Spring Break
TV show recruits at A&M
Almost 100 Aggies apply to be the next big reality stars
By: Jessica McCann
Issue date: 3/6/07 Section: News
A row of brand new Hummers lined the side of Midnight Rodeo on Saturday morning during a casting call for a reality show project called "The Prodigy."
The owners of those vehicles screened between 75 and 100 Texas A&M students hoping to join the cast and compete for a chance to win $1,000,000 in cash and prizes, said Anthony DeFelice, a regional manager for Firstline Security, Inc., which sponsors the show.
"We only wanted to take about 50 people to the next level, but 50 quality candidates," DeFelice said. "We would've taken fewer, if we didn't have that many good students, but we got around 40 or 50 advancing. The overall turnout was not the best in the world, but it wasn't the worst. It was really more about getting our name out there at this point."
One A&M student advancing to the second round of interviews heard about the casting call from on-campus recruiters.
"I was just walking by the (Memorial Student Center) and a guy stopped me and asked if I would be interested in trying out for a job in sales," said Sean Quinn, a senior landscape architecture major. "Since it was already something I was interested in, I decided to check it out. "
"The Prodigy," produced by Actuality Entertainment, is the latest development in the six-year internship program of Firstline, a bundled services and security company based in Utah. While the internship has offered students the opportunity to work in door-to-door sales in the past, this is the first time they will be filmed for television.
"Everything is going to be filmed, and the show will be put together and edited by Actuality," said Jerod Justice, a junior animal science major and district manager with Firstline. "At that point, it will be 'shopped' out to major networks. There are already agreements being made, so it will definitely be televised, at least on a cable series."
The competition will take place in three phases and the winner will receive $200,000 cash, a $60,000 car and $740,000 in venture capital to start a new business.
"We don't just hand someone a million dollars, we give them the resources to turn their vision, goals and ideas into a major business," said 2006 winner Jared Taggart. "The four months I spent doing this did more for me than my entire college experience."
The Prodigy is touring the nation to recruit at other college campuses, DeFelice said. A&M was chosen as a location because of its unique reputation.
"Basically, we're looking for different schools whose campuses have good reputations," DeFelice said. "Good characteristics and good people, like Texas A&M."
The second interviews will take place on Monday, followed by several other rounds of application. The competition begins in May and ends in August.
The owners of those vehicles screened between 75 and 100 Texas A&M students hoping to join the cast and compete for a chance to win $1,000,000 in cash and prizes, said Anthony DeFelice, a regional manager for Firstline Security, Inc., which sponsors the show.
"We only wanted to take about 50 people to the next level, but 50 quality candidates," DeFelice said. "We would've taken fewer, if we didn't have that many good students, but we got around 40 or 50 advancing. The overall turnout was not the best in the world, but it wasn't the worst. It was really more about getting our name out there at this point."
One A&M student advancing to the second round of interviews heard about the casting call from on-campus recruiters.
"I was just walking by the (Memorial Student Center) and a guy stopped me and asked if I would be interested in trying out for a job in sales," said Sean Quinn, a senior landscape architecture major. "Since it was already something I was interested in, I decided to check it out. "
"The Prodigy," produced by Actuality Entertainment, is the latest development in the six-year internship program of Firstline, a bundled services and security company based in Utah. While the internship has offered students the opportunity to work in door-to-door sales in the past, this is the first time they will be filmed for television.
"Everything is going to be filmed, and the show will be put together and edited by Actuality," said Jerod Justice, a junior animal science major and district manager with Firstline. "At that point, it will be 'shopped' out to major networks. There are already agreements being made, so it will definitely be televised, at least on a cable series."
The competition will take place in three phases and the winner will receive $200,000 cash, a $60,000 car and $740,000 in venture capital to start a new business.
"We don't just hand someone a million dollars, we give them the resources to turn their vision, goals and ideas into a major business," said 2006 winner Jared Taggart. "The four months I spent doing this did more for me than my entire college experience."
The Prodigy is touring the nation to recruit at other college campuses, DeFelice said. A&M was chosen as a location because of its unique reputation.
"Basically, we're looking for different schools whose campuses have good reputations," DeFelice said. "Good characteristics and good people, like Texas A&M."
The second interviews will take place on Monday, followed by several other rounds of application. The competition begins in May and ends in August.
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