Forty four seconds after going up on Facebook, I found Mike Rowe’s new entry, wherein he announced he’s back in front of a camera. I never swear on my blog, but holy shit. I’m honestly shocked to hear this has finally happened. CNN, you’re my new favorite channel. I’m glad Mike’s not stuck in a sound booth doing voice overs. He’s an amazing narrator, but the man belongs in front of a camera.
This Just In…
So I’m here in New York City, making some new friends at a Network Upfront. Upfronts are annual events hosted by broadcasters. Their purpose is to formally announce new programs, and give the advertising community an “upfront” look at what’s coming down the pike. If you happen to own a network or buy advertising, upfronts are a pretty big deal. If you don’t, but happen to find yourself in the midst of one anyway, I recommend the bar. All upfronts have a bar. And the bar is always open. Always.
Anyway, I’m here because I have some news. Some breaking news, if you will. After a year of nosing around for gainful employment, I’ve finally found a home for my next television project. The official announcement will occur on the upfront stage in about an hour, but I wanted to tell you guys first, since you’re primarily responsible for interrupting my premature retirement. In fact, some of you might recall the conversation that got me to this point. It started with a question posted over a year ago by a guy called Russell:
—
Q: Russell Hande: How many of us would pay per episode if Mr. Rowe made his own independent show? Something that picked up where Dirty Jobs left off? I would happily pay to see some “real reality” back on TV.
A: Hi Russell. Years ago, I hosted a show in San Francisco called Somebody’s Gotta Do It. That was the most “real” show I ever worked on. We featured regular people on a mission – mad scientists, crazy collectors, bloody-do-gooders…people with passion and purpose who marched to the beat of their own drum. I miss that show, and the honest way we produced it. So yeah – if the people on this page said, “Hey, Mike, here’s ten bucks to cover jet fuel and production costs,” I’d start shooting “Somebody’s Gotta Do It” tomorrow.
—
After that post, thousands of you encouraged me to do that very thing. Hundreds more pledged money to help pay for Somebody’s Gotta Do It. That was humbling and initially, pretty exciting. But when it came down to actually taking your money to produce a show with my name in the title, I couldn’t do it. It felt vaguely icky…like inviting friends to my wedding and then charging them for dinner. However, your enthusiasm for a real, unscripted show was duly noted, and last year, I went out to find Somebody’s Gotta Do It a proper home. Well, that little adventure could have been Episode 1.
Long story short, I spoke with dozens of producers and network executives who develop unscripted content and reality programming. They were all very nice, and made a point to tell me how much they valued the humor and spontaneity of Dirty Jobs. When I explained that Somebody’s Gotta Do It would include those same qualities, they became even more enthused. But eventually, their questions came around to “plot lines,” “recurring characters,” “stakes,” “dramatic tension,” and the “narrative arc” of each episode. Basically, they wanted to know what was going to happen before we started rolling. A few of them even asked for a script. I’m not kidding. A script, for an unscripted show. It got to the point where I could no longer hear the words “reality” or “unscripted” without hearing Mandy Patinkin’s quiet admonishment to Wallace Shawn in The Princess Bride – “You keep using that word…I do not think it means what you think it means…”
When Dirty Jobs debuted ten years ago, “unscripted” meant uncertain. That’s what made it fun, and cheap. There was no real format. We Forrest-Gumped our way around the country and made up a show along the way. Scripted content on the other hand, provides a lot more certainty and a lot more control, but at a much higher price. That’s always been the tradeoff. However, by combining real people in real-world settings with a more scripted approach, some very clever producers created a new format called Docu-soaps, or “scripted-reality.” Networks love this format, and obviously, so do viewers. The why the Ducks have a Dynasty. And the Amish have a Mafia. And Honey has a Boo Boo.
Don’t get me wrong – I’ve got no beef with docu-soaps. I narrate several good ones, and I’m grateful for the work. But in real life, I’m simply not equipped to appear on camera in the kind of programs currently in vogue. I have no experience hunting for ghosts, digging for gold, or fishing for crab. I’m not a survivalist or a stunt junkie. I don’t like cooking in front of judges, and I’m not qualified to dance with anyone, including The Stars. True – I have spent countless hours both Naked and Afraid, but rarely at the same time, and never for a whole season. Point is, Docu-soaps and competition shows have no need for an Erstwhile Host or a Full Time Apprentice. Today, a truly unscripted show is a very hard sell. Which is why I’m pleased, relieved, and grateful to announce that Somebody’s Gotta Do It is going to premiere on…
CNN.
Yep.
CNN.
I suspect some of you will have questions about all this, and I’ll answer as many as I can later. But for now, here’s the headline – of all the networks I spoke with, no one talked about unscripted content and point-of view programming with more passion than CNN. When I described Somebody’s Gotta Do It, they said, “Mike, we get it. We love it. We want it. And we’ll give you an hour in prime-time to make it happen.”
Who say’s “no” to that?
In a few minutes, this announcement will hit the wire, but I doubt the official press release will acknowledge your collective role in getting me back to work. But rest assured, I’m aware of your contribution, and I appreciate it. The best ideas on Dirty Jobs came from fans of the show, and I’m hoping to continue that tradition here. In fact, I’m counting on it. (I won’t take your money, but I’ll take your suggestions all day long.) So consider yourselves back on the programming payroll.
Starting now, I’m looking for people on a mission. Regular people who feel compelled to do a particular thing. Dirt is not a pre-requisite, but hard work is still fair-game. So is play. And just about everything else. I’m talking about the guy who built Stonehenge in his backyard, just to prove that I could be done without aliens or modern tools. Or the man I just read about who’s on a quest to change the global reputation of British food. Or the guy who has assumed the identity of Tom Sawyer, and ferries people up and down the Mississippi River on a raft. These are the kind of people I want to meet. And somebody’s gotta help me find them. That would be you.
If you have an idea, drop me a line at info@mikeroweWORKS.com. Put SGDI in the RE:line. I appear to have made over 630,000 friends this year. If I can get one decent lead from each one of you, Somebody’s Gotta Do It should remain on the air for the next 254 years. So thanks in advance for that!
Gotta run. Anthony Bourdain’s making jello shots for the room. More later –
Mike
Who else is over the moon right now?!
UPDATE!
CNN has now officially greenlit the series. Here is their official announcement:
For more than a decade, Mike Rowe has been nationally known as the “dirtiest man on TV,” as host and the executive producer of the Discovery Channel’s Dirty Jobs (2005-2012). He traveled to all 50 states and completed 300 different jobs, transforming cable television into a landscape of swamps, sewers, ice roads, coal mines, and oil derricks. He initiated a hands–on way to pay tribute to a nation of unsung heroes, conclusively demonstrating that fun and hard work are two sides of the same coin and confirmed the value of delayed gratification, sacrifice, hard work, good humor and optimism. He is now on a brand new mission and he will bringthat mission to CNN beginning this fall.
“For more than ten years, Mike has been one of the nation’s most unique storytellers, celebrating the values of work in America. Examining issues through the prism of Mike’s experiences and passions is the perfect fit for our CNN audience. We are thrilled to have him here,” said Amy Entelis, senior vice president of talent and content development for CNN Worldwide.
Rowe’s new series Somebody’s Gotta Do It, brings viewers face-to-face with men and women who march to the beat of a different drum. In each episode, Rowe visits unique individuals and joins them in their respective undertakings, paying tribute to innovators, do-gooders, entrepreneurs, collectors, fanatics–people who simply have to do it. This show is about passion, purpose, and occasionally, hobbies that get a little out of hand.
“Of all the networks I spoke with, no one talked about a commitment to unscripted content and point-of-view programming with more passion than CNN. This is where Somebody’s Gotta Do It belongs,” said Rowe.
In 2008 Rowe launched mikeroweWORKS, a campaign designed to reinvigorate the skilled trades. He’s since written extensively about the country’s relationship with work, the widening skills gap, offshore manufacturing, infrastructure decline, and currency devaluation. He gave a TED Talk on the Changing Face of the Modern-Day Proletariat, and in May 2011, he testified before the U.S. Senate Commerce Committee about the importance of changing perceptions and stereotypes around blue-collar work.
Today, Rowe runs the mikeroweWORKS Foundation which awards scholarships to students pursuing a career in the skilled trades. He is closely associated with the Future Farmers of America, Skills USA, and the Boy Scouts of America, who recently honored him as a Distinguished Eagle Scout. Forbes has identified him as one of the country’s 10 Most Trustworthy Celebrities.
The CNN Original Series Somebody’s Gotta Do It will be produced by Craig Piligian’s Pilgrim Studios.
