Lakewood Man’s Idea for TV Show Edges Toward Reality

One Lakewood man’s idea for a TV show is on its way to reality.

Reality TV, that is.

Kevin Young’s pitch for “Fix It With Fred,” about a gifted and charismatic auto mechanic in Canton, got the attention of the hosts of a weekend workshop at the .

In a four-day spring workshop, students learned from husband-and-wife duo Joke Fincioen and (Cleveland-area native) Biagio Messina of Joke Productions.

The pair hosted a workshop at the main campus last year, and had two ideas come out of it.

Young, who’s only other experience behind a camera was in TV production years ago at , learned a few of the tools needed for pitching a successful reality TV show.

But perhaps the key takeaway was the importance of the main character’s strong personality.

“(Fred) looks like every man,” said Young, “He’s is burly, dirty, big, greasy, but he’s absolutely brilliant. I knew there was something there. It’s more than just Fred — I knew it was something that could go on and on.”

To the pleasant suprise of his teachers, Young showed up for the second weekend of the workshop with actual footage.

“He walked in and said ‘I got it! I’ve got your show,’” recalls Messina, adding that Young took the lessons he'd learned and jumped right in.

“It’s hard to find out how to pitch a show that has a chance of selling — and nobody teaches you that."

Few know the subject better than Joke Productions, the brains behind the popular documentary Dying to do Letterman.

Fincioen said that first couple days of the workshop, students just learn the basics.

No pitching allowed. 

On Sunday, Fincioen and Messina spent some time explaining the networks and how they operate to the students. 

But, they’ve got some lofty plans, too.

“Our goal is to have you watch television differently,” she said.

To learn more about the workshops, or to sign up for the next one, email Inda Blatch-Geib or call 330-687-2629. 

“Our goal is to enable people," said Blatch-Geib. "This area is really rich for filmmaking and television production. There are amazing stories to tell in this region.”

“Maybe next year, at this time, people will be watching them on television.”