Auction Item Idea: How to Secure Behind the Scenes TV Activities
My friends Amy and Bob, with me and TLC's own Take Home Handyman, Andrew Dan Jumbo.
Whether you are organizing a silent auction, a live auction, or both, one of the best types of charity auction items to sell at your fundraiser will be something that can’t be purchased anywhere else. “One of a kind” items intrigue guests.
And to take that one step further, one of the most popular types of auction packages we sell are those having to do with the entertainment industry, such as “behind the scenes” activities for television shows. A behind-the-scenes activity usually refers to guests who get to observe the show being taped. For someone who hasn’t worked in the television industry, these can be exciting to watch.
(As a side, I’ve been on a couple of television shows myself. You can watch the videos from ISAAC and Take Home Handyman on this page.)
Here are some auction tips on securing sought-after behind the scenes television items.
Behind the Scenes auction tip #1: Ask family, friends, and everyone on the auction committee
Even when you think no one has a connection, you might be surprised. An email to your contacts might bring out a potential link.
A group I worked with in Washington, D.C. had a former costume designer from New York among them. When we asked her if she had any way of getting some behind-the scenes activities, she immediately thought of friends she could ask. She secured two passes to Saturday Night Live’s dress rehearsal in New York! It was easy for her to get those passes, and she hadn’t even thought of asking her friends until the committee brainstormed about potential behind-the-scenes ideas.
Behind the Scenes auction tip #2: Check your local cable companies show line-up
Your nearby cable company likely produces shows airing on local cable channels. Research online.
We have many shows which tape here in D.C. (e.g. “The NewsHour with Jim Lehrer,” “Pardon the Interruption,” “This Week with George Stephanopoulos,” and so forth), but I researched another city just for fun.
A Website search of local Channel 6 in Lawrence, KS led me to find six shows being produced by Free State Studios Productions. Shows like Jayni’s Kitchen (a hairdresser who has her own cooking show) or The Drive (an unscripted sports talk show featuring four local pundits) might be willing to have guests sit and watch one of the episodes being taped. I’d consider any show shooting within a 2-hour radius from where you live. It might be that one of your committee members even knows someone working on the show.
Behind the Scenes auction tip #3: Call the networks.
If you live in a city where one of the larger networks has a presence, ask if you can have a facility tour. Even if your tour takes place when nothing is shooting, it’s still fun to have a tour! You can see the cameras and sound booth, and perhaps have your photo taken in front of the green screen. (Remember: If you wear green, you’ll be invisible.) It’s not uncommon for schools and business groups to take tours (I’ve been on a few of them myself), so I know that many studios are set-up to process requests. The worst they can say is “no.” Good luck!
(c) 2009 Red Apple Auctions LLC
Leave a Comment