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Dirt Church: A Specialized WebTV Show

Brand-driven webTV talk and variety shows are still somewhat unique in the consumer packaged goods (CPG) marketplace. They're a fantastic way to connect audiences with a brand and still provide incredible flexibility.

For CPGs with branded content channels on devices, a web TV show provides a consistent anchor for those channels.

A webTV show is also extremely flexible but consistent. With the same hosts and special features, it can maintain formatting and feel while still being able to incorporate content designed around specific marketing directives. It can also be as long or as short as you want. There are no network guidelines, format clocks or regulations to follow either.

It's affordable. Our concept is built around Specialized HQ and a minimal production and post-production crew (we're doing this now, and it's great). With low cost of production and great use of existing resources, money can be spent adding flavor to each each episode rather than simply making the core show happen.

It's content-driven. Great shows are built around around creative and original content that's entertaining to watch. Specialized is a leader in the bicycle world consistently delivering new innovations and bicycle culture merchandise. You have lots of great stuff to share!

It's core-audience driven. Specialized as a brand has a built-in core audience that loves to celebrate their bicycle culture. Making great, creative, original, bike culture content oriented  for them, they'll want to share it with all their friends and do the product marketing for you.

Here's our suggestion (as Jay is a mountain bike junkie):


Synopsis

Join (boy) and (girl) on the factory floor as they hang out, tech out, taste beer, ride trails, interview athletes and pit Joe and the Pro against each other in this mountain bike lifestyle and culture web TV show brought to you by Specialized.

Format

- 25 Minute webTV Show  (Targeted but it's web so however long we want!)

- Main Segment: The feature topic of whatever we want.

- Secondary Segment: The culture and random stuff: Joe vs. Pro stuff, events, doc style stories, food/drink type stuff etc.

- Tertiary Segment: tech tips/reader questions (team mechanic for tech tips, pro rider or engineer/factory dork for reader Qs).

Cast

Hosts: Guy and Girl - Hip, early 30's, weekend warriors. Relatable to primary buyers but "into" the biking culture- primarily mountain biking. Humorous, perhaps suburbanites. They drive the show.

Joe & the Pro - An actual Average Joe who loves biking but has a day job; an actual Pro rider. They get together off and on to do humorous activities and competitions based around the bike culture and lifestyle but aren't determined by fitness level. 


Season 1 Episodes

E1: Dirt Church - Scratch the Itch

Off-season beer drinking and pre-season training the Pro and the Joe. Look at new models, the pro race season and selected XC series races for the rest of us.

E2: Dirt Church - Never Enough Time

Brian at Rocket Burrito in Billings, MT is training for the Butte 100 on a single speed! Can he beat Tinker? As a father of three and local business owner, how in the heck does he find the time to train? Look at this season's XC bikes and great burritos to eat while doing it.

E3: Dirt Church - Train or Die

A conversation with Tour de France athletes and training updates (highlight current video series). Joe and the Pro train with a team doctor to talk about on-bike training and off-bike training on some of Specialized's coolest new training tools. And good training food!

E4: Dirt Church - Race Day

This season's coolest and most unique pro events. Pre-race rituals and myths from Joe and the Pro. Highlight a couple local amatuer events documentary style.

E5: Dirt Church - Passing it (Not Gas)

Specialized truck shows up unannounced at an event, throws around some bikes, does tune-ups, gives away a bunch of crap. Our hosts visit with the locals and kiddos about what they're doing to get the kids involved and make biking awesome for the whole family.

E6: Dirt Church - Push It

The itch has been scratched. It's not so exciting to get out and ride. A conversation with a couple pros about staying motivated. Join Joe and the Pro as they explain what they're doing to keep the energy up as the taste the best recovery beers.

E7: Dirt Church - Trail Reviews & Old vs. New

Hit some of the top XC trails in some of the coolest bike communities in the US! Back at HQ, Joe and the Pro go head to head on a Specialized 1994 bike and Specialized 2014 bike on a very unexpected course.

E8: Dirt Church - Going the Distance

Brian goes the distance! 100 miles on a rigid SS? No big deal. A conversation with Brian about his race and some of the biggest challenges. A look at other choice endurance events around the US (24 Hours of Daylight, 24 Hours of Rapelje etc.)

E9: Dirt Church - Holding Mass

Want to hold a local event?  Don't know where to start? Join us for what works and what doesn't as we take a look at some of the coolest local events around the country (Group rides, beer rides, awareness rides, Christmas light rides, etc.) - User driven

E10: Dirt Church - Geek's Day Out

Our hosts give us a tour of HQ and a teaser for next year's tech. The shop bike techs see which model can carry the most beer in a free-for-all team competition.

E11: Dirt Church - To Spandex or Not To Spandex?

A look at current season's styles and riding wear (men and women). How to pick out a commuter from a trainer from a guy that lost his driver's license. Joe and the Pro compete in which style is best: Spandex or Not? (wind tunnel, ordering pizza, picking up chicks at the bar, hot yoga, chopping firewood, taking kids to the park etc., stand-up comedy night where the guy in spandex can't get a word in because everyone's laughing at him etc.)

E12: Dirt Church - A Fatty Winter

What's a fat bike and what is it REALLY good for? Join our hosts as the take a look at the lore behind the fat bike. What can you really do with numb, frozen cold hands on a fat bike? Joe and the Pro face-off in a no-hands barre competition for numbed up winnings (numb their hands, make them change tires and chains and stuff). Off-season habits: best winter food/beer pairings, hot cocoa shootout.


- What We're Thinking -

WebTV can be shot with a minimal crew: at minimum: however many cameras and an audio guy. Audio can be directly recorded to a laptop and all data management can happen on the same laptop. The Dead Reckoning TV segment below was shot with no crew at all and a simple, sparsely edited, 1 hour show of 3-4 segments can be filmed and posted in less than a day.


- The Dollars -

Initial Startup Costs - Music: $1,200 Graphics Package: $4,000

Per Episode Base Cost: $12,600

Preproduction - $1,000

Production - $7,050

Post Production - $4,550

(Extra costs my incur based on creative concept) 


- The Principals -

Capstan Visual is a commercial production agency built around the concept that the best ideas are developed in collaboration; the whole is greater than the sum of its parts. We put this into practice by collaborating with a curated roster of exceptional industry talent to execute the highest quality productions.

Jay Friesen

Jay has worked on every level of the broadcast programming and production industry for the past 15 years. He launched Red Futon Films in Billings, Montana in 2009. Since its founding, he has produced documentary projects for non-profits in 8 different countries and spanning three continents. In 2011, he released the award-nominated documentary, Half Devil Half Child. In 2012, one of his short documentary projects garnered over 1.7 million views on YouTube (LINK). Previous credits include Producer on the 2009 documentary; Unheralded and Associate Producer of the award-winning 2010 documentary; Wrestling for Jesus. He is currently Executive Producer and host of the weekly web TV show; Dead Reckoning.

Chris Fenner

Chris has worked for eight years in the film industry, doing everything from producing; to shooting, editing, and finishing. Based in Atlanta, Chris is currently on a team developing two feature films; and recently was the Director of Photography for Grammy award winning artist Lecrae's newest music video, with over 1,000,000 views to date (LINK). Along with an impressive body of work, Chris has established strong relationships with to talented individuals within the production industry allowing him to produce high quality work; anywhere in the world.