Posted on January 26, 2012 by Kirby Prawdzik — Leave a Comment
Khloe Kardashian’s Wiki page defines her as an ”American businesswoman, TV personality, radio host, socialite, model.” Based on a recent encounter with her, I would add master storyteller to her Wiki descriptors, having recently stumbled across the opportunity to observe a reality show in the making. My key learning was that making a reality TV show is not unlike what we do every day as storytellers: take loads of data and try to cobble it together into a cohesive and compelling storyline.
While visiting my brother’s nano-premie babies in the NICU of Children’s Hospital Dallas, the hospital PR director called up to say that Khloe Kardashian was on-site and wanted to come up and visit a couple of babies. Not just any babies — my brother’s babies because they’d been born weighing one pound and are now thriving. Khloe came on the scene some 15 minutes later via a back elevator, preceded by producers handing out releases to anyone and everyone on the floor, and followed by a big camera, fully rolling. We had not been warned that Khloe (who is, in fact, NOT an amazon!) would be accompanied by a crew shooting footage for her new show, “Khloe & Lamar in Dallas” (premieres Feb. 19 on E!). While she cooed over the babies and chatted away with my brother, I took a backseat near the producer so that I could ask him my burning questions about reality TV. Here’s what I learned:
• these cameras capture between 12 and 14 hours of footage per day of Khloe; they follow her everywhere.• The footage is not scripted: writers/producers don’t create scenarios for her to fulfill; she just lives her life how she wants to live it (only on camera).• two weeks before the show airs, this producer and two writers guide the editing of the footage. They troll through hundreds of hours of footage with a goal of piecing together a compelling story, based on classic storytelling elements: tension between “characters,” good guy-bad guy dynamics, scenes that include genuine and raw emotion, “turning points in relationships,” etc. (Sound familiar?!)• They then make recommendations to Khloe for the cuts they want to take and the commentary they will need from her. She ultimately makes the decision for what’s included and what’s not, with a goal of including “only the most authentic moments” because her “credibility depends on authenticity.” (Sound familiar?!)
Khloe and her crew soon departed, on to some Dallas hot spot for the night. I thanked the producer for the fascinating info, mumbling something cryptic about our being kindred spirits while thinking about how our jobs continue to change to accommodate audiences who increasingly want to be entertained rather than informed. like this producer, our ability to tell compelling stories entirely depends on the quality of the footage we’re able to capture. and like reality TV, success means that we authentically communicate “reality,” the reality of business challenges and triumphs as well as the reality of how people experience products and services.
Like her and her sisters or not, watch their shows or not, their audience appeal is undeniable. Millions of viewers tune in weekly to to get the story (Truth) behind the headline. THAT’s what I call storytelling chops!
Lessons From Khloe Kardashian on Storytelling
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- Hollywood Buzz: Khloe Kardashian Releases First “Khloe & Lamar” Promo Pic
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- Khloe Kardashian News – First ‘Khloe & Lamar’ Promo Shot Revealed! (PHOTO) – Celebuzz