Hi H-Costume,
I have just received a note from the Wife Swap team looking for
historical costumers to be on their reality TV show. I expect others are
receiving this as well. Treat this with extreme skepticism.
Short story: They canvassed for historical re-creationists in January of
2005, found one family in the SCA, and proceeded to do a completely
slanted treatment of their home life. Do not fall for this seemingly
innocent ploy. They are no friend to the historic interest community.
Feel free to forward this email to whomever you like. Details below.
...................
The 2005 message sounded very sympathetic and sincere; here's the copy I
recieved:
My name is Kevin Cronan and I'm producing a television show for ABC
network examining the relationships between parents and children.
We're trying to find stories where children share interests, or don't
share interests of the parents.
I thought it might be productive to contact members of the SCA. I'm
looking to talk to teenagers and young adults who share or hate their
parents' passion for medieval recreation. We're looking to keep this
light, so I'm not looking for stories where these interests have
caused deep divide within the family.
If you can think of anyone I should talk to please pass along my
e-mail address or e-mail
me with their contact information. I appreciate your time and
generosity. My e-mail address is: (etc)
The blurb for the TV show itself, and the hack job they did on an
apparently fairly normal family who went to SCA events can be read here:
http://tribes.tribe.net/askwildcat/thread/134cdb0d-e7b4-4b0d-8bd8-7bec0c7ac9dd
*Note* this is the exact show that they were casting with the letter
above. I and some friends tracked Mr. Cronan down via the web as part of
the key team for getting applications to Wife Swap.
Portraying anyone outside the mainstream as complete nutcases is the way
they do business; it wouldn't be dramatic for their audience any other
way. We've already discussed on this list the needless drama with the
various Historic House series, and how they chose people completely
unsuited and unprepared for living in a historic manner. This is a
different team, but it's the same idea.
Here's a note about a neopagan family's treatment on Wife Swap:
http://www.wildhunt.org/labels/Wife%20Swap.html
Here is the most recent missive from the Wife Swap team:
ABC Primetime show casting Historical Costume Enthusiasts!
Hello, my name is Vaia Abatzis and I’m a casting producer for ABC's
hit show, "Wife Swap." I am holding a nation-wide casting call to find
fun and outgoing costume enthusiasts along with their family.
I'm looking for people who love to dance, and enjoy sharing their
hobby with their families. I'm hoping to find families who are
passionate about their hobby, and who feel that they have a lot to
teach another family through their own professional and personal
experiences.
If you have seen the show, you know we pride ourselves on casting a
wide array of families from all different walks of life who would like
the opportunity to educate the viewing audience about their particular
parenting philosophy, their beliefs and their way of life.
Families must consist of two parents and at least one child over the
age of 5. Families who appear on the show receive a $20,000 honorarium
and if you refer a family who appears on our show, you will receive a
$1,000 finder's fee PER family.
If you are unfamiliar with the show, the premise of Wife Swap is to
take two different families and have the moms switch places to
experience how another family lives. This is meant to be a positive
experience for people to not only learn but teach other ways of life.
If you would like more information about the show, go to ABC.com and
you will find "Wife Swap" under the primetime listings.
If you are interested, please contact me at the office ASAP at
[number] or e-mail your phone number to [email] and I will call you
directly.
Feel free to forward this on to anyone you believe would be interested.
Thank You,
Vaia Abatzis
Casting Producer|Wife Swap
I encourage anyone even remotely interested in this to do very, very
thorough research on the treatment of creative people and unconventional
people before responding to Ms. Abatzis.
Regards,
Cynthia Virtue
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