IS REALITY TV ON THE VERGE OF ANOTHER BOOM PERIOD?

IS REALITY TV ON THE VERGE OF ANOTHER BOOM PERIOD?

It’s that time of year… when all is quiet on the media buying front. I mean, they don’t call it the?dead of winter?for nothing, but year-after-year hundreds of producers like myself slowly wake from the holiday hibernation eager to return in droves to the pressure cooker known as reality television. For some lucky few, they were able to hang on to that one gig that shuttled them thru the holidays, for others on end-of-year hiatus, the last time they had a job they were also shopping at Spirit Halloween.

But as quiet as this time currently is, we might be on the cusp of one of the biggest reality television booms of all time. It may not seem like it based on the crickets coming from production companies, because the networks have frozen their media buys. Why is that? because they're waiting to see what is to become of a possible writers strike scheduled to take place this summer.

But if you stick around the television industry long enough, you soon see history repeat itself or cycles take place —and this one is seems to have a historical tie with the writers strike of 2008. Back then, the writers strike ushered in a gold rush for reality tv -and it seems we are on the verge of another unscripted golden age. While we wish our brothers & sisters on the scripted side much success to enhance their cause, we on the unscripted side look to the opportunity to create some amazing programming.?

Back in 2008, the great recession was in full swing, which meant that back then networks were pinching their purses —much the same way the tech industry (aka streamers) is clamping down now. The only issue is, as with all media, that the airwaves need to breath content, and someone needs to make it. So the obvious choice is to create a slate of alternative programming to fill the void.?

So for those producers hunkering down waiting for their next gig… things might get busy very, very soon.