“I hate television. I hate it as much as peanuts. But I can’t stop eating peanuts.” Orson Wells
Usually I write articles that are helpful to the creative and the self-employed. This time, though, I’m going to share with you my latest project, The Paint Shop TV Show.
I came up with this crazy idea for a tv show based on the happenings in and around the studio of my husband, Drew Brophy. He was not excited about it at first.
I distinctly remember Drew saying:
“I don’t want to be on tv and look like a goon!” or something like that.
But, he’s a smart man, and he eventually gave into me and agreed to give it whirl.
It’s ironic that we have been without television for six or seven years. I just got tired of the tv being on all the time, so I cancelled our cable. Our son has grown up without it, which I admit is very strange.
But, I understand the power of media. And so I pursued the making of The Paint Shop.
It was about three and a half years ago when we first started working on the production of this show. We knew nothing about producing a show, so we felt it was best to team up with someone who did.
We found producer/director Brian ILL, who was a big fan of Drew’s, and the three of us formed a plan for The Paint Shop. Brian had a lot of experience from working on The Discovery Channel, and he was a work-aholic like we are – so it was a perfect match.
When our show first hit the airwaves, it was surreal. Drew and Dylan and I had to go to a friend’s house to watch it on the night it premiered.
Recently Brian and I were talking about how amazing it is that we got this far. Then Brian said to me,
“Do you realize that most people are not crazy enough to work this hard to do this?!”
Looking back at all the sweat and tears (and money) it took for us to make this show a reality, I had to agree. But it was all worth it.
The show has evolved quite a bit over the years, and now that we are on air, I see so much that could be improved on it! I am my own worst critic – however, it’s what keeps me wanting to get better and better with each episode.
You can see a big improvement in watch-ability from Episode 1 to 2 and then from 2 to 3 in the quality of production. We just keep getting better.
I am very proud to say that we air in 4.2 million households in California and Arizona!
Above is a link to Episode 3, which is in full HD on Vimeo. I hope you’ll watch it, and if you have a Vimeo account, leave us a comment!
Maria
PS: Visit The Paint Shop Facebook Page and Like it if you like it!
15 Responses
Spunky,
I don’t think this would have been possible without your feisty nature. You are the kind of gal who just won’t take no for an answer. You have a tendency to listen to your hunches and pursue your intuitions and achieve closure on your dreams.
I feel happy for your entire family. Congratulations! Keep up the great work you are doing. When are you planning on taking the TV series national? Or even international? It just won’t do if it is only restricted to Arizona and California. Come on, you can do better than that. I know you can. Write about your plans and share your ideas with us.
Cheers.
Thanks for the encouragement, Archan! We are working on getting the show on National television. It’s a long process, one which we are in right now.
Once we get to that point, we will actually have a budget to hire a proper crew and really step up the production value.
That’s the goal!
Watched the episode. So did my kids. Way to work it, make it happen. Not just sit and talk about it. Impressed that you didn’t let what you didn’t know hold you back.
Shannon, thank you so much for watching and for the kind comment! Often, I talk about all the big things I want to do, and only a few of them actually happen! But yes, this was one which I wouldn’t let go of. And I”m so glad, because I’m enjoying the creative process of it so much.
Maria, I am so proud of you two! A close friend of mine just started getting his motorsports/local drives show on cable in the Ventura/SB area, and it was the same thing – start out small and underfunded, but it’s gone well, and I believe he’s found his true calling! He even broke down and got his own camera and Final Cut Pro suite lol…
Keep up the great work, and keep motivating everyone! I love reading your posts. I’m gearing up to get my art out there this summer! I’d still be wandering around without this blog. Thanks again 🙂
Thanks For the encouragement, Kristina! Underfunded is a great word to describe these types of projects – LOL! But, the committed tend to come out the other end. No matter what happens, it’s a wild ride and I’m glad to be doing it.
Thanks for being a loyal reader – means a lot to me!
Hi…when will we be able to see your show in Florida? We have a huge Beach crowd here.
Susie, thanks for asking. YOU CAN NOW WATCH THE PAINT SHOP EPISODES FROM ANYWHERE IN THE WORLD!
On Vimeo right here: http://vimeo.com/user6751072/videos
Enjoy!
I love it. You guys are awesome!
WOW!!!! I’m So Proud of you, your family, your show and following a life long dream to succeed! I WILL be watching as much as possible, keep up the hard work- It Shows!
Really cool stuff! Ya’ll are great people, and give me hope for the future! Thanks to you and your husband for following your dreams, and setting an awsome example!!
The episodes are awesome Maria & Drew! You really get a lot of good content into the short time period! It’s fun to watch other artists, from other genres, create! Tell Drew I like the new haircut! hehe TC!
I finally got a chance to sit down and watch your first episode!
Good job! It’s amazing to see you move into that medium and do well. So cool.
Thanks for making them available online!
Jeff, thank you so much for watching! There’s more to see – we are uploading all episodes as they are made. To watch go to http://vimeo.com/user6751072
Thanks!
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