^{Props to the Dragons}

If you think you’ve got the next million dollar idea, or you’ve invented a better mouse trap, or even some wacky board game, you could pitch it on Dragons’ Den.

The hit CBC show is holding auditions across the country. A post on the show’s web site says, “due to overwhelming demand, producers are expanding the search to over 40 stops.”

The full schedule for Dragons’ Den auditions in all the cities hasn’t been figured out yet, but some have already been arranged starting in early March.

Need a little help with your pitch? Dianne Buckner is offers up tips for pitches, and the late Dragon Laurence Lewin, shared the following wisdom, “It is not up to me to understand the entrepreneurs business. It is up to the entrepreneur to explain it clearly to me.”

This could be big.

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	Dragons' Den	Posted at 2:08 pm (10 Feb 2010)

Television is the most interesting hobby I’ve ever had. I love the chaos of TV, I love the discipline of investing. My real job is chairman of O’Leary Funds, but I look at it this way: O’Leary Funds is science, television is art. There’s room for both in a person’s life.

Kevin O’Leary explaining to the Globe and Mail the difference between his television profile and his job. He also talks about the success of Dragons’ Den, and why he’s on Twitter but not Facebook. The whole interview is available here.

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	Dragons' Den	Posted at 2:04 pm (06 Jan 2010)

Kevin O’Leary, one of the original “dragons” on Dragons’ Den is about to become a shark.

The Toronto Star reports O’Leary has been hired by Mark Burnett, who produced Survivor and The Apprentice, to appear on a ABC version of the show dubbed the Shark Tank.

Burnett is shooting the pilot next month in Los Angeles. O’Leary is the toughest of the Dragons, “When it comes to business, I’m known as a straight shooter,” he told the Star. “I don’t worry about people’s feelings when it comes to money. I worry about their money.”

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	Dragons' Den	Posted at 9:22 am (23 Dec 2008)

Dragons’ Den picked up over a million viewers last night. It’s highest ratings the show has had to date. The numbers peaked at the bottom of the hour at 1.2 million.

It’s a significant milestone for the show, now in it’s third season. Its first episode drew only 220,000 viewers. Since the CBC purchased the rights to the format from Sony in 2006, the production has evolved significantly. The CBC version is now considered the one best examples of the execution of the format. “It is one of the best and our finished version is now broadcast around the world,” Stuart Coxe, the executive producer for the show said.

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	Dragons' Den	Posted at 6:35 pm (02 Dec 2008)

Even more proof that CBC’s getting into the blogosphere, the CBC has hired a blogger to follow the show Dragons’ Den around through the audition phase.

Kempton Lam has been a regular commenter here and his WordPress-hosted blog is here.

Like this blog, CBC has given Kempton editorial control about what he wants to blog about and focus on (except, of course, for giving away the show’s outcome!)

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	Dragons' Den	Posted at 11:53 am (07 Jun 2007)

Auditions are starting to get underway for season two of Dragon’s Den, returning this fall on CBC. You can apply online. CBC is holding auditions in cities across Canada.

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	Asides, Dragons' Den	Posted at 1:13 pm (10 Apr 2007)

Looks like the Dragon hasn’t been slayed yet. The CBC is advertising for four producers for the popular reality-show Dragon’s Den. Job duties:

• Plans, conceives, organizes, and/or develops the production and realization of a program segment, program, or series.
• Work must adhere to CBC journalistic and/or program policies, standards and practices and the Producer is ultimately responsible for ensuring that this occurs. Nevertheless, there is wide latitude for initiative, independent judgment and creativity.
• There is a regular and ongoing requirement to co-ordinate the work of others.
• Applicants resistant to fire and/or extreme heat will be considered first.

If you believe you can breathe fire, apply!

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	Dragons' Den	Posted at 3:21 pm (03 Apr 2007)

 So, apparently CBC execs haven’t yet decided if Dragon’s Den will have another season. But considering word is leaking out about an audition contest they’re co-hosting with Profit Magazine, the word looks good.
     Venture capitalist Sean Wise is sending word around to his various contacts via email that the contest, called the Pitch4Profit contest (wow… what kind of brilliant, uh, committee came up with that name?) launched Friday.
     ”Entrepreneurs upload a 90-second elevator pitch (video or audio file) outlining what their business does and why it’s needed,” he writes. “The three best pitches (as decided by viewers and judges) get a chance to pitch the Dragons during the taping of DD:S2. Even if CBC announces DD:S2 in February, auditions might not begin until April or May, this contest is therefore an easy way to guarantee you a chance to pitch the Dragons and to do so months ahead of the competition.”

In an odd sidebar (aren’t sidebars all a bit odd?), when you Google “dragon’s den, canada” in its Google Images section, you get this image suggested as a hit. Might Her Royal Highness make an appearance in season two?

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	Dragons' Den	Posted at 11:38 am (22 Jan 2007)

A small Toronto company is taking issue with CBC Television’s editing decisions, following a dramatic episode where their University professor and mentor squandered a deal between the company’s founders and venture capitalists.
     The entrepreneurs behind JobLoft.com appeared on Dragon’s Den and impressed the VCs enough to get a promise of $200,000 in seed money. However, at a follow-up meeting, the young partners brought in their mentor, a University business professor, who lobbed insults at the venture capitalists. The VCs, unimpressed with the professor and the entrepreneurs’ inaction during the heated exchange, took their offer off the table.
     On its official blog, the company told their side of the story, saying “[CBC] producers have a magical way making things look and feel a certain way for television.”
     ”So what was our advisor trying to say that the CBC couldn’t (or wouldn’t?) show in a span of 3 minutes? Well, the dragons were talking about how to spend the $200,000 on marketing to employers ONLY. Dr. Norrie merely highlighted the fact that we should not focus only on employers but market to both job seekers and employers,” read the blog posting.
     The owners also said they were disappointed by the lack of promised follow-through by one of the VCs: “The last thing Kevin said to us, ‘As soon as we finishing taping this show, I am in your face… Guaranteed!’ Trust us, no one was in our face.
     ”What ended up happening was that we spent a lot of time with lawyers and at the end of it all, left with a huge legal bill as a result.”
     When contacted by InsideTheCBC.com for comment, JobLoft CEO Chris Nguyen first requested a list of interview questions in advance, then, when told this was contrary to CBC journalistic policy, declined to be interviewed.

View Dragon’s Den segment featuring JobLoft:

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	Dragons' Den	Posted at 12:27 pm (23 Nov 2006)

The Globe and Mail is reporting that the CBC series Dragons’ Den continues its “impressive climb in the ratings.” More than a half-million Canadians watched last week, which is an increase of 250% since the show premiered in October. The show is a Canadian version of a British series of the same name. It features would-be entrepreneurs from across Canada trying to convince industry moguls to buy into their inventions.

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	Asides, Dragons' Den	Posted at 12:59 pm (14 Nov 2006)

Once upon a time, slipping brand-name products into television and movie productions was considered either clever and forward-thinking, or sneaky and unethical. No longer. Product placement now seems to be par for the course, and this year CBC has jumped into the product placement pool with both feet.

If you watch the opening of Dragon’s Den tonight at 8:00 p.m., you’ll see a fleet of slick black Cadillacs driving the millionaires to the “den” – the result of a series sponsorship deal with GM’s Cadillac division.

Tomorrow, when Wayne Rostad’s On the Road Again opens its 20th and final season (7:30 p.m.) you may see Wayne meeting average Canadians inside average Canadian Tim Hortons restaurants. This is no casual Peter and Condi rendezvous – it’s the result of another sponsorship deal.

“Wayne is a big fan of Tim Hortons, and we’ve got a great relationship with Tim Hortons, so this is a really natural integration,” says Jamie Michaels, CBC’s director of customer marketing.

Can’t afford a Caddy? Tuesday night’s Intelligence features both good guys and bad guys in a variety of conveniently available Mazdas.

“We have to be very careful not to force-fit product placement,” said CBC customer marketing manager Steven Pitkanen. “Mazda was great enough to give us, I think, five vehicles. They’ll be used by the heroes and the bad guys.”

And if you can’t afford a Mazda, how about a Kia? No coincidence that on The Tournament, the character of Stan Ryckman owned a Kia dealership.

That show’s finished, but you can still get your Kia by winning the Hockey Night in Canada Fantasy Pool presented by KIA MOTORS.

There’s more to come, too. According to Media in Canada, we may see products slipped into The Hour and The Gill Deacon Show.

Sponsors may also be drawn to The Hour, with the popular and hip George Stroumboulopoulos offering up guest interviews and provocative commentary. Now in its third season, the show features sponsorable segments like George’s Top 5 movie lists and contests, but the opps are being lined up with care. “George is a pretty prestigious brand,” said Michaels. “We’re looking for the right advertisers to associate with that. It’s not a show that’s going to be cluttered with sponsors.”

Other opportunities to watch for are the debut of The Gill Deacon Show on Monday, Oct. 30 at 11 a.m. (with repeats daily at 2 p.m.). The talk show is a friendly challenge to think “out of the box” geared to the homemaker, the young mother with a newborn, the work-at-home career woman or the business person on a coffee break. It’s a free-flow of ideas, talk, tips and suggestions that will empower viewers to make choices that enrich their lives in surprising and creative ways – and thusly a potential landmine for tie-ins and ad opps.

[I sure hope they meant "goldmine"…]

So, is product placement a landmine or goldmine?

CBC is always on the lookout for new ways of funding shows, and this is certainly one way to do it. One could argue that a Caddy in the Dragon’s Den opener is no worse than a fuzzed-out SUV grille logo in any other reality TV show. And why not make some cash when talking to people who probably visit Timmies anyhow? At least CBC is being up front about it.

On the other hand… how long before I have to sign off this WordPress© blog composed on Microsoft Word© brought to you by Dell© Computers – Do More. Faster™.?

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	CBC Television, Dragons' Den, The Hour with George S., The Media Landscape	Posted at 2:28 pm (11 Oct 2006)

Today I had the opportunity to preview the first episode of Dragon’s Den, a new CBC reality show that premieres on Wed., Oct 4 at 8:00 p.m. EST/PST.

The show is pretty interesting, but more on that in a minute. What struck me was the very notion of letting bloggers in on the preview process. And not just Inside The CBC – invitations were also sent to business blogger Rick Spence at Canadian Entrepreneur, Kempton’s Blog and even The Teamakers.

Which is certainly more interesting than just mailing a few screeners to newspaper reviewers. And more likely to net some positive buzz (whereas Globe & Mail columnist John Doyle’s review amounts to “confusing”, Spence says “I think this can really help raise the sophistication level of Canadian entrepreneurs” and Kempton gushes, “Do we have a great show on hand? Absolutely!”) Non-traditional publicity isn’t something CBC comes by naturally.

And the show? You’ll have to make up you own mind on Wednesday, but I enjoyed it. It’s a mix of familiar reality TV devices: take The Apprentice, add a slick opening (with Cadillac product placement), tension music and camera movements from Who Wants to be a Millionaire, an Idol-esque crabby judge, and you’ve got the idea.

But it works. It’s very glossy, although the dungeon-like setting gets claustrophobic after a while (I would have liked to see these people outside, doing their thing.) The judges have chemistry, host Dianne Buckner is a nice fit, and the pitches are certainly… varied. Their products range from about $5 to $30 million, and you’ll enjoy the “body care product for women” bit.

The Dragon’s Den site is decent too – check out the Pitchers Bible section on how to pitch your own idea to investors.

I think a lot of people will be watching this show – and watching its ratings. Reality television at CBC has a very bad name of late… can Dragon’s Den turn things around?

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	Dragons' Den	Posted at 2:38 pm (02 Oct 2006)

It was the blog posting title that got me: “Trailer for CBC’s new reality show…leaked!!” Only it can’t be a leak if it appears on the show’s official web site, can it? Anyway, here’s your first view at what Dragons’ Den will look like.

Can’t read a whole lot into a 15-second clip, other than the production values seem high and the dollar values nearly impossible. (A Canadian show is giving $200,000 away?!) It certainly looks sharp and, proving there are few original ideas left these days, damned similar to ABC’s (yes, ABC) American Inventor.
     On the other end of the spectrum, I did a quick search for Dragons’ Den on Google Video and found what seems to be a pilot of a segment the show producers were trying out, called Inside the Dragons’ Den, the bulk of which involves asking contestants a simple math question. Over and over again. Here’s hoping there’s still more fine-tuning left.

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	Dragons' Den	Posted at 6:20 am (31 Aug 2006)

It took several readings of the same paragraph in today’s Globe and Mail for me to believe my eyes. From an article about the forthcoming Dragon’s Den:

The final choices [for the judges] were Robert Herjavec, who sold his IT firm for more than $100-million; Laurence Lewin, founder of La Senza lingerie stores; Kevin O’Leary (host of ROB TV’s Squeeze Play), who sold his educational software firm for $3.2-billion; Jim Treliving, a former RCMP cop who owns the Boston Pizza chain; and Jennifer Wood, a beef industry executive.

Kevin O’Leary?! Surely that must be a typo? Kevin O’Leary is accepting a paycheque from us? I mean this can’t possibly be the same Kevin O’Leary from Report on Business Television who recently complained that the CBC should stop trying to produce Canadian programming [full transcript].

Amanda (his co-host): So, I don’t know if you paid attention to the math but the bottom line is it is nearly impossible to live next to the market that we do in America with the production capabilities of content and make money at producing Canadian shows.

Kevin: Then I have one answer, don’t do it.

Amanda: I don’t know if all Canadians would agree with that answer.

Kevin: You know Amanda, all things in life, if you can’t make money, why are you doing it?

I’ll assume the question was rhetorical, Kevin. But it makes us wonder: Other than the fame Dragon’s Den might bring you (god forbid it actually generates ratings), why are you doing it?
     Oh, right. Money. Changes everything, eh?
     Well, welcome aboard. Try not to break anything while you’re here.

Will Dragons Be The One, Globe and Mail
Ah. I get it. ‘Will it be “The One“‘ — what a clever Globe headline-writer you are. Here’s a treat.

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	Dragons' Den	Posted at 8:19 pm (19 Aug 2006)

“Dragons’ Den… although the first episode doesn’t air until Oct. 4 on CBC Television, the taping is taking place this week in Toronto. Modelled on a successful Japanese reality show that has also found an audience in Britain and Australia, this is the first time Dragons’ Den is being produced in Canada.” Full article

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	Asides, Dragons' Den	Posted at 2:07 pm (08 Aug 2006)