By Charlie Carey
A Vancouver media company is looking to give someone the chance of a lifetime, and turn their TV dreams into reality.
Tyson Hepburn, founder of new production company Tyson Media, has issued a national call-out for submissions. Focusing on documentary series and reality TV shows, his team is looking for unscripted original Canadian content.
Closing on Jan. 15, 2021, the winner will receive $10,000 in funding and a longer-term development option deal with Tyson Media. “We’re going to be investing with them, so it’s going to be a partnership and they’ll get to build a show with me,” Hepburn said.
Hepburn is no stranger to this kind of open call-out investment. Pitching an idea about extreme fishing in Newfoundland to Academy Award-nominated producer, David Paperny, Hepburn ended up with the guidance and support to turn this dream into an actual TV show. The end result — four seasons of Cold Water Cowboys on the Discovery Channel.
“It got me to where I am now. I’ve had a bunch of hits since then, including Rust Valley Restorers, our big one, and now I want to kind of flip the script and get other people to submit entries.”
The winning pitch is going to be about someone or something relatable, Hepburn said.
“What is a person’s experience in a car? Everyone’s got an easy, fun experience in a car – they own their first car or whatever, but airplanes, unless you’re really rich, you’re just waiting in line right?”
Hepburn will also be looking for at least one of the four below must-haves from the winning pitch:
A demo reel or tape that can visually show your idea.
Access to a place that you can “pull the curtain up” on. This could be a firehall, a veterinary clinic, or somewhere the public doesn’t usually have access to.
A really interesting host or character. “Somebody who’s got some pizzazz, that you think would be great on the show.”
Intellectual property that can be turned into a show.
If you think you have the next big show, you can find more details and enter at tysonmedia.ca/pitch-tyson
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