Reality TV To Shine Spotlight On Seals

September 22, 2006 - SPHL (SPHL)
Florida Seals News Release


CELEBRATION, Fla. - As the Florida Seals hockey team prepares to start the 2006-2007 season, they'll have more than just the eyes of the fans on them. They'll be staring at the lenses of video cameras as well.

At the beginning of August, the Seals announced an agreement with video production company Underground Productions II from Michigan to shoot and package a 13-episode "reality" television series about a minor league hockey franchise. The series, with the working title of "Making The Franchise", will give fans an inside look into the lives of the players both on and off the ice along with just what goes into making a professional team tick.

"My expectation is to show the inside of how a team is formed all the way up to game day," said Seals President Michale Watson. "Nobody knows what the back office really does. It's really giving us the ability to show people on a professional level how a team is formed."

It was Watson along with Seals owner William Lucia who hatched the idea to use the Seals as the subjects of a reality television program. It was certainly a novel idea. Up until now, the only hockey related programs were series about the game's tough men and players trying out for teams - the most recent being an elimination format tryout with the winners being invited to the Boston Bruins training camp that is currently airing on the New England Sports Network

Through connections that he had in South Florida in the entertainment industry, Watson had met Steve Hawthorne and knew that this type of project was just right for Underground Productions' team.

Underground Productions had come into prominence in 1996 when Hawthorne, a.k.a Anthony Rodriguez, developed "The Anthony Rodriguez Show", which many in the industry acknowledge as the medium's first attempt at "interactive reality television". The program, which aired until 2002 and was carried by Fox, UPN and some 30 plus other cable television outlets nationwide (with a weekly audience of 10 million), relied heavily on slap-stick comedy and interaction with a studio audience that was the focus of the program itself.

"It was quite a journey, quite a success and had quite a cult following," Hawthorne said of the show that put him and Underground on the map. "It was a ground-breaking experience not only for myself but at that point in time, if you can remember in 1996-97, reality television was just coming to the forefront as an entity."

"The Anthony Rodriguez Show" also exposed Hawthorne and his crew to the music industry, especially the growing hip-hop scene. Ground-breaking interviews with Wyclef Jean and Exzibit led to music video work with the likes of Puff Daddy, Fat Joe, Vanilla Ice, Steve O (from MTV's successful "Jackass" franchise), Jennifer Lopez, Destiny's Child and Naughty By Nature.

Watson, a big fan of "The Anthony Rodriguez Show", contacted Hawthorne and pitched the idea of a reality television show based on a minor league hockey team. Despite the fact that Underground was in the middle of four different new reality TV projects, Hawthorne was very interested.

"I was contacted by Michale because of his involvement with the Seals and he asked what projects we were working on. I said we were right in the middle of some real, new fresh stuff that we're hoping to bring to the reality TV audience," Hawthorne explained. "I've got some projects that we hope we can sell to Fox and possibly Merv Griffin Enterprises which is a big syndicator out on the west coast. That's what we're working on and we're pretty deep in these projects."

"Well, he (Watson) says 'I've got a great idea for you - a reality show based on a (minor league) pro hockey team'. I said what team and he said the Florida Seals," Hawthorne continued. "While we were talking, I picked up my laptop, got online and took a look at the Florida Seals. Based on the fact that one of the big hit reality television shows right now is the boxing-oriented "The Contender", I said 'do you have access to the Seals?' and he said he could gain it. I said 'how does the ownership feel about such a project?' and he said they were for it."

Hawthorne called some contacts on the West Coast and pitched the idea. It took just ten days to get the project fully financed. It also forced Hawthorne to alter some production scheduling.

"In all actuality, what we've done is shelved two of our current projects to free up some of our best people to work on this project," he said. "I'm working with Eran Stone - and yes it is the Stones from Hollywood, California - and he's going to head the project up underneath myself. I will be the director and he will be the field producer."

"We will be running a situation where we will follow the Seals from the beginning of the season," he added. "On or about the 20th or 21st of September we will be in Hartford (Cromwell) Connecticut at their open camp tryout. We will follow them through tryouts, tryouts for the Ice Girls and the inner workings of the office. We'll have camera crews out on the road on the team busses. We'll be bunking with the players on the road. We'll be staying with the players in their apartments, their homes in the Kissimmee area. It will be an all-access, 24-7 situation."

Hawthorne said he expects the extensive (and expensive) man hours spent shooting and editing will produce "13 high-impact episodes" that will not only sell regionally but lead to a second and possibly more seasons that will garner a national television deal.

Now, some people would think that this kind of attention might be a distraction to what is important - putting a winning team out on the ice. Seals Head Coach Tommy Stewart is actually looking forward to it.

"You've got to go about your business. I played in the Central Hockey League when they filmed all the tough guys. The video guys were on the bus. They followed Kevin Holliday of the Memphis Riverkings - the life of a minor league tough guy," Stewart said. "It was great. A lot of people watched it."

"I think a lot of people will be intrigued to see what's the process of a staff starting at 8 or 9 o'clock (in the morning) on a game day, the preparation from a coach, the good, the bad and the ugly, " he continued. "I'm surprised it's taken someone this long to really think about it. It has a lot of positives. Sure there will be days you don't want it but I don't even know really that it will bother me because you've just got to zoom it out and go about your business."

As for the players, Stewart expects there will be an initial adjustment period for everyone at the start.

"It's going to be a shock to the players at the start. People around filming practices and in the locker room," he said. "I think it's got everybody's best interest at heart. I think it's good for the SPHL and it's good for our organization."

The Florida Seals are currently in preparation for the 2006-2007 SPHL season. The Seals return to the Silver Spurs Arena is only days away. Florida Seals will begin their season at home on October 27th vs. Huntsville at 7:35pm. Season ticket packages and corporate sponsorship opportunities are currently available. For more information please call the Seals at (407) 343-7825 or log on to www.floridaseals.com.



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