Did you ever have an idea for a tv series, documentary, reality show or similar?
I have a DIY/HGTV type channel idea. Everyday when I drive to work I drive through an old neighborhood that has seen better days. Lots of renters and old homes. Nearly everyday you can see home contents at the curb - lots of time tons of furniture.
My idea: DIY competition where you can only use free at the curb or dumpster items to decorate a room. So BEYOND the Trading Spaces concept. You can paint it, restyle it, refinish or recover but the foundation of the item had to come from the curb. 2 or 3 people/couples/teams scour an area of the city on trash day and have 48 hours to make a room.
There is something like what you mentioned already called endless yard sale showdown. Two groups go to a yard sale/flea market and compete to see what they can buy and best fix up to be the most valuable. https://www.hgtv.com/shows/endless-yard-sale I have actually watched it a few times.
Some of these ideas sound like Lara Spencer’s show, Flea Market Flip. Three teams get $500 to spend at a flea market, take items to a workshop for repair/repainting/re-imagining, then take their 3 items to a NYC flea market to see who makes the most $$.
Yes I’ve seen that. Not that I’m trying to sell my show, but this would be different - flea market stuff is still curated to a degree - selected to sell because the seller thinks there would be a buyer. Stuff at the curb is meant for the garbage truck - but may still have life in it.
HGTV is famous for having similar shows so the fact that something is similar does not take it off the table!
This morning I literally saw what appeared to be the entire contents of a house/apt at the curb. Older 80’s stuff probably but with the right “refinish” could still serve purpose in a reno’d room.
I’m addicted to HGTV so yes, I would probably watch it ; )
I love those trash to treasures type shows. One of my old favorites was when they took some crazy expensive designer room and recreated it with budget finds.
I have a sitcom pilot that I submitted to the writers guild simply because it’s unique and I wanted to ensure if someone “stole” the idea, mine is dated and officially recorded. I won’t go into details but it’s based on real people I know and love, a quadriplegic and his blind business partner - they both happen to be doctors of psychology. I’ve been in search of a producer who would be willing to produce the pilot episode and shop it around…but like most creatives the pilot would need to be shot on a shoestring budget and the producer would need to work (pilot only) for the love of the project and potential exposure. Ideally it would be a limited episodic series, say 8 - 12 episodes per season, and I would (seriously) love Netflix to take it on. I have 10 episodes written and ready to go…with the right team.
The second, is a game show format - the basic premise is teams finding a digital camera in the backseat of a taxi in a major city and having to find the owner - using the photos in the camera - 3 teams of 4 (2 team members at a time) would need to direct the cabbie to various locations to “find” the owner of the lost camera. The photos would (of course) only show snippets of things (say, a doorway, an escalator, a billboard/sign, one shoe on a foot, etc.) - each time they advance the camera photos they get more clues, but they also lose “points” (and in my show, points is prize money) - the other team members are watching their own team on closed circuit TV (thereby picking up clues themselves) and teams can chose to replace one team member at a time…at a cost of points…it sounds complicated, but it’s really about deductive reasoning and awareness. It’s actually based on something that happened with my sister-in-law and me…we found an inexpensive digital camera at Disneyland, and on the way to lost and found played a game of “find the owner” - in the end we didn’t, but she was so astute in seeing details I’d missed and I knew places she didn’t, and we realized we made an amazing team…that entire day we talked about creating this game show…she and I think we’d shoot a pilot episode using our own family and friends as contestants (maybe even at Disneyland, on the downlow) - would you like to play this game…for a tidy sum of money? We both love The Amazing Race, and some of that show has influenced ours…with a twist.
SO creative!!! Is writing these episodes a “side hustle” for you or do you have some production writing experience. You should listen to the podcast Happier In Hollywood where 2 female tv writers talk about the entire process of creating an idea, pitching a concept, writing script, getting a pilot etc etc!!!
I’ve not heard of that podcast but will listen today! Thank you for the lead!
I’ve produced and directed a couple of short films - one that even made it through the international film festival circuit and won several prizes including (my personal favorite) a Peace in Filmmaking award in Hollywood.
I’ve always been a “storyteller” and own the rights to a book (memoir) set in 1930s NYC which I would like to make into a feature film. That one will take some doing, but I actually think my sitcom and game show pilots are doable on a shoestring - I need to find that one passionate producer - it’s hard to produce and direct at the same time and I’d really like to focus on one area and direct.
@abasket - I forgot to answer your original question…I would drool over a show like that. True story, 1977, my then boyfriend and I would drive around Beverly Hills in our VW Bug on “bulk item” trash pick up day and pick up anything that looked interesting - we furnished our studio apt with a dresser (repainted black & white), some groovy mid-mod (not a term then) floor lamps, and a small dining table (retro cafe 50s type) - we also picked up The. Gaudiest. Lamp. I. Ever. Saw…my mom snatched it out of my find and replaced a few broken bits here and there, and 30 years later sold it…for $1,500! Turns out it was some designer Tiffany inspired piece.
So yes, I’d watch AND I’d like to audition and participate!
@abasket - I would totally watch that show of yours! We have friends who do the same thing. Pick up trash or near trash and restore it as a hobby. They would make a good team for your show.
I like sitcoms. No clever ideas required in order to originate a program–just a basic setting & theme accompanied by great writers & talented actors. The primarily difference between a great sitcom & an average sitcom is in the script writing.
I would watch it! I actually do that; I’m always surprised what people throw away. I love repurposing items and saving them from the landfill. I picked up a beautiful wrought iron outdoor sofa a few houses ago; it just needed a can of spray paint. I don’t pick up anything with upholstery, but wood and metal are fair game.
But MADad is right that any community near a college has way more stuff at the curb during move out time. It’s crazy what we see being pitched. I have a friend who is a stager and she will often find stuff that can be repurposed for her job. Her garage and basement are filled with beautiful finds that she’s restored.
We also have a lot of visiting professors and our town’s FB “marketplace” always has incredible free stuff with the caveat that you need to pick it up, usually like within the hour ; )
One of ours is moving across the country. Has decent furniture that I am encouraging him to sell (in order to avoid the hassles associated with movers / moving companies). He says that everyone nearby is wealthy so that the only real option is giving away all furniture / furnishings. Maybe I should post his nearest intersection.
I am not a fan of picking up curbside discards. Worry about hygiene & pests. But, based on my prior paragraph, I do understand how nice stuff gets left on the curb.
We needed to get rid of a really big, old couch but missed the bulk pick up day and none of the charity shops would take it. Our realtor told us to put a “free” sign on it and stick it at the end of our driveway. It wasn’t there more than 5 minutes before a student texted his friends, stood guard over the couch, and then 4 guys descended to move it away. A few minutes after that, their old futon was on the curb down the street. Also gone within 5 minutes ; ). Lots of students will “upcycle” to “better” stuff ; )
Some schools also offer a place for students to donate their unwanted furniture.
