What The Travel Channel Could Be… but isn’t

A novel look at life inside China today…..

The Travel Channel, which has been in decline since Scripps took it over a few years ago has now reached what I hope is the ‘bottom of the barrel’, but one never knows.

Last night we flipped to it only to watch ‘Extreme Restaurants”.

I would say ‘this has to be one of the dumbest shows I have ever seen’, except I also saw their short-lived NYC Bike Messenger series. “WIll the package make it to 42nd Street???”

On this dumber than dumb episode we were ‘treated’ to a restaurant where everyone ‘eats in the dark’  – shot in that green night vision thing.  Most Haunted Hamburger.

Reeling off this assault on my brain, I came across the loverly short film I have embedded above.

Sunshine.

This was shot by TV commercial directror/cinematographer/editor Doug Nichol while he was in China actually shooting a McDonald’s ad.

He shot it with a Canon 5D and cut it himself, but take a look.

Now THIS is a ‘travel story’ I can get into.

It’s smart, well made, interesting and with a point. And it’s also great travel stuff.

It probably cost about 1% of what The Travel Channel is shelling out for the crap they are currently putting on the air, and to me, it’s about 100% (or maybe even 100 times) better.

I don’t run the network, but if I did, I would start commissioning this kind of stuff right away.  I can’t believe that their ratings (or their content) could get any worse. I suppose it could, but I find it hard to believe that there are actually people who would want to see ‘most haunted restaurant’.  Or are there?

Travel as a topic has huge potential – potential the The Travel Channel clearly doesn’t get or want to take a shot at.

Come on!

Have some courage!

Try something new and different.

Clearly, the content is out there – and it’s in search of a home.  Doug Nichol has been showing this at Film Festivals.

If I were you I would pick up the phone and commission a few pilots from this guy right away.

If I were you….