Storytelling

“Outside Tracks” TV PILOT

Developed original TV SERIES Focused on EMERGING MUSIc ARTISTS

Challenge

Promoting the Emerging Artist Network start-up and generating new revenue streams

Background

At Emerging Artist Network (later “Artistory”), the company that I co-founded and served as CEO, our first major accomplishment was developing a proprietary data analytics platform with algorithms that scored every artist on the key factors of career success (social, streaming, touring, etc.).

Our initial business focus was to identify emerging artists and help match them to brands that shared their demographics and psychographics. To further our endeavor, we pitched the CEO at Outdoor Channel to fund a TV pilot featuring Emerging Artists.

Solution

I developed a treatment for the pilot around an easily replicable format. For each show, we would select emerging artists that fit Outdoor Channel’s demographic. These would primarily be country artists who had begun to gain traction and were easily identifiable using our algorithms.

For the show, we would interview each artist about their journey as an artist and focus on their love of the outdoors. We filmed each episode in a scenic location, where the artist would engage in one of their favorite outdoor activities (fishing, hunting, etc.). Additionally, they performed one of their latest singles in a rustic, rural studio.

The Outdoor Channel CEO loved the concept, and we went into production.

For the pilot, I identified the artists (Craig Campbell and the band Parmalee) using our technology, sold the artists and their marketing teams on the opportunity, and negotiated licensing of their music with their labels and songwriters.

I found a Nashville-based film crew to shoot the episode, scripted the questions and helped conduct the artist interviews. On site, I organized the three-location shoot, juggling a torrential rainstorm, two artist teams and the usual array of technical issues.

When we returned to the studio to cut the episode, we were pleased with what we captured.  I worked closely with my handpicked editor to ensure the episode captured the artists’ stories in the color they deserved.

Results

The artists, their teams, and fanbases loved the episode. Outdoor Channel aired the pilot several times. While they initially expressed interest in a new episode, the network ultimately decided not to pick it up for a full season.

The concept ultimately returned to the network a couple of years later in a show called Country Outdoors LIVE, which is now in its second season.