Casting Call for The Genealogy Roadshow

Every year I publish a post about how YOU can be selected for the Genealogy Roadshow, and it is always one of my most popular posts.  Every time this TV show airs on PBS I get hits on my blog statistics page that look like this:

                how to get on genealogy roadshow

                how do I get chosen for genealogy roadshow

                where do I apply for genealogy roadshow

                how do you get to be on genealogy roadshow

                                        etc. etc. (you get the idea…)
or even
                do you get paid to go on genealogy roadshow (LOL! The answer is "NO")

I've tried twice to be on the Antiques Roadshow.  As a WGBH member, I receive a newsletter and email telling me when the show is near New England.  There is a lottery for audience members, so no matter how wonderful your antique items may be, you still have to go through the first obstacle of the lottery.  I’ve never made it that far.  Too bad, PBS, I have some great antiques with great stories!  You shouldn’t ignore genealogists (we know the provenance of our stuff!)

Now, every time the show airs I get friends, relatives and complete strangers asking me how the stories are chosen for the Genealogy Roadshow.  As you might have figured out, the feature stories are researched ahead of time.  This isn’t like bringing in a vase and having someone appraise it.  Your ancestors take a little more research and a few more resources for their “appraisal” on the air. 

Before the very first Genealogy Roadshow aired on PBS, there was a casting call.  Participants were asked to email their interesting family mysteries.  This post listed specific cities of Austin, Detroit, Nashville and San Francisco for participants.  This casting call was spread around by new outlets and genealogy bloggers.  From these submitted emails, the lucky few were chosen and their ancestors were researched for season one.

Now, for season three of the Genealogy Roadshow, there is another casting call.  By clicking on this link: http://genealogyroadshow.org/casting-page/   you can fill out the application online and submit it directly to the show.    They have not listed specific cities for the participants, so I guess PBS is willing to build a show in a city with the most interesting submissions.

Keep your eyes peeled for announcements for when season three of the Genealogy Roadshow will air on your local stations.  Hopefully in the future they will not resort to a lottery system, like the wildly popular Antiques Roadshow.

Good  luck!

The Genealogy Roadshow webpage  http://genealogyroadshow.org/    

-------------------------------

The URL for this post is

http://nutfieldgenealogy.blogspot.com/2015/02/casting-call-for-genealogy-roadshow.html 

Copyright © 2015, Heather Wilkinson Rojo

How to get on The Genealogy Roadshow

I've tried twice to be on PBS’s Antiques Roadshow.  As a WGBH member, I receive a newsletter and emails telling me when the show is near New England.  There is a lottery for audience members, so no matter how wonderful your antique items are, you still have to go through the first obstacle of the lottery.  I've never made it that far. Too bad, PBS, I have some great antiques with great stories!

When my daughter was in high school we also applied for the PBS Colonial House TV series, and I panicked when the producers liked our application and called us back.  They called and emailed me several times, and I finally decided that I didn't want to be part of living in the early 17^th century.  Life involved hauling water, chopping wood and sleeping on the floor.  Yes, I love my Pilgrim ancestors, but I also love that they lived that life already for me and I don’t have to.  Ever. Thank you, ancestors.

Last night the first episode of The Genealogy Roadshow aired on PBS.  It was a fun, fast paced show and the reviews on social media are very positive. People are already asking me “How do I get on Genealogy Roadshow?”  This is what I found:

Back in April 2013 there was a casting call for The Genealogy Roadshow by PBS.  Participants were asked to email genealogy@bigmountainproductions.com with interesting family mysteries.  This post listed the cities of Austin, Detroit, Nashville and San Francisco.  This was spread around by news outlets and genealogy bloggers.  From these submissions, the lucky few were chosen and their stories were researched.

Click here to see a sample online casting call post:

http://www.realitywanted.com/call/24410-casting-pbss-genealogy-roadshow#.UkF1dsakp0Z

Big Mountain Productions is the Irish company that produced the original Genealogy Roadshow in the UK.   According to their Facebook page, they are involved with “creating & making factual/entertainment & entertainment formats.”  Besides Facebook, you can follow them on Twitter (@_BigMountain )and YouTube http://www.youtube.com/user/BigMountainIreland

All four episodes of the 2013 season of The Genealogy Roadshow have already been cast, researched and recorded.  Hopefully the series will be renewed by PBS for a second season.  Keep your eyes peeled for announcements of a second set of shows, and for subsequent announcements of the cities to be involved and the casting calls.  Hopefully they will not resort to a lottery system, like the wildly popular Antiques Roadshow. 

Good luck!

-------------------------

The Genealogy Roadshow website  http://genealogyroadshow.com/about.html 

Also http://genealogyroadshow.org/

 

Casting application page for The Genealogy Roadshow http://www.grcasting.com/

UPDATE- 3 October 2013 blog post from a Genealogy Roadshow insider, Jean Wilcox Hibben on "Basic Guidelines to Select Genealogy Roadshow Stories" at this link:
http://circlemending.blogspot.com/2013/10/basic-guidelines-to-select-genealogy.html 

---------------------------

The URL for this post is
http://nutfieldgenealogy.blogspot.com/2013/09/how-to-get-on-genealogy-roadshow.html
 

Copyright 2013, Heather Wilkinson Rojo