In relation to nonfiction content material, Matthew Ostrom has been on the forefront. He obtained his begin within the enterprise by having a hand in creating and producing exhibits reminiscent of HBO’s The Chris Rock Present and ABC’s Spouse Swap. Ostrom labored his manner as much as VP on the then-production firm Authentic Media the place he was among the many driving forces that launched long-running exhibits reminiscent of Historical past Channel’s Swamp Individuals.
From there, he shaped Magilla Leisure alongside Laura Palumbo Johnson in 2009. Extra success adopted because of the explosion in recognition of Discovery Channel’s Moonshiners and spin offs reminiscent of Grasp Distiller and American Spirit. Different work you would possibly know is TLC’s I Love a Mama’s Boy, HGTV’s Beachfront Cut price Hunt, Magnolia’s Beachfront Cut price Hunt: Renovation and Lifetime’s Theresa Caputo: Elevating Spirits.
We sat down with Ostrom to reply our burning questions on actuality present creation, casting and every part in between.
What do you keep in mind in regards to the improvement of Swamp Individuals and the way the idea was what we nonetheless see at the moment?
Matthew Ostrom: That began with a name from a tv community saying, “Hey, there are the swamps in Louisiana. There looks as if there may be one thing attention-grabbing happening in Louisiana.” Every week later the Historical past Channel referred to as again and mentioned, “What if we offer you cash to go discover the swamp?” They gave me cash to enter the swamp and work out what the present is right here? Is there a present on this area of the nation? I discovered a tour information and a shooter producer. The 2 of us simply went into the swamp. We checked out each job folks did within the Atchafalaya Basin. We have been with flat backside boat builders, individuals who have been defending the logging trade. We have been in a Cessna airplane. We did this large exploration. The entire time you’re searching for one thing that’s actually cool, a repeatable motion that folks will need to come again and watch. I’ve additionally thought, “What’s one thing that may kill you?”
Stacey Angeles (Growth), pilot and Matt Ostrom whereas engaged on ‘Swamp Individuals’
That’s fairly the prerequisite.
That’s at all times a superb place to begin. What’s probably the most harmful, craziest factor that’s taking place on this area? After a bunch of days within the swamp, I used to be sitting on this tour information’s sofa in his front room ingesting a beer. He mentioned, “My buddy catches alligators. He has a videotape of that. Let me present you. Possibly you’d like to fulfill him.” On the time alligator looking was outlawed as a result of the inhabitants was virtually gone. That they had simply opened alligator looking within the swamp, which is an outdated custom. It’s very strict and properly regulated. He confirmed me this video of a type of who goes in and hunts the alligators. He’s in a ship, capturing an alligator and placing it into the boat. It will come alive within the boat and must shoot it once more. I assumed this was insane. As I used to be sitting there, the hairs on my arms stood up. It was the craziest factor I’d seen in my life. I discovered it tremendous attention-grabbing. I met the man and his son who was actually good.
Who was it?
It was Junior [Edwards]. He was one of many originals. I stood in his entrance yard, and he had a bunch of flat backside boats there, which was an enormous flex in that area of the nation. He had a wheelbarrow with a huge alligator head. The pinnacle was the dimensions of all the wheelbarrow. I shot an interview of him and his son together with B-roll. That’s the place it started. It had every part. There have been seasons. Quotas and competitors. There’s a distinctive subculture and lifestyle that’s secretive or lots of people don’t find out about. This world opened up in entrance of us.
What was the response from the community?
They have been a bit of squeamish about alligator looking. They felt like perhaps it’s a present the place one facet is alligator looking. The opposite was the folks. That’s across the time we discovered Troy Landry, who was superb. An enormous persona. Then we discovered just a few different characters. These have been the times too the place for those who discovered an attention-grabbing world or subculture, you might plant a flag for it and put forth a casting presentation on the world. The community would say, “Nice, we’ll do eight episodes on that.” It actually offers you a chance to get into these worlds and discover and discover folks and characters and spend loads of time capturing and creating and determining the way it works.
Characters are positively necessary with these exhibits. You actually discovered an awesome one for different exhibits you’ve labored on like with Theresa Caputo. How was it connecting together with her?
Theresa was virtually the other expertise of the swamp the place the community. Moonshiners are additionally related with the community in that it was, “Hey, right here is the area, are you able to go determine this out?” You then go in and discover cool characters and a world. Theresa, a producer who was working with us, mentioned, “It’s important to meet this girl. She is superb.” On the time promoting a magical present, no one needed it. Earlier than the assembly was set, I didn’t know if there was a market. Then Theresa got here by means of the door, and inside 5 seconds you simply knew she was this actually dynamic persona. Fully surprising. Lots of people within the medium house have crystals and all these items. She was the exact opposite. She was only a mother from Lengthy Island, an Italian mother the place household was actually necessary. Then she began studying all of us sitting across the desk. Each single particular person was crying. It was a type of moments the place you noticed what she does is superior and has an awesome persona. That’s one of many secrets and techniques to this world is you’re searching for large personalities doing actually distinctive issues.
And she or he actually matches that standards.
We began to attempt to promote her. My thought was I’d sit within the room together with her and a community govt and somebody in improvement and she or he’d make them cry and we’d make a TV present. She did that with each single community. I had executives that pulled my arm and mentioned, “Make her cease.” It was as a result of she has this unbelievable present. No one would purchase regardless of loving her persona. It took a yr or so to get that present bought. We knew there was one thing there. It sat with the top of TLC on the time and obtained Moonshiners off the bottom and so they requested, “What else are you enthusiastic about?” We introduced up this idea. We have been informed, “It’s not that we don’t do paranormal, however it must be the fitting sort of paranormal.” We pitched Theresa. Because it was a household present and slot in with what TLC was doing on the time. The pinnacle of improvement referred to as to say, “I can’t imagine I’m saying this, however we’re going to purchase six episodes of this.”
Quick ahead and also you’re nonetheless working together with her on a brand new present Elevating Spirits.
Sure, she is at Lifetime. I name her a style buster as a result of for years folks have tried to do exhibits with mediums. Any time somebody would pitch us a present a few medium, we’d at all times evaluate them to Theresa and there may be nothing in comparison with her.
Left to Proper Across the Desk: Tim Smith, Tyler Wooden, Steven Tickle, Invoice Canny, Josh Owens, Jeff Waldroup, Mark Rogers; Prime Row Left to Proper: Matt Ostrom, Chico; Beneath the Desk: Cutie Pie
When was the second you knew you had one thing particular with Moonshiners?
I knew we have been on to one thing as a result of there’s a mythology round moonshine. Lots of people have heard of it, however they don’t know what it really is. They imagine there’s something mysterious about it. I knew within the second season when hastily I had folks making moonshine calling me to inform me they made moonshine and needed to be on the TV present. In making it, you need to keep in mind, I grew up in Boston. I stay in New York. I’m a Northerner and going into the deep South. No one needed to speak to anybody from New York, not to mention speaking about moonshine. The mystique about moonshine is you by no means discuss it, and positively by no means discuss it to a stranger. That was additionally a mission wherein you’re within the South and went into loads of authorized distilleries and knew the authorized facet wasn’t a full TV sequence at the moment. Now we all know find out how to make exhibits round distilleries, however on the time it didn’t really feel harmful.
That goes again to the query you ask.
Will it kill you? We knew we have been on to one thing after we noticed guys with weapons standing round saying, “You’ll be able to have a drink of this.” I knew we have been in the fitting spot. By way of realizing, I knew we have been on to one thing actually cool and a world that hadn’t been on tv in an actual manner earlier than. Then Tim Smith, the star of Moonshiners, and [Steven Ray] Tickle have been simply nice personalities. Tim had this one scene the place he was driving his pickup truck and had a gun within the rack behind him. He’s speaking about having a gun and persons are trying on the gun, however what they aren’t is the gun you’re pulling out of your waist. He then pulls a handgun out of his pocket. We have been then like, “Oh my God. This isn’t regular.” That was it.
What did you assume is the state of actuality TV improvement at the moment? I really feel it’s tougher than ever to search out somebody that hasn’t been finished, however on the similar time perhaps a bit of simpler to solid when you may simply examine social media for leads?
I believe it’s tougher. Earlier than social media, I used to be a man going into these worlds that didn’t exist and discovering them. Now it’s a lot simpler to see these worlds. To your level, it’s simpler to search out these folks. I used to spend each week someplace on a aircraft. Now it’s much less of that as a result of you are able to do a few of that by means of social media. I additionally assume it’s tougher to make exhibits round actual folks doing issues. It seems like every part has to have some large piece of IP to chop by means of like a celeb, recognized entity round it. It has positively turn out to be tougher in that sense to interrupt into new worlds as a result of loads of them have been found.
We’ve finished rather a lot within the regulation enforcement house, lively in breaking into completely different areas across the nation round regulation enforcement with three tasks, Constables on Patrol amongst them, we’re enthusiastic about that we’ve insane entry the place persons are letting us into their worlds driving together with regulation enforcement and seeing the world by means of their eyes, which has been actually good. It’s positively tougher, however these undiscovered locations nonetheless exist and alternatives from it.