It seems like a lifetime ago we shot the pilot for our television series called MotorSport Ranch.  The pilot aired on INHD and aired perhaps 100 times.  We shot the first season (13 hour long episodes) more than a year ago for air on Dish Network’s VOOM HD channel called RushHD (extreme sports channel for adrenaline junkies of adventure sports).The season premiere will, FINALLY, air tomorrow night on the RushHD channel on Dish at 9PM EST.  Don’t have Dish?  Me either (if you live in Dallas and want to host a watching party please let me know ~ I would host one but I have DirectTV).  We will be launching a YouTube version, but we are still sorting out the legalities of airing our own show (don’t get me started).

Ironically, the show got us into social media, ultimately causing us to create our social media company, Big in Japan.  I blogged extensively about producing the pilot in a blog called “How to create, produce and air your reality television idea.“  That blogging experience caused me to reinvent our own business as well as build a business around helping companies do the same thing.  In any event, MotorSport Ranch isn’t the Shield or Nip/Tuck, but it was fun project.  Who knows, maybe they will pick up a second season…

Oh and for those of you asking, “um, what is MotorSport Ranch?”

Synopsis:  At MotorSport Ranch, our members play neither golf nor tennis.  There is no pool.  We do not host Easter egg hunts.  Just fifteen minutes outside of the Dallas/Fort Worth Metroplex, free from conventional big city confines, this rustic Texas country club boasts a 1.7 mile road course, club house and private garages for members.  Our well-to-do members race supped-up exotic cars, open wheel formula racers and track ready motorcycles.  The Club Pro is a professional formula racer ready take your driving to the next level. 

This is not a Hollywood set!  MotorSport Ranch has been a fully operational country club for racing enthusiasts for the past six years, run by ranch-owner Jack Farr, his trusted ranch-hands and the Club Pro.  Our affluent members are doctors, dentists, lawyer, jewelers, oilmen, and land-barons.  All are serious car racing enthusiasts who periodically escape the real world to compete in their dream cars, which range from Ferraris to Dodge Vipers. 

MotorSport Ranch is the setting for our one-hour, reality show of the same name.  Its well-heeled members are the cast.  As in “The Apprentice” and “The Bachelor,” we begin the season with twenty of our ultra-competitive male and female racecar drivers.  Each have agreed to have their on- and off-track lives filmed in exchange for a chance to win a place on a professional racing team.  Ala “The Apprentice,” our Ranch-owner, his trusted ranch-hands and the Club Pro offer accolades, impart advice and eliminate competitors. 

Each week, we profile MotorSport Ranch competitors and showcase their coveted cars or motorcycles.  Viewers watch members train, socialize, and compete in on- and off-track competitions.  The final segment of the each episode, “The Show Down,” features remaining members in a two-part competition.  Part one is a sponsor-driven event; for example FedEx might provide trucks for each driver to race around the track or Jiffy Lube might provide the drivers with oil changing stations where each driver would have to change their own oil.  Part two is a highly competitive trial of speed.  The winner would receive the penultimate trophy, his moment in the spotlight and a full week of bragging rights.  Most importantly: he, alone, would receive the XM Radio (or other appropriate sponsor) immunity “idol” providing him immunity against the episode’s elimination round. 

On the season finale, one driver will prevail and be awarded The Title, hailed “MotorSport Ranch Champion!” and given a highly coveted spot on a professional racing team.  Tease: He (and perhaps others) will return next season.

The Big in Japan team in partnership with HD Republic produced a reality television pilot and series (filmed entirely in 1080i HD) called MotorSport Ranch.  “Huh, social media company in the traditional media business” you ask?  Right, we were crazy, but we met lots of great folks in the entertainment business.  How about a traditional media business getting into the social media business?
The 1000 lbs. gorilla in the social networking space is MySpace. Our partners at HD Republic decided to take MySpace into the real world by following three MySpace friends as they travel around the world to meet their MySpace “friends” in a new television series called Project MyWorld.

The show is airing on DIRECTV channel 101 on Monday Nights (lots of other nights too).  Robert and his team had a blast filming the epic tale of three young ladies traveling the globe.  More about Project MyWorld next week after we get the download from the team on the project now that it is complete.