is that, by continually exchanging small amounts of data with the server, it negates the need to reload the entire web page every time a user makes a change. The software has already begun presale, and a relaunch of Rtvstar.com is in the works.
So, what’s looming on the horizon for the genre that just won’t quit? It’s anybody’s guess what the next big trend in reality TV will be, but if the current movement continues, it probably won’t come from the Hollywood elite.
“The network guys love to pride themselves on knowing what the next big thing will be, but they don’t have a clue,” Idea Factory’s Holmes says. “Someone will stumble onto it in the dark. And when it happens, we’ll know, because everyone will be talking about it.”
Get Reality
By Jennifer Teel WolterSeventeen seasons after MTV’s “Real World” gave cable viewers their first taste of voyeuristic programming, and six years after “Survivor” took it mainstream, it’s clear that reality TV is here to stay. America’s latest guilty pleasure has done more than push the limits of good taste, it’s also shifted the epicenter of the industry beyond Hollywood — and the region’s residents are getting in on the act.
Sisters Kelly and Karly Urata were recently featured on a cable special called “Daddy’s Spoiled Little Girl,” which showcases young women being lavishly doted upon by wealthy fathers. Among other escapades, the Urata sisters are shown taking an expensive birthday trip to Las Vegas and enjoying a $15,000 shopping spree.
For Kelly, who is chief financial officer for Rancho Cordova-based Urata Construction, appearing on reality TV wasn’t what she thought it would be. “You think since it’s reality TV, it will be accurate, but it’s not,” she says. “They made us look like we’re totally spoiled and unappreciative. But it’s totally the opposite … it’s pretty staged.”
That’s not to say the Uratas don’t live a charmed life. In a recent Sacramento Business Journal profile, Karly detailed a round of private limos and frequent trips to Cabo San Lucas on her father’s jet. Nevertheless, the Uratas feel they didn’t get a fair shake in their small-screen debut.
“We didn’t know what we were getting into,” explains Kelly. “They changed the name to ‘Daddy’s Spoiled Little Girl’ after we applied, and they faked the amount of money that we spent in Vegas. They just edit it however they want, to give it more drama.”
Disillusionment and disappointment are common side effects of starring in reality shows, and many a participant has been burned by creative editing. Still, producers defend the process, noting they merely sift through hours of film to find footage that fits with the plot.
The Real Deal
“These shows have to compete with scripted comedies and dramas, and the audience still wants a storyline,” says Dave Rupel, the former executive producer of the Bravo Network’s “Real Housewives of Orange County.” Rupel has recently located to Sacramento, hoping to delve into the world of political media. “As a producer, you have to whittle people down to their most basic facet,” he says. “You choose to focus on the elements that make the most compelling drama.”
But for every frustrated participant, there is a long list of hopefuls willing to try their luck. While psychologists and pop-culture experts have a laundry list of reasons why people are willing to step into the spotlight and absorb the scrutiny, Rupel offers a simple explanation: “People want to be famous; they think it will bring something wonderful to their lives. Mostly, people think they can outsmart the producer. But I’ve never been outsmarted.”
That’s a sentiment to which Becca Ballon, a former Davis resident, can definitely relate. Ballon’s sorority, Sigma Alpha Epsilon Pi, was the focus of the premier season of MTV’s “Sorority Life.” While initially skeptical because of MTV’s reputation, the ladies were hopeful that the exposure would help promote and establish the newly founded Jewish sorority. But rather than a girl-power documentary, “Sorority Life” ended up being typical MTV fare, heavy on drunken bar-hopping scenes and roommate catfights.
“At first I was definitely disappointed. It clearly wasn’t about sisterhood or the values that we hold so dear in our sorority,” recalls Ballon. “It ended up being positive in the end. We now have Sigma Alpha Epsilon Pi chapters around the country.”
Despite its reputation for creative editing, interest in reality TV hasn’t waned. For networks, it has proven to be a gold mine; production costs are often drastically lower, thanks to stars who don’t collect paychecks and crews who aren’t covered by film unions. For small businesses, the opportunities are huge, as the push to constantly produce new shows has led to an outsourcing of filming, editing and even casting.
Producer Peter Holmes and director Bill Swan started the successful Sacramento production house, The Idea Factory, 10 years ago. Working with their core staff in Sacramento and a team of freelance artists across the United States, The Idea Factory produces and packages reality TV specials for such networks as Home and Garden Television, the DIY Network and Discovery Health.
“You’re starting to find more boutique companies like us,” says Holmes. “As long there’s a Fed Ex and an airport within 20 minutes, we can do anything the big boys in Hollywood can, and we can probably do it cheaper. The technology has become so inexpensive … you can just go down to the Apple store, spend $10,000 and get started.”
The World’s a Set
Holmes also points out the mobile nature of reality TV, where all the world is a set, and pressure from network executives to cut production costs has helped small companies such as his compete in an industry typically dominated by Hollywood studios.
“Networks are getting more creative with how money is spent and budgeted,” Holmes notes. “They’re running a tight ship, and that caters to small companies that are nimble and can be flexible.”
They’re also searching for efficiency in the midst of a chaotic genre. Streamlining the cattle-call casting process is a niche that Sacramento’s Brian Ostrovsky thinks he can fill. Ostrovsky has founded Rtvstar.com, an online matchmaking service for people looking to star in reality TV and casting executives looking to find them. The site allows users to create a profile and complete a generic application that can be searched by networks according to categories, such as age and sex.
Since its debut in August 2005, Rtvstar.com has placed only one of its thousands of subscribers on a show. But Ostrovsky remains hopeful, noting that he’s received renewed buy-in on the idea from several TV producers.
“We’re going to be adding new technologies to the website that will improve it,” says Ostrovsky. “Right now, I’m constantly being asked for profiles. As the site grows, the networks can do it themselves … my goal is to have 100,000 participants.”
One of those technologies is his latest project, a software program called Cast Builder. The program uses Ajax technology, a web development technique that creates interactive web applications. Ajax’s strength is that, by continually exchanging small amounts of data with the server, it negates the need to reload the entire web page every time a user makes a change. The software has already begun presale, and a relaunch of Rtvstar.com is in the works.
So, what’s looming on the horizon for the genre that just won’t quit? It’s anybody’s guess what the next big trend in reality TV will be, but if the current movement continues, it probably won’t come from the Hollywood elite.
“The network guys love to pride themselves on knowing what the next big thing will be, but they don’t have a clue,” Idea Factory’s Holmes says. “Someone will stumble onto it in the dark. And when it happens, we’ll know, because everyone will be talking about it.”
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