My guilty obsession (January 28, 2009)

From Dassie Rice ‘11…

One of the perks of interning at the NATPE conference is being able to listen to many of the panel discussions while monitoring the session.  I was working a session today that especially piqued my interest. The topic was “Whose Reality is It Anyways?” It was about reality TV - my guilty obsession, just like millions of other people in the world. Project Runway, America’s Next Top Model, Ramsey’s Kitchen Nightmares, The Girls Next Door, and Sunset Tan–you name it, I’ll watch it.

The panel was made up of Lisa Berger, EVP of Original Programming and Series Development for E! (Comcast Entertainment Group); Tony DiSanto, the President of Programming for MTV; David Hudson VP of Unscripted Programming, Specials, and Franchises for TBS and TNT; and Marc Juris, EVP and General Manager of truTV/In Session. These are the very people who made possible shows such as Keeping Up with the Kardashians, College Life, Solitary and many other reality shows. I could definitely relate to this discussion.

They debated about the future of reality TV and compared the definition of reality TV from five years ago to today. Many think they have the perfect idea for a reality show, but there is a formula that involves character, story arc, and shock factor.

I also had the chance to briefly meet the celebrity known as Flavor Flav. And yes, he was just as you might expect him, strolling around with his entourage, stopping for the occasional photo ops, sporting his large clock and fur jacket and chatting it up with the ladies. Who knows what celebrity or potential employer I will be fortunate to have a chance meeting with next?