# Hobbyists & stories required for TV show



## LeeAnneB (Dec 22, 2009)

Hi all.

I'm new here, and was sent in this direction by somebody who is an existing member and thought this would be the place to ask. 

I'm currently working on a TV show based around the UK's love for their pets, and because I have a strong interest in herps I thought it would be interesting to include some short pieces about people who live with large reptile collections and what their life is like living with them, and how they became interested in the hobby. For example, what their daily routine is like, and how having so many reptiles affects other family members.

If anyone has rescued and rehabilitated a lot or reptiles, that would be an ideal story because there would be the chance to educate people about keeping reptiles in general.

It doesn't just have to be reptiles, as any other exotics would also be of interest, such as living with large tarantula collections.

If anyone has any interesting stories and would be interested in taking part, please send me an E-mail. My E-mail address should be contactable via my profile.

Thanks for taking the time to read this message - I hope I've posted it in the correct place on the forum! :2thumb:

EDIT: Okay, I see that my E-mail address is not visable on my profile, but if anyone is interested, I will check my PMs regularly and will get back to you.

Many thanks.


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## maddragon29 (Oct 16, 2008)

I know you say UK but it may be an idea to say where you are based, as i'm guessing this might not include scotland amongst other areas?


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## LeeAnneB (Dec 22, 2009)

In theory we could travel up to Scotland for the right story. We're based in the South West but can travel all over the UK to cover stories.


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## Ssthisto (Aug 31, 2006)

Is the television show going to present keeping reptiles - and particularly keeping large numbers of reptiles - in a WHOLLY positive light?


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## LeeAnneB (Dec 22, 2009)

It's about the UK's general love for their pets, and will feature lots of interesting people who have a variety of stories, some who have done amazing things for their pets. It's all open at the moment depending on who we find and what their story is.

Just to assure you, I am myself a very keen herp keeper and work weekends at an exotics vet to keep up my involvement with the hobby, and I am going to make sure that any reptile person we find is shown for the right reasons. Ideally it would be good to find someone who dedicates their life to living with lots of herps, and has some good rescue stories to go with it, then we can help educate the public about how herps should be kept correctly. I am sick of seeing TV features where this doesn't happen. That is why I am here researching, I want people who genuinely know what they are doing.


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## fishboy (Aug 7, 2007)

It would probably do a lot for the hobby if the keepers and their pets weren't introduced as "weird", "strange", "bizarre" or even "unusual" as so often happens on TV programs, to grab interest and ratings i suppose. Especially as considering the number of herps kept in the country today this would be factually incorrect. Sticking some fact in there about numbers of herps kept in the UK and some sort of figure to show how many are captive bred and the actual FACTS surrounding reptile shows might be good. Might be a good idea to speak to Chris Newman on here of the FBH.


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## LeeAnneB (Dec 22, 2009)

Agreed. It's amazing actually how many people I meet when I'm working at the vets at the weekend who are surprised to find that tortoises are captive bred and still think that thay must all be imports!

How popular exotics are also raises another point regarding their veterinary treatment. I wish there were more vets around who would treat exotics, and this also includes birds. The number of regular vets who refer exotics to specialist vets is quite high, and considering how popular they are as pets, it's a shame that more vets aren't interested in learning more about their treatment instead of having to refer. There seem to be so few specialists around, and I feel sorry for people who, for whatever reason, are unable to travel to them because their local vets don't have a clue.


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## Mujician (Mar 7, 2007)

Just wondering:- are you part of the TV company (like tiger aspect etc), or a broadcaster(like BBC)? Do you have a broadcaster to buy the program already?


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## LeeAnneB (Dec 22, 2009)

Yep, am part of an independant production company, and it is for Sky 1.


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## blood and guts (May 30, 2007)

How about some more details about your self and the production company to help people make a informed choice? Whos the vet and what part of the south west, its a big area. 

The term "intresting people" kind of sounds like shows that have gone in the past where intresting became weird and easy for the genral public to poke fun at.


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## Schip (Mar 31, 2007)

Ohh this takes me back to the Pre Pedigree Dogs Exposed remit from Passionate Productions - look what happend to the breeders who worked with them never mind the KC! You can spout all you like on the positives of our hobby but 'they' as in editors don't have to use it if it doesn't go with their views they have total control not you.

I personally know Prof Jeff Sampson and know his credentials, the man was part of the Dog Genome group never mind lecturing all over the world and students at Leics Uni amongst other places. JH certainly showed him in a very bad light, do believe I remember some folk on here calling him a bafoon or something equally uncomplimentary.

Remits change very quickly when a 'journalist' spies a chance to make a name for themselves especially in 'independant' companies. Clever editing can change a very positive angle to a very negative one in a heartbeat, before you know it they'll be lobbying for restrictions on our hobby if not the total banning of it.


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## LeeAnneB (Dec 22, 2009)

It's entirely up to you if you'd like to get involved or not.

At the end of the day, I am helping the production team with this one for the reason that herps are of great interest to me and I have been in the hobby personally since 1997. I have already made clear that I am doing this because I want to help make sure that the people featured in the programme are genuine people who will provide the correct information and that it doesn't end up being anything to 'poke fun at' as someone suggested. I refer to 'interesting' only in terms of the fact that the people featured have something that can be a good 'story', for example, someone who dedicates a good percentage of their lives to taking in rescues. That's just an example.

A little about me? I previously worked as a full time veterinary nurse for CJ Hall vets, I now work there only at weekends and during the week I am a Production Coordinator freelancing at various independant production companies. That has been my main career since I graduated in 2000, but I stay involved with exotics as a sideline because it's one of my hobbies. My big passion is birds more than heprs, and I've written in the past for Parrots magazine. I'm an online moderator at a bird forum called Tailfeathers, which is very much like this place but for birds.

I don't have many pets at the mo, but I do have a 12.5 year old bearded dragon, a cali king, a utah mountain king, 2 tarantulas and a couple of budgerigars.

I am 100% genuine and want to help the production team find good contributors. I wouldn't be here if I wasn't. I really hate it when TV companies get it wrong. I have seen documentaries about 'problem parrots' before that made me angry, because all I saw were scared birds and the show made it out that the birds were 'badly behaved' and explained nothing about the complex nature of parrots and how sensitive they are. I now have a chance to help out with a TV show that is animal related, and I want to do what I can to make sure they get it right because I am passionate about it. I am not a journalist, I am helping out on a researcher level, though my main role in TV is a production coordinator.

There are further details for the show on the production company web site HERE.

If anyone is interested in taking part in this show, please feel free to message me and I will happily answer any concerns.


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## blood and guts (May 30, 2007)

So you dont have much say over editing then? as said above its easy for the editors to ruin people reputations and as a hobby we are often the target for misreprasentaion no matter how well meaning the resercher comes across.

Just look at current programs like animal 24/7 where complete set ups and total mis information and lies have become the norm yet the genral public laps it up as truth. 

Guess you can say some of us are of the opinion once bitten twice shy, and we as a hobby get bit way to often. Not knocking you personaly but we see this a lot.


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## LeeAnneB (Dec 22, 2009)

Hi there. 

I understand it isn't personal, and I can respect where you are coming from completely. Remember, it's my hobby too, which is why I feel strongly that being able to have involvement in something like this means that I can help make sure that the correct facts are portrayed with anything I deal with directly.

I understand also what you mean by not trusting editors. Though to be fair, editors are there to cut the pieces together, it's the producers both with production companies and broadcasters who have the final say in what is shown, the editors have to cut to what they are told in terms of the content, so I don't blame editors when things go wrong, I blame producers and poor research.

I've never seen Animal 24/7 so I can't comment on that.

As I see it, people so often get information wrong when it comes to exotics, and I also know that people like to represent it as being a 'wierd' or 'strange' hobby - people tell me my pets are 'wierd' all the time and I hate that. I now have a chance to cross work with my hobby, and in doing this, if I can help to make sure that good information is available and good contributors are found (not people who have herps for the 'shock' factor and just want to get on the telly), then that's what I will do as best I can. Someone I discussed this with whilst at the vets the other day suggested this would be a good place to come to find genuine hobbyists with interesting herps, so I came here to follow it up.

It's when researchers and producers don't have a clue when things get misprepresented. Anything I find as a contribution to the programme I will make sure I keep an eye on from start to finish so that all the correct information goes into the piece, and I am doing this because I care. I do understand the concerns raised though and I totally don't blame anyone for not wanting to get involved because of previous experiences. I think I'd feel the same if I'd had similar experiences.

There's actually an appeal for contributors on the production web site HERE . It's mostly a light hearted celebration of the UK's love for pets, and within it will be many individual stories. Ideally I would personally like to find someone who perhaps works for a rescue organisation (I have contacted Proteus), or has done an amazing thing in taking in many neglected herps and helping them. That way, the piece could show how herps should be kept and highlight the importance of correct husbandry. Those are my thoughts at the moment, but it all depends on who/what I find as to where the stories/pieces can go.


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