Now here's a business I'd love to invest in, especially given the fact that Jason Hervey, formerly of the Wonder Years and most recently of that reputable firm Healthsouth, is a main investor.
RTVStar.com Brings Reality TV Casting Online and into the Future
Monday August 22, 9:09 am ET
Casting Website Turns TV Dreams into Reality
HOLLYWOOD, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Aug. 22, 2005--RTVStar.com, the website that makes reality TV dreams come true, today unveiled its advanced reality TV casting service. RTVStar.com streamlines the application process for would-be cast members, and simplifies the casting search process for reality TV producers. The simple yet powerful website is located online at www.RTVStar.com.
"RTVStar.com does for reality TV what the `common application' did for college applications," said Brian Ostrovsky, CEO of RTVStar.com. "Our service dramatically improves the application experience for potential cast members, and eliminates significant chunks of time and expense for producers. RTVStar.com is a classic business example of how the intelligent application of technology can benefit an inefficient market."
RTVStar.com charges a $24.99 annual membership fee, which entitles a user to complete a comprehensive casting application and upload a digital video and three photographs. Access to the RTVStar.com database is provided free of charge to established reality TV casting executives, who can search for potential contestants by virtually any parameter, including age, sex, location, relationship status, hobbies, interests and other attributes. RTVStar.com is a supplement to the traditional reality TV casting process, rather than a replacement for it.
Several television producers, reality TV stars and casting executives were involved in the design and implementation of the service. Producers Eric Bischoff and Jason Hervey of Bischoff/Hervey Entertainment ("I Want to Be a Hilton") are co-chairmen of the RTVStar.com advisory board. Chip and Kim McAllister, winners of "The Amazing Race," have joined the online reality service RTVStar.com as spokespeople, and will give expert advice to RTVStar members.
At the core of RTVStar.com is the RTV-profile, which is an amalgamation of the types of questions featured on applications for all genres of reality programming, including adventure, personal makeover, home makeover, lifestyle/documentary, dating, sports, intellectual pursuits and others. Reality TV casting applications tend to be 75% identical to each other and 25% genre or show specific. The RTVStar.com application rolls all of the genres together, while giving applicants the choice to select specific genres or pursue all of them. Because it is completed online, the application is more user friendly to the applicant and the casting executive who screens it. RTVStar.com also features an advanced video hosting and streaming system, and Verisign's industry-leading SSL encryption technology.
The inspiration for RTVStar.com came when Ostrovsky's wife spent the better part of a month and over $100 applying to just three reality TV series. After following her through the repetitive process, handwritten applications, video production and scurrying to meet submission deadlines, he knew there had to be a better way.
There are more than 100 reality TV series airing this season or coming soon, and more than one million reality TV casting applications were submitted industry-wide in the last year, according to trade media reports and RTVStar.com research.
About RTVStar.com
RTVStar.com makes reality TV dreams come true. RTVStar.com is a website that gives aspiring reality TV stars an inside track on the reality TV casting process by streamlining the application process for would-be cast members and accelerating the process for casting professionals. RTVStar.com was founded in 2005 by Brian Ostrovsky and is headquartered in the Sacramento, Calif., technology corridor. On the Web: www.RTVStar.com.
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Contact:
Beck Media & Marketing
Todd Beck, 310-689-7363
todd@beckmedia.com
or
Chris Talbott, 310-689-7227
chris@beckmedia.com
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