"At SCOUT the adventure begins with a journey deep into the heart of imagination," reads the homepage for Scout Production's website, www.scoutvision.com. "Past the uninspired to the very edge of reality, where a fire is lit," it continues. Little did anyone realize that the very edge of reality for this northeast-based company would be the surprise reality-TV hit of the summer, QUEER EYE FOR THE STRAIGHT GUY. The show has lit a ratings fire for the Bravo cable network and has crossed over into the mainstream with airings in NBC prime-time.
The series chronicles the transformation of a straight guy from "drab to fab," in the course of an hour-long episode through the aid of five gay experts in style and class. But it isn't "a makeover show," interjects the program's creator and executive producer, David Collins. "We're a make better show." It's about "guys helping guys," and how we all ultimately just want to feel good about ourselves.
QUEER EYE turns paupers into princes via the advice of the five gay men - the Fab 5 - who are a kind of super-hero team, working together "to make over the world - one straight guy at a time." And each has their own specialty: fashion, food and wine, interior design, grooming and culture - like five homosexual James Bonds. At the beginning of each episode we see the subject as a drab, slovenly male and watch him get transformed by the five into the fab, hip, cultured guy who a girl would hopefully want to bring home to mother. Or at least out to dinner without being embarrassed.
The marketing machine that is QUEER EYE will soon appear with the "Queer Eye Stamp of Approval," a mark of true "Queer Eye" excellence. Publishing and music deals are in the works while the company talks with NBC (Bravo's recently adopted parent company) about future projects.
NBC has gotten fully behind the series, not only with pared down, half hour airings during its "Must See TV" Thursday night - with a WILL AND GRACE lead in - but also by letting the Fab 5 have their way with Jay Leno on a recent episode of THE TONIGHT SHOW. The Peacock's scripted series, GOOD MORNING, MIAMI will soon feature the Fab 5 as well.
For Scout, the most recent success is not their first foray into television, or their first show with Bravo. FIRST PERSON, the Errol Morris series that was described as "non-fiction short stories," debuted on the channel in the spring of 2000; a subsequent season - and a re-airing of the first - was seen the following year on the Independent Film Channel. There are shows in the works for VH1 and MTV, while the young cabler Trio has two shows from the company: FACE TIME WITH KURT ANDERSON (a celebrity interview show already on the air) and 24 W/ (a "life in one day" series set to premiere this fall). A teen makeover series for ABC Family, KNOCK FIRST, comes out in October.
The previous relationship with Bravo paved the way for QUEER EYE as it was the only network to which Collins pitched the show. Francis Berwick, Senior Vice President of Programming for the network, "loved it instantaneously," says Collins. It was also perfect timing as Bravo was purchased by NBC, giving the smaller network a bigger sister to attach itself to, and a leg up in terms of publicity. Large billboards advertised QUEER EYE to the masses in the heart of Times Square and a heavily trafficked area in West Hollywood in Los Angeles. The show pushed Bravo to the highest ratings the network had ever seen, breaking the channel's previous record held by only the premiere episode of QUEER EYE.
Bravo was launched in December of 1980 as an independent cable network dedicated solely to film and the performing arts. It was known by most people as the place to watch INSIDE THE ACTOR'S STUDIO, the celebrity interview show from the New School's James Lipton. It is now known as the place to see the next installment of QUEER EYE FOR THE STRAIGHT GUY.
While the show originated in Massachusetts (the pilot episode, which shot in Boston last summer with an original and entirely different cast, airs in November), the series now takes place in New York City, where Scout operates a substantial branch office. Most of the team behind the show came to the project via SESSION 9, the Scout produced feature film shot at Danvers State Mental Hospital. David Metzler, co-executive producer of QUEER EYE, worked on the movie and then ended up developing the television series. It's said that since Collins is gay, and Metzler is straight, it's a "union of sensibilities that gives the show its depth, humor and edge." Knowing how to tell a good story also helps.
Scout's "philosophy is about telling a good story," says Collins. "QUEER EYE is a narrative," with a "beginning, middle, and end," with other key components being that it's "not mean spirited" and has a heart, unlike most of the other reality-fare out there. It's also a reflection of the people who make up the company.
David Collins, Michael Williams, and Dot Aufiero make up the trio that is Scout. They had worked together on the production side of films before really getting to know each other on the set of THE GOOD SON. They began talking about what they wanted to do in the entertainment industry and came to the conclusion that they wanted to start their own company - and keep it in Boston. And that's exactly what they did. In the nine years since partnering, the company has seen tremendous growth as their slate has increased dramatically from features to television shows to the explosion of QUEER EYE. It seems like the perfect beginning to a perfect story, and perfectly in line with their philosophy.
QUEER EYE FOR THE STRAIGHT GUY airs Tuesdays at 10pm on Bravo.