Broadcasting a Vision

Early in 2001, we at WaterShapes were looking for a way to break out of the pack and make a distinctive name for our then-new publication. And of course, we wanted to do it in a way that would attract maximum attention for boldness, brashness and sheer chutzpah.

It didn’t take long for us to settle onWaterShapes TV as a concept, and with Eric Herman running point, we began to organize ourselves to prepare a pilot that would be so achingly beautiful and seductive, no broadcast executive (or consumer) could resist.

We were in production by April, gathering videos our contacts had on the shelf, blending in new material from a few local sources and crafting an overall narrative that linked everything together. By late summer, we were hanging out with our production people and putting on finishing touches to get the package down to the required 22 minutes. We were excited beyond belief – and confident that we’d get our feet firmly in the door with one of the many content-hungry cable channels.

Timing is everything. As we were preparing for our big moment, we missed the fact that cable television was rapidly changing from a focus on education and instruction to a absolute mania for entertainment and competitions. And we weren’t helped by a wave of caution about anything new that spread in the aftermath of 9/11.

Be all that as it may, I recently pulled the tapes out of the files and herewith invite you to enjoy the fruits of our 2001 labors. In the current edition of our newsletter, you’ll find the first of five segments of the pilot for WaterShapes TV – this one introducing the concept and setting the stage for segments to follow. You’ll get the chance, as I often have done in the last ten years, of wondering what might have been.

We’ll release the other four segments, which feature work by David Tisherman, John Luebtow, Crystal Fountains and others, to coincide with our next four newsletters. Watch for them!

Were we on the right track back in 2001? Please do watch the video and let me know what you think by commenting below!

WaterShapes TV I: Click here.