Editor's Note: Today, The Outdoor Wire's founder/publisher Jim Shepherd spends "A Few Minutes with...." Chris Dorsey, founding partner of Orion Entertainment. Many readers recognize Orion as the producers of a number of successful outdoor shows- and Dorsey as the host of several. Orion has expanded their production, expanding from "Building Alaska"on DIY network to seven shows - all set in Alaska - running on major cable networks where outdoor shows decidedly aren't part of their normal fare.


Shepherd: Chris, Orion's been known for hunting shows in exotic locations, now it seems you've evolved to offer home shows in some tough locales in Alaska. How'd you come to make that change?
Dorsey: A lot really has changed in the sixteen years since we had a single show: "Sports Afield on Assignment". Sixteen hundred TV episodes later, we recognized a shift and developed some specific outdoor content for non-outdoor networks. That content is getting play on networks like NatGeo, Travel, HGTV, Discovery and DIY, a huge shift for those networks, and very different content from our more "traditional" outdoor programs. It's not what I'd call "straight at you" outdoor content, but it's focused on the outdoor lifestyle and the characters in the outdoors. But hunting, fishing and the outdoors are part of the appeal of these shows with viewers.

Shepherd: So Alaska's been good for you, huh?

http://www.theoutdoorwire.com/image_archive/2149642.jpeg> Alaska's vastness, wealth of wildlife and interesting characters have created a following with viewers of some decidedly non-hunting networks. Next on the schedule "KODIAK" - with the world's biggest lead-in: Deadliest Catch. Orion photo with permission.

Dorsey: Yes. Alaska's a huge place. You go up there to produce one show, and run into story ideas and characters that give plenty of opportunities to create programs about people and their lifestyles. You realize networks that never want a pure outdoor show would find the people and their stories interesting. Suddenly, you wind up with seven shows on the air today.

Shepherd: So there's more to come?
Dorsey: Sure. When DIY started running "Building Alaska" they realized it was a big departure from their brand. It wasn't one of their typical half-hour home makeover shows (Yard Crashers, House Crashers, I Hate My Kitchen, etc), but they realized it expanded their brand in an interesting and engaging way with viewers. And when it clicked, they knew they had a winner.

Shepherd: These networks know their audiences, don't they?
Dorsey: Yes. DIY and HGTV are both Scripps networks and they're not managed like some networks where they look for the next hot topic, hit it hard until it starts to fade and then move on. DIY and HGTV are brands with distinct characteristics and audiences. Duck Dynasty, for example probably a bigger brand today than their network (A&E). But the show will eventually run its course. That's the way most networks work- but the brand building is a reason our shows work for DIY/HGTV.

Shepherd: How's that?
Dorsey: We know our brand and our business. We have a skillset that's better than the production companies in LA and New York. We know how to work in those gritty, hardworking areas - like Alaska. We've been producing shows in those places for sixteen years -and we know how to tell the stories where they relate.

Shepherd: So what's different?
Dorsey: It's not enough to get it "almost right" in the outdoors. I reviewed a show recently that was about Alaska for a network. It looked great, but they had used some beauty shots of songbirds that aren't found in Alaska. We knew that, and knew that the hundreds of thousands of birders and anyone living in Alaska would know it was wrong. Not that the production company wasn't good - they were. They just didn't know the material. That's critical if you want to keep viewers. "Almost right" just won't work in the outdoors.

Shepherd: Is it safe to say that Orion has that "look" down now?
Dorsey: Yes, but not just as a production company. Our "look" is part of our brand. It gives Orion content credibility across all platforms.

Shepherd: Is it all about the brand these days?
Dorsey: I think so. A lot of the companies that have traditionally been big advertisers are realizing they have terrific resources they don't exploit. But they're catching on - and things are changing. Instead of buying advertising from a magazine with, say, 500,000 readers, they're realizing they have a database of 2,000,000 customers. They can create their own content and take advantage of all the different platforms that are out there. They go around the "middleman" and talk directly to their customers.

Shepherd: And the net change?
Dorsey: Some perceptive companies are changing the way they think about themselves and adding the idea of a media marketing machine into their thinking.

Shepherd: Does that mean magazines and networks are going away?
Dorsey: Don't think so. And I certainly hope not. I still refer to myself as a "recovering magazine editor."

Shepherd: About that new show?
Dorsey: We're excited about it. It's called "Kodiak" and it will air on Discovery. It's about the people who live and guide on "the rock" - that's what they call Kodiak Island.

Shepherd: The network excited at the show?
Dorsey: I think so. It looks like they're putting it immediately following the world's biggest TV series "Deadliest Catch". I

Shepherd: "Deadliest Catch" is the world's biggest TV series? You're kidding, right?
Dorsey: Not at all. "Deadliest Catch" is now airing in 172 countries.

Shepherd: So what's different about Kodiak that's worthy of that lead-in?
Dorsey: It's not a contrived "reality" show. The people on this show aren't operating in a made-up situation. Kodiak isn't about artificial situations, it's about living and working everyday on an island where you're regularly dealing with monster 1,500 pound grizzly bears. Kodiak Island isn't an easy life. And that's why Kodiak is going to be a really good show.

Shepherd: Thanks, Chris. Looking forward to it.
Dorsey: No problem. Thank you.