BCM Community

Ok folks, I know most of the conversion shop folks don't have a lot of time to hang out in here.  So maybe those of you that know the people at the shops can pass this information on to them.  They called me to see if we could help get the word out.  I think it would make for a cool show!



LOS ANGELES, May 20, 2010 ‐‐ Pilgrim Films and Television, Inc, the producers of
American Chopper (TLC), Dirty Jobs (Discovery Channel) and The Ultimate Fighter
(Spike), is seeking to cast a company of fun, outgoing and even outrageous RV
customizers/converters to appear in their own, unscripted TV series on a major
cable network!

The right company for this show custom‐builds extreme motor homes, customizes
existing RVs with extravagant accessories, OR converts buses into RVs, outfitting
them with high‐end electronics and top‐of‐the‐line add‐ons.

The goal is to put a unique, creative spin on the average recreational vehicle and
help RV folks and fans out‐style and out‐drive each other on the road, in the park
and at the rallies.

If you feel that your company has an exciting, colorful group of technicians,
designers and experts who make RV magic every day and deserve to be seen on TV,
then please email producers at RoadWarriorCasting@gmail.com with the
company name, location, phone number and a brief reason why the company and
crew would be perfect for a show like this. Feel free to send photos or a link to
photos of custom work and crew.

Questions can be directed to Semi Aboud, Director of Talent Development and
Casting, at 818‐478‐4540.

For more information about Pilgrim Films and Television and their shows, please
visit www.pilgrimfilms.tv (http://www.pilgrimfilms.tv)

Let me be the first then to offer my bus for the conversion ;D ;D on the show ;)

I was just wondering, how many shops are open these days?

With the poor economy, they should have done that a few years back. It would be fun to watch though! 8)

I think it would be more fun to watch ordinary people doing something miraculous with nothing but rubbish. There are plenty of buses out there that people have taken everyday stuff and made into neat items for their buses which are every bit as good or better then the high dollar mass produced stuff. But I think a show like this would be good all around for bus people and make the public more aware of this hobby as well as make the value of the buses go up again.

Quote from: happycamperbrat on May 22, 2010, 10:38:28 PM
I think it would be more fun to watch ordinary people doing something miraculous with nothing but rubbish.

I agree with that. There is a very popular program here called 'Grand Designs', about normal people doing amazing house builds / rebuilds / conversions, often on a very limited budget. I've always thought that the same concept broadened out to other subjects (boats, buses or whatever) would make an even better program.

Cable TV here carries quite a few of the American Chopper / Boyd Coddington / Pimp My Ride / Overhaulin' type programs from the US. If I was a company invited to appear on such a program I suspect I would want to run very fast in the opposite direction - or at least be very, very skeptical about whether the publicity benefits outweighed the likely damage to my reputation. The problem is that 90% of the people that appear in such programs come across as vain, petty, small-minded idiots. I'm sure they aren't at all like that in reality, but the TV producers of such program seem to think that the only way of creating drama and interest for the viewer is to propagate stupid behaviour and petty inter-personal conflict from the people that appear on-screen.

I do often still watch, though, as you can learn some interesting technical stuff between all the artificial human drama.

Jeremy

I tend to agree that Hollywood plays up the interpersonal drama aspect to gain ratings.  Kind of the difference in presentation style and total viewership between This Old House and Extreme Makeover: Home Edition.  Unfortunately, some of the player's lives really are a train wreck.  For example the Teutul family of Orange County Choppers.  ( http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Orange_County_Choppers (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Orange_County_Choppers) )

On the other hand, in several cases the shops featured in these kind of shows, including Orange County Choppers achieve success largely because of the show.  Before the show they are a small business in the usual struggle and after the show they are a national or international brand doing big business (again reference the story of OCC in the link above) dealing with other kinds of struggles, but with a lot bigger cash flow.

My excitement in this stems from what Teresa noted - a successful show of that type would do a lot to grow new interest in the niche.  Even though the show will be broader focused on RV's in general, when it comes to customization it is hard to beat a bus conversion and I believe that would become evident to more people in a show like that.  The mere exposure of the idea to millions of people would increase the number that catch the bus nut bug. The shop involved would likely gain a lot of business.  All bus conversions shops would benefit.  Our subscriptions and forum memberships would grow. And the increased demand for conversions would help restore the prices benefiting those who are trying to sell theirs.  A rising tide lifts all boats.

if they are interested in updating a conversion I would not mind having my conversion participate. I wish them luck.

Quote from: happycamperbrat on May 22, 2010, 10:38:28 PM
I think it would be more fun to watch ordinary people doing something miraculous with nothing but rubbish. There are plenty of buses out there that people have taken everyday stuff and made into neat items for their buses which are every bit as good or better then the high dollar mass produced stuff.

I think that show was called 'Junkyard Wars' LOL.
Seriously, I wish them all the best and look forward to viewing such a program. Will

It would be somewhat of a drag though if they just showed big shops doing million dollar conversions.

I will gladly volunteer my "time" if they will document the conversion of the bus they purchase for me to participate.  Only as long as they do a really good job.

Your welcome,

John

I just bought a passenger bus, they could start from scratch with mike!!!   ;D

The idea of me sitting on a stool in the shop figuring out my next job and how to do it, while talking to my faithful dog and cat for their input doesn't seem to be that exciting!

Coming from a guy who has been around bikes for awhile and does or did a lot of one off stuff, I grew pretty tired of OCC and how tv had to make it interesting. Maybe it was ok for those out of the loop but for those that were around customizing bikes it was easy to see that it was all for the show. I guess it would be like a lawyer watching Boston Legal or a doctor watching General Hospital. Things just weren't right a lot of times. Unfortunately a bus conversion show would also have some of us scratching our heads!!!

The sad part of a lot of those shows is they do it in such a hurry, a one week build, yeah right! The drama on OC was funny at first, but quickly turned very old.

I like Pat's thought

Quote from: muddog16 on May 24, 2010, 07:42:57 AM
The idea of me sitting on a stool in the shop figuring out my next job and how to do it, while talking to my faithful dog and cat for their input doesn't seem to be that exciting!

That's pretty funny! Most of my time spent is exactly that, scratching my head or whatever else itches! ::)

A friend of mine, Craig Chapman, had a contract with the Teutel's for a year, as their first ever frame fabricator - The reason they could start and finish a bike so quick is that they used "stock" frames and modified them - He was the first to build one offs for OCC (Senior picked him out of a field of over 1200 applicants) - He got out the first chance he got - Said senior was OK but the family was wacked out - FWIW

One thing for us all to keep in mind:  While many of us would probably sit for hours watching "This Old House: Bus Edition", the producers are probably not looking to capture a market of 10,000 bus nuts.  Their intention is to draw a viewership of several million of the general public who may have an interest in tricking out an RV.  Some of those people are no doubt future bus nuts.  But most are just your typical modern TV viewers that are drawn like a moth to a flame to watching people with lives more messed up than their own, even in the technical/educational/informational shows they watch.

I think the show would be cool but I would like to see something like "bus garage" where they would show how to install stuff like plumbing or electrical. Hell even what all needs to be greased. I do not want them showing a millennium coach being built where I cant even afford the Hydraulic lift flatscreen. When I was building classic cars I hated reading the Magazines and see how some shop did the engine and another did the paint. I wanted to see a ruff idealing, paint that has runs in it and knowing a guy and his buddies worked the best they could at what they made. Anybody can buy one. I like the pride of ones labor. And as far as OCC and the late Boyd Cottington they can kiss my a$$ for stripping the attitude and joy of building something. They sold there souls and now they can reap what they have lost.