The REMEMBER, WE'RE NOT HERE Podcast and Documentary Project

Hi!

I'm TV producer Troy DeVolld, and I've been lucky enough to be part of some of the most memorable reality shows of the last 15 years -- from Fear and The Osbournes through The Surreal Life, Dancing With the Stars, Basketball Wives and more.  


I also wrote the bestselling REALITY TV: AN INSIDER'S GUIDE TO TELEVISION'S HOTTEST MARKET, which opened new opportunities to talk about the reality TV story process --- both on television and through lectures in places as far-flung as London and Tel Aviv.


"SO, WHAT'S ALL THIS ABOUT?"

A few years ago, I started work on a documentary project called REMEMBER, WE'RE NOT HERE, the title derived from the last reminder reality stars often hear from producers before cameras start rolling.  

I learned almost immediately how difficult finding funds for my own projects could be, finding just $676 of the already modest $25k I'd hoped to raise.  Grateful for even that amount of support, I inched forward in preproduction and arranged some interviews, then stalled on the project as the money I'd put aside for the doc dwindled and I disappeared into another busy stretch on shows like Hollywood Game Night and Vanderbilt MDs.  When you're working with an editor on a graphics pass for a network show at 4am, you're not thinking about your side projects, you're thinking about spending the night in your office.

As a guy who always preaches the collaborative nature of film and television, I can tell you that it's no fun to try to make something alone, even under ideal circumstances. Overwhelmed, I put the documentary on hold and just interviewed some colleagues for fun in a podcast format with REMEMBER, WE'RE NOT HERE : THE REALITY SHOW PODCAST, which you can check out for free on both iTunes and at  http://rememberwerenothere.libsyn.com/

That was last summer.  

My goal is to be able to hire someone to help me out with the podcast (as I do a lot of editing to keep the pacing exciting, add lots of music and so on), which I plan to continue to distribute for free. It's been helpful to media students and interested reality fans alike as a natural extension of my website, RealityTVBook.com, which you can find at http://www.realitytvbook.com

Yes, it's gotta be free.  I don't know why.  It just really seems like the point, doesn't it? Passing a skill set on to another generation of young reality pros who are probably pounding cheap noodles and saving their money for gear?

"YEAH, BUT WHO CARES ABOUT A REALITY TELEVISION PODCAST?"

Well, I do.  Because you know what people think of reality television?  Exactly.  How can reality attract the creatives of tomorrow if they're all dreaming of the super-cool imaginary universe of movies?

Whenever I run into a gaggle of students at a film school, I get an earful about great filmmakers like Tarantino and how they all want to be like him.  It's the sexy option, the one that they think will lead them to a life of Ferraris and gated homes and the adoration of the next generation of aspiring filmmakers, which is, I guess, pretty cool.  I know a lot of people who make a fortune in that side of the industry.  I also know that if I can help foster an interest in reality television, maybe some kid with a wildly creative mind will respond by wondering about investing his talents in helping the ever-expanding reality television landscape grow more diverse and eventually fulfill its real potential.  Plus, you know, the top dogs in reality get less press, but their Ferraris handle just the same on Mulholland if reality secretly floats your boat.

That's why I wrote the book.  That's why I lecture.  That's why I spend most of the time I'm not working on shows to showing people how to make shows.

Don't get me wrong... I dig movies.  I just think they get all the love.  Save some for Anthony Bourdain, Mike Rowe, and Karl Pilkington.  Their shows are reality shows, too... some of the best examples out there.


"WHAT HAPPENS IF YOU RAISE TOO MUCH MONEY?"

Any money this booster shirt effort manages to raise beyond the podcast producer costs and associated tech updates (right now it's a Mac and a single stereo mic that practically requires my guests and I to put our faces together like Hummel figurines) will go straight into the documentary feature effort -- specifically toward a week of interviews shot by a proper field team followed by (dare I dream) logging and transcription before I sit down to edit it myself.  Despite having very few backers in my first attempt to crowdfund the doc, I'd like for everyone to have a finished project to show for believing along with me.

If by some insane miracle, enough people buy shirts to see the documentary through, every cent over and above will be donated to the Caucus Foundation, an organization that helps provide finishing funds and in-kind contributions (among other things) to students seeking completion funds for their portfolio and thesis projects.  More on them here: http://www.caucusfoundation.org

That's right.  I don't keep a dime over what it takes to finish this sucker and get it released.  I make my living as a working producer, and this is all about putting it out there for media students and fans, filling those gaps in available info about what it is we do in reality television.

Thanks -- and pass it on!