FIX THIS

Ok, so last winter I was at National Geographic meeting with a good friend who is a VP of the TV channel and happens to be a fan of my work. We're discussing possible Nat Geo shows, shooting and life in general when we're interrupted by a co-worker of hers who announced "He's finally here! The producer is here!" Carrie had to excuse herself to go meet with this Aussie guy just in from a long plane ride, the producer of a new show that had recently lost the planned host. The show was set to begin shooting in a month or less. While I sat there thinking where my life my head in 2008 Carrie re-appeared and asked if I wanted to audition to be the host. Seems they had sifted through about 400 applicants and were not thrilled with any of them. It seemed serendipitous - do I want to audition for a show that will be played in 6 million homes worldwide? Uhhh - PSHYEA! Well off I went, met the production crew and threw down. Best audition I've ever had. I was on. Figured I nailed it. I also had to get them an audition tape by Monday - it was Friday afternoon. I busted out and rallied my coast guard buddies to formulate a plan. By Sunday we were shooting and after a sleepless night, I had my audition uploaded and ready for Nat Geo's 8am production meeting. It was solid. I knew I'd get it. I just had this gut feeling - BIG things were gonna start happening!

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Needles to say I didn't get the job. I guess some rock climber from Seattle with a degree in Engineering turned in a tape and beat me at the 11th hour and 59th minute. There's not much solace in the show biz world for 2nd place - no podium there.
Meet Sean Riley

Here's a link to the show at Nat Geo's site
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2nd Chance? Well after seeing all this, I'm not sure I would have done a better job than Sean. He's clearly solid in front of the camera. HOWEVER - I hope to meet with the producer next week to discuss working as a cameraman for the show. Could be a great new direction for Gripped... Stay tuned...