How To Get a Television Show

    People occasionally ask me for advice on how they can get on television, and with that comes curiosity about who I knew to get the cameras to come film me in action. Was it a relative? A family friend? Co-worker from the past? Former school or teammate? Was it an ex-girlfriend? The truth is, I had no previous connections or contacts in the TV industry.    

    The question about getting on television is common, yet I still don't have a super great answer or a recommended path. Oftentimes, I say: "Put yourself out there." The internet has made this easy, with plenty of ways to establish a platform to share your talent, wisdom, and passion. Think about what you're good at, and if it's something you love, then you're off to a good start. Next, pick a way to let others know about you. Writing is a great way to start, even if it's a few words or sentences to accompany a picture. People need to see your happy, smiling face, but elaborating with words will help them get to know you. Plus, writing is an excellent way to find your voice before you press the record button for a podcast or video.

    I started fixing up my first condemned home before house flipping shows were popular. Then people started asking me, "Are you a house flipper?" Many were excited to be meeting a real-life rehabber in person. Sometimes someone would say, "You should be on television." Home rehabbing is a dirty, tiresome process, so it was always nice to have some stranger drop in and say, "You should have your own TV show!"

    Eventually, I just grabbed the yellow pages, called the Home Rehab Dept. at Scripps Networks, told them a little about myself, and they sent out a crew the following week to get started with American Rehab Charleston... just kidding. You have to put yourself out there so the TV folks can find you. Can you go to them? I guess, but I don't know how that approach works. 

    Besides saving these houses that have been called pig's ears, I really enjoy writing. Starting this blog was a way to combine two things I really love. Besides the flipping questions and TV remarks, visitors would also often ask about how I turned my pig's ears into silk purses. "How do you do it?" they'd ask. "How do you save a house that's been condemned?" Blood, Sweat, and Pig's Ears became my way of teaching, sharing what I had learned while encouraging others to take on houses with potential, too good for the landfill. 

    However, I should say a bit more regarding my motivation to 'put myself out there." I've wanted to be an author for a good while. I'm already a writer, but I have a dream of being published. I had hoped that this blog might help me connect with a publisher or literary agent. Instead, it caught the eye of a television producer. So, as they say, while aiming for the stars, I hit the moon. I wanted to be in the bookstore but accidentally ended up on TV. 

    Finally, along with establishing a platform for exposure about you and something that's a major part of your life, make an effort to be positive while you do it. Trust me. This will open things up and allow you to be more productive. I have a tendency toward pessimism myself, so I'm mindful of this pitfall. Hope and optimism will get you where you're trying to go a lot faster than the alternatives.

    Good luck, and don't hesitate to circle back and let me know where to find you online... or on TV!    

Trent Fasnacht

bloodsweatandpigsears@hotmail.com

What Is A Pig's Ear?

        In Great Britain, pig’s ear is slang for beer, and they a have long-running celebration in London called the Pig’s Ear Beer Festival. Pig’s ear is also what the Brits call a major screw up. However, most dog owners think of a pig’s ear as a dog treat that they can pick up at the pet store.

When it comes to houses, and in particular my type of projects, a pig’s ear is a home that’s in terrible shape. It's a property that’s way over due to be rehabbed or it really needs saved.

       As a project house, a pig’s ear is more challenging than a fixer-upper and a lot worse off than a “handyman-special.” This type of run-down property is oftentimes the worst house on the block, but it might also be the ugliest property in the neighborhood or in town and may even have been condemned by building officials if they determine it to be uninhabitable or “too dangerous for human occupation.”  

       Folks who know me understand that the properties I take on are in this pig's ear category, and in most cases, no one else wanted to own or buy them. Investors, flippers, real estate agents, and other contractors have kicked the tires and said, “Uh… no thanks. I’ll pass.”

On a side note, I played rugby at the University of Cincinnati. If you’ve ever watched a few minutes of this wild sport, you understand how violent it is. There were plenty of times when people would comment on me playing and point out how brutal rugby can get. I’d usually responded with something like, “It looks worse than it is.” Resurrecting a condemned or abandoned home is comparable. For me, these pig’s ears have all looked worse than they were once I dug in and got to work transforming them into silk purses.

If a pig’s ear is a home left for dead, then I’ve been in the resurrection business for twenty-five years.

And finally, as a subsequent acronym, pig’s ear can stand for property in gnarly shape eagerly awaiting rehabilitation.