TELETRENDS
Television Production and Journalism
Development Projects
THE WARRIORS
Producers: Vicky Collins, Barry Bortnick
Genre: Reality Show/Documentary
The soldier athletes of the U.S. Army’s gold-medal winning wheelchair basketball team are literally hell on wheels. They are battle-hardened vets, who bled in war, but now sweat for peace, for their teammates and for sport that has redeemed them. Theirs is a story of war, pain, recovery and victory against the odds. The U.S. Army’s Wheelchair Basketball Team’s journey from battlefield wounds to victory at the Warrior Games will inspire anyone who has ever faced a physical or mental challenge. “The Warriors” is a six-part one-hour television series crafted along the lines of HBO’s “Hard Knocks.” The series is produced with the cooperation of the United States Olympic Committee and the U.S. Army’s Warrior Transition Command, which helps servicemen and women return to duty or transition to civilian life.
THE PEEK FAMILY CIRCUS
Producers: Vicky Collins, Barry Bortnick
Genre: Reality Show
Few rodeo clans exemplify Old West traditions like The Peek Family of Southern Colorado. The Peeks (three professional rodeo cowboys, their wives, kids, extended family, horses and dogs) scratch out a living wrestling 500-pound steers and roping calves while crisscrossing the back roads of The U.S. "The Peek Family Circus," is a proposed reality series that combines the comedy of "Modern Family" and the classic western style of "Shane." It's a reality show built on the adventures, failures and triumphs of Josh, Jon, and Jeremiah Peek -- professional rodeo cowboys who travel thousands of miles each year and compete in hundreds of rodeo events for a shot at glory, fame and fortune. "The Peek Family Circus," brings viewers into the world of the modern day Old West. This show exposes the audience to the difficulties, passions, squabbles and romance of a rodeo family as they rely on faith, love and old school values to survive and thrive a nearly forgotten way of life.
TASTING LIFE WITH NANCY SHARP
Producers: Vicky Collins, Nancy Sharp
Director: Mike Billingsley Editor: Sharon Levy
Genre: Cooking/Lifestyle Show
In what ways does food inspire? In what ways do you taste life? These questions are at the heart of Nancy Sharp’s television cooking program, Tasting Life with Nancy Sharp. Nancy describes herself as an unabashed foodie. For her, cooking has always been a way to heal her soul, connect with people and her past, savor the present and create foundations for tomorrow. There are stories behind the foods we enjoy, and each recipe, each act of preparation and dining creates an opportunity for conversations with those who surround us. The program is about purposeful cooking, meaningful conversation and mindful living. At the center are the foods we treasure, heirloom recipes, everyday finds, and new discoveries adapted and updated for health conscious audiences.
OUTPOST PUBS
Producers: Vicky Collins, Steven Tromly, Dave Kluth
Shooter: Ben Rader Editor: Skye Romero-Lay
Genre: Travel Show
Two anthropologists endure crazy travel options, battle extreme weather conditions, uncover incredible history, and encounter fascinating local culture on their way to experience the most remote and exotic pubs in the world. Since the first pub was established thousands of years ago, they have been meeting places for the community. Often, if you want to experience the true culture and hospitality of a people, you go to the local pub. Outpost Pubs embodies the fun and excitement of extreme travel. The trend today is people getting off their beach blankets and going places that aren’t neatly listed in a travel guide. Outpost Pubs explores the four corners of the world in search of the most remote, interesting, and exotic pubs known to man. The adventure begins with Outpost Pubs.
ESCAPE TO REALITY
Producers: Vicky Collins, Mike Kabjian, Jim Rettew
Shooter: Ralph Binder Audio/Editor: Andrew Commiskey
Genre: Reality Show
One Ravaged Country. Ten Average Tourists. Thirty Days. Can they make a difference? Are they up to the challenge? You lost your job. Your spouse took off. Life lacks meaning. It’s time for big changes. You drop everything and get as far away as you can. Helping people of a desperate country is just what the doctor ordered. Or is it? You want to make a mark but this vacation is no day at the beach! Suddenly you are a fish out of water in a foreign land. Your fellow travelers all have emotional baggage. Your project seems impossible. It is all too much. You want to go home. Too late! Do you have what it takes? Will you crumble under the pressure or break through and make the world and yourself better? Each six episode series follows chosen characters going through life transitions. All the while, they are trying to complete an extremely challenging real-life humanitarian mission in a ravaged country.